Range finder for terrain following in Drone Programming - Practice Problems & Coding Challenges

Challenge - 5 Problems

❓ Predict Output

intermediate

Output of range finder distance calculation

What is the output of this code that calculates the distance from the drone to the ground using a range finder reading and drone altitude?

Drone Programming

altitude = 120.5  # meters
range_finder_reading = 15.3  # meters

distance_to_ground = altitude - range_finder_reading
print(f"Distance to ground: {distance_to_ground} meters")

A Distance to ground: 105.2 meters

B Distance to ground: 135.8 meters

C Distance to ground: 120.5 meters

D Distance to ground: 15.3 meters

💡 Hint

Subtract the range finder reading from the drone's altitude to get the distance to the ground.

The drone altitude is 120.5 meters. The range finder measures 15.3 meters from the drone to the ground. So, distance_to_ground = 120.5 - 15.3 = 105.2 meters.

🧠 Conceptual

intermediate

Understanding range finder data for terrain following

Which statement best describes how a range finder helps a drone follow terrain?

A It measures the distance to the ground so the drone can adjust altitude to maintain a set height.

B It detects obstacles in front of the drone to avoid collisions.

C It measures wind speed to stabilize the drone.

D It records GPS coordinates for navigation.

💡 Hint

Think about what the range finder measures directly below the drone.

Range finders measure the distance from the drone to the ground below. This helps the drone adjust its altitude to keep a consistent height above terrain.

🔧 Debug

advanced

Identify the error in terrain following altitude adjustment code

What error will this code cause when trying to adjust drone altitude based on range finder data?

Drone Programming

desired_height = 50
range_finder_distance = 45

# Adjust altitude to maintain desired height above ground
new_altitude = desired_height + range_finder_distance
print(f"New altitude: {new_altitude}")

A The altitude will be set too low because it subtracts instead of adding.

B The code will cause a syntax error due to missing colon.

C The code will raise a TypeError because of incompatible types.

D The altitude will be set too high because it adds desired height and distance instead of subtracting.

💡 Hint

Think about how altitude relates to desired height and range finder distance.

To maintain a desired height above ground, the drone altitude should be set to the ground altitude plus desired height. Here, range_finder_distance is the distance to ground, so adding desired_height to it sets altitude too high.

📝 Syntax

advanced

Identify the syntax error in range finder data processing

Which option contains the syntax error when trying to create a dictionary of sensor readings?

Drone Programming

sensor_data = {"range_finder": 12.5, "altitude": 100.0, "speed": 5.2}

A sensor_data = {range_finder: 12.5, altitude: 100.0, speed: 5.2}

B sensor_data = {"range_finder" 12.5, "altitude" 100.0, "speed" 5.2}

C sensor_data = ["range_finder": 12.5, "altitude": 100.0, "speed": 5.2]

D sensor_data = {"range_finder": 12.5, "altitude": 100.0, "speed": 5.2}

💡 Hint

Check the punctuation between keys and values in the dictionary.

Option B is missing colons between keys and values, causing a syntax error. Dictionaries require colons to separate keys and values.

🚀 Application

expert

Calculate drone altitude for terrain following with variable terrain

Given a drone flying over terrain where the range finder reading changes as follows: [10, 12, 8, 15, 9] meters, and the drone wants to maintain a constant height of 20 meters above ground, what is the list of altitudes the drone should set to maintain this height?

Drone Programming

range_readings = [10, 12, 8, 15, 9]
desired_height = 20

# Calculate altitudes
altitudes = [reading + desired_height for reading in range_readings]
print(altitudes)

A [20, 20, 20, 20, 20]

B [10, 12, 8, 15, 9]

C [30, 32, 28, 35, 29]

D [-10, -8, -12, -5, -11]

💡 Hint

Add the desired height to each range finder reading to get the altitude.

The drone altitude is the ground distance plus the desired height. Adding 20 to each reading gives the correct altitudes: [30, 32, 28, 35, 29].