Camera gimbal control in Drone Programming - Practice Problems & Coding Challenges

Challenge - 5 Problems

❓ Predict Output

intermediate

Gimbal pitch angle adjustment output

What is the output of this code controlling the gimbal pitch angle?

Drone Programming

gimbal_pitch = 10
command = 'up'
if command == 'up':
    gimbal_pitch += 5
elif command == 'down':
    gimbal_pitch -= 5
print(gimbal_pitch)

A 15

B 5

C Error

D 10

💡 Hint

Check how the pitch angle changes when the command is 'up'.

The initial pitch is 10. The command 'up' adds 5, so the final pitch is 15.

🧠 Conceptual

intermediate

Understanding gimbal stabilization purpose

Why do camera gimbals stabilize the camera during drone flight?

A To keep the camera steady despite drone movements

B To increase drone speed

C To reduce battery consumption

D To improve drone GPS accuracy

💡 Hint

Think about what happens to a camera when the drone moves suddenly.

Gimbals keep the camera steady so videos and photos are smooth and not shaky.

🔧 Debug

advanced

Fix the gimbal yaw control error

What error does this code produce when trying to set the gimbal yaw angle?

Drone Programming

gimbal_yaw = 0
def set_yaw(angle):
    if angle >= -90 and angle <= 90:
        gimbal_yaw = angle
set_yaw(45)
print(gimbal_yaw)

A TypeError because of wrong variable type

B SyntaxError due to missing colon

C NameError because gimbal_yaw is not defined

D No error, prints 45

💡 Hint

Check the if statement syntax carefully.

The if statement is missing a colon at the end, causing a SyntaxError.

📝 Syntax

advanced

Identify the correct gimbal pitch control syntax

Which option correctly sets the gimbal pitch to 30 degrees using a function?

A

def set_pitch(angle):
    pitch == angle
set_pitch(30)
print(pitch)

B

def set_pitch(angle):
    pitch = angle
set_pitch(30)
print(pitch)

C

def set_pitch(angle):
    global pitch
    pitch = angle
set_pitch(30)
print(pitch)

D

def set_pitch(angle):
    pitch = angle
print(pitch)
set_pitch(30)

💡 Hint

Consider variable scope inside and outside the function.

Option C uses 'global' to modify the pitch variable outside the function, so print(pitch) works.

🚀 Application

expert

Calculate final gimbal roll angle after commands

Given the initial roll angle is 0, and the commands ['left', 'left', 'right', 'left'] change the roll by -10, -10, +10, -10 degrees respectively, what is the final roll angle?

A 0

B -10

C -30

D -20

💡 Hint

Add each command's effect step by step starting from 0.

Starting at 0: left(-10) → -10, left(-10) → -20, right(+10) → -10, left(-10) → -20 final.

Practice

1. What does the pitch control in a drone's camera gimbal?

easy

A. Moves the camera up and down

B. Rotates the camera left and right

C. Tilts the camera diagonally

D. Zooms the camera in and out

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand gimbal axes

   The gimbal controls three main movements: pitch, yaw, and roll.

2. Step 2: Identify pitch movement

   Pitch moves the camera up and down, changing its vertical angle.

3. Final Answer:

   Moves the camera up and down -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Pitch = up/down movement [OK]

Hint: Pitch always means up/down tilt [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing pitch with yaw
• Thinking pitch controls zoom
• Mixing pitch with roll

2. Which of the following is the correct syntax to set the yaw angle to 45 degrees in a drone gimbal control API?

easy

A. gimbal.setYaw(45)

B. gimbal.yaw = 45

C. gimbal.set_yaw(45)

D. gimbal.yaw(45)

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify common method naming

   In many drone APIs, methods use snake_case like set_yaw() to set angles.

2. Step 2: Check syntax correctness

   gimbal.set_yaw(45) uses gimbal.set_yaw(45), which is a valid method call with correct syntax.

3. Final Answer:

   gimbal.set_yaw(45) -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Method calls use parentheses and snake_case [OK]

Hint: Look for method call with parentheses and snake_case [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using dot assignment instead of method call
• Missing parentheses
• Using camelCase instead of snake_case

3. What will be the output of this code snippet controlling the gimbal pitch?

gimbal.set_pitch(10)
gimbal.set_pitch(gimbal.get_pitch() + 15)
print(gimbal.get_pitch())

medium

A. 10

B. 25

C. Error

D. 15

Solution

1. Step 1: Analyze first pitch set

   The first line sets pitch to 10 degrees.

2. Step 2: Analyze second pitch set

   The second line adds 15 to current pitch (10 + 15 = 25) and sets it.

3. Step 3: Print current pitch

   Printing pitch outputs 25.

4. Final Answer:

   25 -> Option B

5. Quick Check:

   10 + 15 = 25 [OK]

Hint: Add increments to current pitch before printing [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Ignoring addition in second set
• Assuming print shows first set value
• Syntax errors in method calls

4. Identify the error in this code snippet for resetting the gimbal:

def reset_gimbal():
    gimbal.set_pitch = 0
    gimbal.set_yaw = 0
    gimbal.set_roll = 0
reset_gimbal()

medium

A. Using assignment instead of method calls

B. Missing parentheses in function call

C. Incorrect function definition syntax

D. No error, code is correct

Solution

1. Step 1: Check how gimbal angles are set

   Angles should be set by calling methods like gimbal.set_pitch(0), not by assignment.

2. Step 2: Identify incorrect assignments

   The code uses gimbal.set_pitch = 0, which overwrites the method with an integer, causing errors.

3. Final Answer:

   Using assignment instead of method calls -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Methods need parentheses, not assignment [OK]

Hint: Use parentheses to call methods, not '=' assignment [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assigning values to methods
• Forgetting parentheses
• Assuming functions are variables

5. You want to smoothly move the camera gimbal from pitch 0 to 30 degrees in 3 steps. Which code correctly implements this using a loop?

hard

A. for angle in range(0, 30):
gimbal.set_pitch(angle * 10)

B. for angle in [10, 20, 30]:
gimbal.set_pitch(angle)

C. for angle in range(0, 30, 10):
gimbal.set_pitch(angle)

D. for angle in range(0, 31, 10):
gimbal.set_pitch(angle)

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the target angles

   The pitch should move through 0, 10, 20, and 30 degrees in steps.

2. Step 2: Check each option's range

   for angle in range(0, 31, 10): gimbal.set_pitch(angle) produces angles 0, 10, 20, 30, which smoothly moves from 0 to 30 in 4 steps.

3. Step 3: Verify other options

   for angle in [10, 20, 30]: gimbal.set_pitch(angle) -> misses starting at 0. for angle in range(0, 30, 10): gimbal.set_pitch(angle) -> stops at 20, missing 30. for angle in range(0, 30): gimbal.set_pitch(angle * 10) -> incorrect values (0 to 290).

4. Final Answer:

   for angle in range(0, 31, 10): gimbal.set_pitch(angle) -> Option D

5. Quick Check:

   Range includes 0 to 30 in steps of 10 [OK]

Hint: Use range with correct start, stop, and step for smooth movement [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Off-by-one in range end
• Wrong step size in range
• Incorrect multiplication inside loop