While a regular drone is cool, wouldn’t it be more fun to control a claw on your flying device? A project by Adafruit makes this possible and involves adding a remote control claw to your drone.

The mounting components are designed to work with a DJI Mavic Pro drone. However, you might be able to attach the claw to other drones through some modifications to the design to fit the drone’s frame (and potentially some additional hardware).

The claw uses a handful of screws, a Circuit Playground printed circuit board (PCB), a micro servo, a LiPo battery, wires, and a handful of 3D printed parts. Assembling this project and attaching it to your drone also shouldn’t be too difficult, given the detailed instructions provided for configuring the hardware and electronics.

• Price: ~$40
• What does it improve: Allows you to pick up small objects during flight
• Parts involved: Circuit Playground PCB, motor, LiPo battery, 3D printed parts
• Complexity: Medium-hard
• Where to find it: Adafruit

Many DIY drones lack the aesthetics of purchased products. Moreover, DIY drones usually have exposed wires, PCBs, or other electronics and hardware. Using a canopy, you can cover and protect your drone’s more vulnerable components from the elements.

Drone canopies not only improve the visual appeal of a drone but also make the vehicle more durable. Drone canopies protect your electronics, making your drone more likely to survive crashes or even rain (if the canopy is waterproof).

Canopies are usually only compatible with a particular drone configuration, so if you built a custom drone, you’ll likely also need a custom canopy. However, if your drone is based on a popular frame or build, like a Tiny Whoop, you’ll have more options, whether 3D printable or purchasable.

• Price: ~$10
• What does it improve: Protects drone’s electronics from environmental factors and improves aesthetics
• Parts involved: 3D printed (or purchased) parts, screws
• Complexity: Medium
• Where to find it:
  • Thingiverse (Tiny Whoop)
  • Thingiverse (FuryX220)

Propellers are critical for flying a drone, and even a small chip knocked off of a propeller mid-flight can lead to a catastrophic crash. Propeller guards attach to the frame of a drone and should prevent the propeller from being hit from the side.

Many drones come with propeller guards, but if your drone doesn’t have them or they’ve been broken in the line of duty, you can get new ones for a fairly low cost. You can also 3D print some if you can find a suitable design, as propeller guards are usually plastic. 3D printing your propeller guards offers a great opportunity to improve the strength of these attachments, as they are usually pretty weak and can break after a single impact.

It’s important to note that drones require open-air, both above and below the propeller, so air can be drawn in and deflected downward properly. With this in mind, make sure you choose propeller guards (whether purchased or designed) that don’t interfere with the propeller’s airstreams.

• Price: ~$5
• What does it improve: Protects propellers during flight
• Parts involved: Printed parts, screws
• Complexity: Easy
• Where to find it:
  • Thingiverse (Parrot Mini)
  • Thingiverse (Eachine)

Landing a drone safely can be a challenge, so landing gear is a great drone attachment. Landing gear helps to keep the body of your drone from contacting the ground directly, preventing any damage from landing too hard or too quickly or landing in a risky area like on wet ground. This drone accessory usually comprises four simple pegs (one for each corner), sometimes with rubber bottoms.

Landing gear usually differs from drone to drone, but it’s pretty easy to find online. You can also 3D print a set if you want more customization or to lower the cost. If you choose to print your landing gear, make sure to use print settings that will yield a strong part that’s not too heavy.

• Price: ~$5
• What does it improve: Stabilizes drone landings
• Parts involved: Printed parts, screws
• Complexity: Easy
• Where to find it:
  • Thingiverse (Generic)
  • PrusaPrinters (SJRC F11 Pro)
  • MyMiniFactory (Mavic Air Foot)

If your drone crashes, usually the first parts to break are your propellers. Understandably, drone propellers need to be lightweight so they can spin fast enough to lift the drone off the ground without weighing it down. For this reason, manufacturers usually turn to plastics to make propellers.

Unfortunately, the traditional plastics used for drone propellers are fairly weak. Carbon fiber (or carbon fiber-infused plastic) is a better alternative material for drone propellers due to its enhanced strength that should make the propellers more durable. This type of propeller also offers reduced weight, which should improve your drone’s mobility.

