Getting Started with the Skydio Skills SDK

With this guide, you'll be able to create new Skills for the Skydio App to add custom behaviors to your R1. Skills are python scripts that run onboard R1 and provide basic UI elements inside the app.

Skillset

We've put together a skillset of sample skills that you can use to learn how the Skills SDK works.

Try these skills in the simulator and control with your Skydio Mobile App

1. Download this repo and unzip it.
2. Login to the Skydio Developer Console using the same email you did/will in the Skydio Mobile App.
3. Create a new skillset with a unique name for your testing.
4. Upload the skillset folder from the zip into your newly created skillset. This creates an automatic file sync between our server and your browser tab if using Google Chrome.
5. Open the simulators page in a new tab, request a simulator from the pool and then select yours from the dropdown.
6. Open the Skydio Mobile App (must be version 4.0+) and select the matching simulator via the Settings tab.
7. Tap FLY NOW in your Mobile App Fly tab, and you should start to see streaming video from the simulator in your app and the browser.
8. If your sim vehicle is not already flying, swipe up to takeoff in the Mobile App.
9. Select the PropertyTour sample skill from the menu in the app to activate it. You should see a Go button on screen. Pressing it will initiate the automated tour.
10. Edit the code for the property_tour.py using your favorite code editor.
11. Save the file and your change will be automatically uploaded to the cloud via your open skillset web page (if you are not using Chrome you will have to re-upload).
12. Press the Synchronize Skills button in the skill selection menu of the Skydio Mobile App to redeploy your code to the simulator. You will need to re-select your skill, as the system restarts and selects the Follow skill by default.
13. If your change worked, you should see a new orbit motion in the tour when you run it. However, if an error occured, the vehicle will not execute the skill. Any errors will appear in the debugging console above the simulator pane. Look out for red text describing the error.

Visit the Getting Started section of the SDK docs for more information.

Included Skills

• Polygon Path: Fly a path in the shape of a user-defined polygon.
• Property Tour: Perform a series of cinematic motions to record a real estate video.
• Roof Inspection: Fly a configurable scanning pattern over the roof of a house.
• Security Bot: Follow anyone that gets within range of a home point, then return.
• Party Mode: Automatically follow subjects for 15 seconds at a time within a defined area.
• Com Link: Communicate with a Skill from an external client using HTTP.
• Remote Control: Fly R1 directly from a computer.

Client

Included is a Client python module which demonstrates how to control the vehicle and communicate with a skill directly from your computer over WiFi.