Minima is a minimalist, DIY quadrocopter that actually works

DIY quadrocopters are nothing new, but Minima is still impressive thanks to its combination of minimalist design and solid flying ability. Built on-and-off over the course of a year, Minima weighs just 46.6 grams and cost around $200 to build — with $75 going towards hardware and the rest put into electronics. All of the parts used are available online alongside detailed schematics for how to put everything together. According to the creator, Minima’s hardware is fully functional, though some work still needs to be done on the copter’s inertial measurement unit (IMU), which is described as “way too simple” at the moment. As you can see in the second video below, the current IMU combined with the copter’s light weight and skeletal design make it a little on fragile side if you’re not careful — it’s certainly not as menacing as the nano quadrocopter.