• Price: ~$20
• What does it improve: Propeller durability
• Parts involved: Carbon fiber propellers
• Complexity: Easy
• Where to find it: Amazon

Cameras are one of the most common attachments to drones because they allow you to take your photography game to new heights, literally! GoPro cameras are marketed as “versatile action cameras” and are a popular choice for recording on the go. Thus, the most popular camera mounts are for GoPro cameras. However, not all drones have integrated cameras or camera mounts.

Luckily, you can use a 3D printable or purchasable mount to attach a camera, such as a GoPro, to your drone. There are many options for a camera mount, but which one you use will depend on your drone model and the type of camera you have.

When looking for a mount, it is important to know how the camera will be positioned and its orientation when mounted, as well as how it attaches to your drone. For this selection, we’ve focused on options to attach a GoPro camera.

• Price: ~$3
• What does it improve: Attaches a GoPro camera to the drone
• Parts involved: Printed parts
• Complexity: Easy
• Where to find it:
  • Thingiverse (Generic)
  • Thingiverse (Hero Session for Martian II)
  • MyMiniFactory (Shendrone Squirt V2, V2.1 Cinewhoop)

Filming is one of the most popular uses for drones, and while a camera mount can situate the recording device, a camera gimbal can provide drone pilots with a steady, level camera when taking pictures or videos.

Gimbals typically use sensors and motors to quickly and automatically adjust the camera position so that it stays level (or at a specified position), despite wind or other unpredictable forces. Many gimbals can also be controlled (rotating each axis) from your remote controller, so you can point the camera wherever you want.

There are many different types of camera gimbals, such as 2-axis, 3-axis, mechanical, and computerized.  When choosing a gimbal, try to find one that’s compatible with your drone, camera, and your controller (if you plan on controlling the gimbal).

• Price: ~$200
• What does it improve: Camera stability during flying
• Parts involved: Gimbal, camera, gimbal mount
• Complexity: Medium
• Where to find it: 

First-person view (FPV) is a common way to fly drones that gives you the drone’s perspective via an onboard, low-latency camera. Although it’s possible to view the camera stream from your phone’s screen, goggles let you experience the drone’s flight from the first-person perspective. FPV goggles can help you improve your flying abilities and the distance from which you can fly.

FPV goggles usually contain two small screens, one for each eye, that project the FPV camera’s feed, as well as an antenna that connects to the camera. These goggles are usually pricey, but are practically necessary for a lot of professional drone work, like racing or photography. They are usually pretty easy to set up, but this depends on the brand of goggles and the camera you choose.

• Price: $75-$500
• What does it improve: Projects a camera stream so you can see what your drone sees
• Parts involved: FPV goggles, FPV camera
• Complexity: Easy-medium
• Where to find it: Amazon

One common issue when flying a drone is range. Losing connection between your controller and your drone mid-flight is a scary feeling, especially if your drone is far away. Antenna boosters are a great way to reduce this problem because they extend your controller’s signal by using an extra antenna.

Antenna boosters vary in quality and price because some are more effective at boosting signal range than others. Even if you get a really powerful antenna booster, be cautious when flying your drone outside the intended range, just in case the device malfunctions or isn’t as good as it was claimed to be.

• Price: ~$15
• What does it improve: Antenna range for the remote controller
• Parts involved: Antenna booster, remote controller
• Complexity: Easy
• Where to find it: Amazon

Drones have many capabilities, but perhaps one of the more thrilling ways you can use them is for racing. Drone racing is a popular and competitive sport, with many different leagues and races worldwide, including the televised races by the Drone Racing League (DRL).

In most drone races, gates are used to ensure that the competing drones follow the right path and can successfully navigate with precision. Although not directly related to a drone, racing gates are a great accessory, especially if you want to practice racing or hold your own competition. There are many options for DIY racing gates, they often involve 3D printed parts, LED lights, and other materials.

• Price: ~$30
• What does it improve: Create your own drone racing course
• Parts involved: Printed parts, aluminum pipes, pool noodles
• Complexity: Easy-medium
• Where to find it:
  • Thingiverse (whoopLights gate)
  • Thingiverse (DIY FPV gate)
  • PrusaPrinters (pop up gate)
  • MyMiniFactory (Tiny Whoop gate)