The Crazyflie 2.1 Brushless: Indoor Research Drones Just Got Better

2025-09-08 | Fredrik Ehrenstråle | Leave a comment

We built a strong contender in the world of indoor micro drones, and it’s pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in the lab, lecture hall, and research workshop. We are talking about the Crazyflie 2.1 Brushless and it has proven to be a leap in capability, endurance, and potential, compared to the Crazyflie 2.1+. And, it’s all designed for indoor environments where precision, safety, adaptability, and repeatability matter most.

Engineering Advances that Matter

The Crazyflie 2.1 Brushless expands the indoor experimentation capabilities, letting researchers fly longer, push for more complex missions, and iterate faster.

The most striking evolution is the switch from brushed to brushless motors, which becomes a real enabler for serious indoor flight:

Robust onboard electronics and compatibility with the full Crazyflie 2.X expansion ecosystem (except the LED ring), which means every sensor, radio, and positioning deck you’ve built will just work out of the box.
10-minute flight time on the stock 350mAh battery, compared to the old ~7 minutes of the Crazyflie 2.1+.
Max payload of 40g, more than doubling the prior recommended limit and opening the door to advanced sensors and heavier expansion decks.
Quieter and more reliable flight, thanks to lower RPM propellers optimized for a stealthier, stable operation in confined spaces.

Real Research: Indoor Applications

The Crazyflie platform is already a staple in academic circles, and “The Brushless” amps things even further:

Swarm Robotics Indoors: Multiple universities coordinate Crazyflie swarms inside test arenas, labs, and lecture halls for research into distributed control, real-time collision avoidance, and modular asset tracking.
Precise Indoor Positioning: With decks for Lighthouse or Loco positioning, research groups achieve centimeter-level indoor path planning and formation control. This is vital for AI benchmarking where GPS access isn’t possible.
Autonomous Sensing: The payload bump means researchers could run in-situ experiments with real environmental sensors like gas monitors, radiation detectors, or tiny RFID readers, all indoors, for smart buildings and logistics.
Gesture and Object Tracking: Computer vision decks enable interactive robotics projects, allowing drones to follow hand gestures, track moving people, or scan QR codes throughout an office or lab.

Key Specs (For the Tinkerers)

Spec	Crazyflie 2.1 Brushless	Crazyflie 2.1+
Motor Type	Brushless 08028-10000KV (30g thrust)	Brushed
Flight Time	10 min	~7 min
Max Payload	40g	15g
Weight	32-37g (w/ guards/legs)	29g
Open Source Ecosystem	Yes	Yes

The Crazyflie 2.1 Brushless as an Enabler

The Crazyflie 2.1 Brushless has proven itself as an enabler for rapid experimentation, reproducible robotics, and ambitious research, where safety, precision, and repeatability matter. Its robust platform, expanded payload, and enhanced flight time make it a micro drone of choice for anyone building the next wave of intelligent swarms, real-time path planners, or AI-integrated automation systems in contained spaces.

What will the next breakthrough look like? This drone lets the imagination take flight.

Empowering Innovation in China: Bitcraze and NOKOV Motion Capture Forge a Strategic Partnership

2025-06-02 | Fredrik Ehrenstråle | Leave a comment

As the demand for open, modular, and research-grade robotics continues to grow, Bitcraze is entering a strategic distribution partnership in China, one of the world’s most advanced and fast-evolving markets for robotics and education.

Researchers, educators, and industrial developers in China will benefit from easy access to Bitcraze’s entire product ecosystem. This includes high-performance indoor drones, positioning systems, and modular development tools widely used in academia and R&D across the globe.

Our new exclusive agreement with NOKOV Motion Capture, marks a step forward in expanding access to our autonomous drone systems and robotics development kits across China.

Expanding Access for China’s Robotics Community

Through NOKOV Motion Capture, customers in China gain professional support in Mandarin, short delivery times, and access to official training, demos, and bundled solutions. Together, we’re making it easier than ever for Chinese institutions to explore autonomous flight, precision tracking, and open-source robotics innovation.

A Powerful Integration of Motion Capture and Flight

One of the most exciting aspects of this partnership is the technical synergy between NOKOV Motion Capture’s industry-leading motion capture systems and Bitcraze’s versatile flight platforms. NOKOV Motion Capture’s optical tracking technology is already a staple in academic and industrial research labs throughout China.

By integrating this with Bitcraze’s drones and positioning systems, users can achieve highly accurate, low-latency indoor positioning, conduct repeatable flight experiments with synchronized motion data, and enjoy a seamless workflow from trajectory capture to analysis.

This combination opens up new possibilities for research in fields like robotics control, swarm behavior, artificial intelligence, and simulation.

Supporting Research, Education, and Development

Bitcraze’s systems have earned the trust of top universities and laboratories around the globe. With this partnership, we continue to support Chinese institutions working on:

Swarm robotics and AI research
STEM and engineering education
Indoor navigation and environment interaction
Lightweight aerial prototyping and simulation

We believe in giving innovators the tools they need to experiment freely, iterate faster, and go further.

