# VOXL2 Downward pointing camera

Source: https://forum.modalai.com/topic/1312/voxl2-downward-pointing-camera
Category: General Questions (https://forum.modalai.com/category/2/general-questions)
Posted: 2022-09-09 22:14:34 UTC by rohitpillai
Replies: 4 · Views: 922

## rohitpillai · 2022-09-09 22:14:34 UTC

Hi!

Is there a way to connect a camera pointing straight down from the Sentinel? This is not an optical flow sensor, but a standard camera sensor that sends picture of the ground to the user.

Let me know if this setup is possible.

Thanks!

## Reply by rohitpillai · 2022-09-13 16:22:15 UTC

Would love an update on this!

## Reply by Steve Turner · 2022-09-13 18:53:00 UTC

@rohitpillai 

VOXL2 supports many camera configurations including front and rear stereo, a hires camera, and a tracking camera.

The drone development kits for VOXL2 such as the Sentinel (https://www.modalai.com/products/sentinel-development-drone?variant=40446488805427) and VOXL2 Flight Deck include the tracking camera at 45 degrees. You could adapt this to point straight down.

You could also put any camera on a gimbal or statically using the MIPI connectors for these "standard" cameras ModalAI provides (https://docs.modalai.com/voxl2-camera-configs/) or even interface over USB. https://www.modalai.com/pages/voxl-cameras

## Reply by rohitpillai · 2022-09-14 16:50:34 UTC

Thank you for your response!

@Steve-Turner 
This is just for curiosity purposes. If I do place the tracking camera to be facing directly downwards. Can it be used for VIO flight outdoors?

Thanks!

## Reply by Steve Turner · 2022-09-14 19:36:48 UTC

Yes it should work -- I haven't explicitly tried pointing directly downwards myself. https://docs.modalai.com/flying-without-gps/ has some insight and a nice video about the subject of using VIO outdoors.

It does work at 45* reasonably well especially with enough altitude to pick out features.