v0 Egg26 October 2026
Day 1: I'm going to build a tiny drone
I want to build a tiny drone. Small enough to sit on my palm, about 4–5 cm across. One that can fly by itself, record video, and one day fly together with a few others like it.
Right now I don't know much. I've never soldered anything, and I've never built a drone. But I know the plan, and I'll learn each part when I get to it.
The plan
I'm not building the tiny one straight away. I'll get there in seven steps, and each one gets a bit smaller and a bit smarter. I named them after the life of a bee.
- Egg. Nothing flies yet. I connect the parts on my desk, make the motors spin, and learn how a drone keeps itself balanced.
- Larva. My first real drone, about 8–10 cm. My own circuit board and my own code. The only goal: it flies.
- Worker. It gets a camera, and learns to hover in one spot on its own.
- Scout. It knows where it is in a room, and can follow me around.
- Forager. It goes outside and flies using GPS.
- Queen. The real one. 4–5 cm, with everything I've learned packed in.
- Hive. Three of them flying together.
Why not build the tiny one first?
Tiny drones are much harder. The propellers are small, the battery runs out fast, and there's no room for mistakes. So I'll learn everything on a bigger, easier drone first, and only then make it small.
What I did today
- Ordered the parts for the first two steps (36 items).
- Emailed the drone and electronics clubs on campus about using the lab.
- Made this site, so I can write everything down as I go.
What's next
Learning how a drone stays balanced, on my laptop first, before the parts arrive.
I'll keep writing here as I go, mistakes included.