Start Your Journey with Us

Whether you’re designing new robotic systems or preparing your classroom for hands-on drone-based learning, Bitcraze and NOKOV are here to support your ambitions.

If you’d like to learn more or get started with our products in China, please reach out to NOKOV for local support and information.

https://www.nokov.com/products/robotics/crazyflie-crazyswarm-platform.html

https://en.nokov.com/products/robotics-motion-capture/crazyflie-crazyswarm.html

Together, we’re making robotics innovation more accessible, collaborative, and inspiring for everyone.

Bitcraze’s Infinite Flight: Recent Progress in Persistent Autonomous Drone Operations

2025-05-12 | Fredrik Ehrenstråle | Leave a comment

Imagine a drone that can fly indefinitely, autonomously recharging and navigating its environment with minimal human intervention. For corporate innovators designing proof of concept solutions or researchers seeking to push the boundaries of autonomous systems, Bitcraze’s Infinite Flight project represents a novel opportunity.

Since Bitcraze first introduced the “Infinite Flight” concept in 2023, the idea of a Crazyflie drone that can operate for days, autonomously recharging and executing missions, has steadily moved from experiment to practical tool. For those working in robotics, automation, or research, this is a quick update on what’s changed and why it matters.

What’s Changed Since the last Infinite Flight?

Hardware and Firmware Improvements

Crazyflie 2.1 Brushless now features improved power efficiency and longer flight times, which is essential for multi-day operation.
Charging Dock Upgrades: The move from Qi wireless to contact-based charging has made energy transfer more reliable and reduced cycle downtime.
Firmware Stability: The latest firmware (2025.02) brings fixes for brushless ESC flashing, improved default parameters, and more robust long-duration performance.
Host Software: The cfclient now uses PyQt6 for better graphical performance, and cflib’s new full-state setpoints offer more precise control.

Navigation and Autonomy

Recent work on visual route following enables Crazyflie to retrace long paths using snapshot-based visual homing, reducing drift even on resource-constrained hardware.
The autopilot’s app layer now makes it easier to implement custom, persistent behaviors without deep firmware changes.

Real-World Applications of Infinite Flight

Research and Industry Applications

Environmental Monitoring: Continuous data collection for air quality or wildlife studies, where drones need to operate for days at a time.
Industrial Inspections: Persistent monitoring of infrastructure like wind farms or power grids, reducing the need for human intervention.
Swarm and Formation Flight Research: Some labs are using Crazyflie to simulate spacecraft formation flying or to test swarm coordination algorithms over long durations.
Route Following: The new visual homing approach allows for reliable, repeatable long-range missions, which is especially valuable for mapping or inspection tasks.

Why Infinite Flight Matters

Long-duration, autonomous operation is a key enabler for real-world robotics. The recent hardware and software updates make Crazyflie a more practical platform for those kinds of experiments-whether you’re working on persistent autonomy, adaptive navigation, or multi-agent systems.

If you’re experimenting with similar ideas or have a use case that could benefit from multi-day drone operation, it might be worth a look at the latest Infinite Flight developments. As always, feedback and collaboration from the community are welcome.

Start your Infinite Flight Now

Ready to experience the power of uninterrupted autonomous flight? The Infinite Flight Bundle equips you with all the essential tools to keep your Crazyflie 2.1 Brushless airborne around the clock.

The package leverages the Lighthouse positioning system, providing precise on-board tracking across a 5x5x2 meter area. With accuracy reaching below 10 cm and minimal jitter, your drone can safely navigate its flight path while autonomously docking on a charging pad. Once recharged, it’s ready to lift off again—enabling continuous flight operations without manual intervention.

New Business and Strategic Partner Development Capacity

2025-05-05 | Fredrik Ehrenstråle | Leave a comment

Fredrik Ehrenstråle joins Bitcraze as Strategic Growth Director

Have you ever wondered what could happen if open robotics were truly accessible to everyone — researchers, educators, and innovators alike? That’s the vision that drew me to Bitcraze, and why I’m thrilled to share that I’ve joined the team as Strategic Growth Director.

Bitcraze isn’t just a technology company — it’s a community of curious, collaborative people who believe in making robotics both powerful and playful. From my very first conversation with the team, I felt the energy and integrity that set this place apart.

Over the past decade, I’ve had the privilege of working with organizations big and small, translating complex tech into real-world impact. What excites me most is helping people like you turn bold ideas into reality — whether you’re pushing the boundaries of research, inspiring students in the classroom, or building new industrial solutions.

At Bitcraze, I’ll focus on finding new ways for us to grow, building partnerships that matter, and making sure our story resonates with the people who can benefit most. But more than anything, I want to listen and learn from this amazing community.

If you’re curious about what we’re building, have thoughts on the future of robotics, or just want to swap ideas, I’d love to connect. Let’s shape what’s next together!