VOXL SDK 1.8.0: PX4 1.18 and multi-camera VIO
What's new at ModalAI: October 2026
This issue covers October at ModalAI. The headline is VOXL SDK 1.8.0, the largest step the VOXL platform has taken since SDK 1.0: a new flight stack, multi-camera VIO and an adaptive FPV video link, all on the hardware you already own. The issue also covers new no-cable options for two of our image sensors, two new guides on how we build, new SDK 1.8 documentation, and a change notice for the Starling image sensor front-end adapter.
What's new
VOXL SDK 1.8.0: same hardware, new aircraft
VOXL SDK 1.8.0 shipped on October 12 for VOXL 2, VOXL 2 Mini and the VRX ground unit. It moves VOXL PX4 from the 1.14 line to upstream PX4 1.18, and brings asynchronous multi-camera VIO with in-process, targetless calibration to GPS-denied flight. On the video link, the release adds a faster on-screen display, an adaptive link, an RF occupancy scanner and AR waypoints. SDK 1.8.0 needs a full system flash rather than an in-place upgrade, so flash the drone and the VRX ground unit together.
M0166 and M0161 image sensors: new no-cable options
If you already have micro-coax cables, or need a length the kits don't include, you can now order two of our image sensors without one. The M0166 AR0144 global-shutter tracking sensor (MDK-M0166-1-01-NC and MDK-M0166-3-01-NC, with or without IR-cut filter) is $129.99. The IMX412 4K low-light sensor (MSU-M0161) comes in -NC lens options at $209.99. Order the MCBL-00084 micro-coax cable separately.
Software maneuverability: drones that adapt in software
A new page sets out what we mean by software maneuverability: changing what a drone can do through software, as fast as the threat changes. It covers what a drone needs for that, namely compute headroom, open source and one software line across the fleet. It also has a timeline of what every VOXL SDK release since 1.1 added to the VOXL 2 boards already in the field.
Open by Design: MOSA for small drones
Our new MOSA page explains what is open on VOXL: SDK source at code.modalai.com, PX4 or ArduPilot flight control, ROS and MAVLink interfaces, and public documentation. It also explains how one common core runs from Starling 2 Max to Stinger Vision FPV. It ends with five questions for telling an open system from an open claim when you evaluate any vendor.
New on docs.modalai.com: VINS calibration, voxl-rc-server and VRX mounting
Two new guides cover SDK 1.8 features. VINS Calibration estimates the camera-IMU calibration from natural motion, with no calibration target. Use it after a camera is remounted or replaced, or when VIO drifts on a vehicle whose camera intrinsics are already good. It requires SDK 1.8.0 or newer. The voxl-rc-server page covers the service that bridges RC channels from a USB joystick or MAVLink stream to an ELRS transmitter or a MAVLink link; on FPV systems it runs on the VRX. The VRX Ground Unit datasheet also gains an Enclosure/Mount section with a 3D STEP file for the M10001115 rail mount, for designing an adapter to your own equipment.
What is Visual Inertial Odometry?
Our VIO page now includes a diagram of how VIO works on VOXL 2. VIO fuses image sensor and IMU data to estimate position, which lets a drone navigate where GPS is unavailable. The page lays out the DIY and pre-configured routes to a VIO drone and links the VOXL VIO documentation.
Lifecycle notices
Resources
