Weight is the dominant factor when designing a drone that can fight gravity in flight.
At 42mm x 42mm, VOXL 2 Mini is only 11 grams and is as small as an Oreo. Achieve the same performance as VOXL 2 but in a smaller form factor.
description
VOXL 2 Mini
Product Description
VOXL 2 Mini brings the full Blue UAS Framework autopilot stack to the smallest drones. Powered by the Qualcomm QRB5165, it combines a premium-tier companion computer and a flight controller into an 11-gram, 42 mm x 42 mm PCB stack with a 30.5 mm standard mounting pattern — small enough to make almost any airframe or ground robot an autonomous drone.
VOXL 2 Mini runs the same VOXL SDK as VOXL 2, so GPS-denied navigation, visual inertial odometry (VIO), SLAM, obstacle avoidance and on-board AI all carry over. It is NDAA '20 Section 848 compliant and designed and assembled in the USA.
Built to Adapt
Because VOXL 2 Mini carries a high-performance computer, a drone built on it is not frozen the day it ships: new AI models, sensors, autonomy behaviors and countermeasures can be deployed as software. We call this software maneuverability. Software maneuverability is the ability to change what a drone can do, as fast as the threat changes, through software.
The VOXL SDK is available in source code form at code.modalai.com, so you can make those changes yourself rather than wait on a vendor roadmap. More than 1,000 partners have built on VOXL, which is why we call it an open foundation for America’s drones.
For how it compares with other options, see Top 5 Companion Computers for UAVs.
Product Specifications
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| CPU | Qualcomm QRB5165 — 8 cores up to 3.091 GHz |
| Memory | 8 GB LPDDR5 / 128 GB Flash |
| GPU | Adreno 650, 1024 ALU |
| NPU | 15 TOPS — NPU and GPU-accelerated TensorFlow Lite |
| Operating System | Ubuntu 18.04, Linux kernel v4.19 |
| Flight Controller | Embedded — PX4 or ArduPilot on the sensors DSP |
| Integrated Sensors | 2x TDK ICM-42688-P IMU, 1x ICP-10100 barometer |
| Image Sensors | 4 concurrent MIPI |
| Video Encoding | 8K30 H.264 / H.265, 64 MP still images |
| Add-on Connectivity | Via USB3 port — Wi-Fi, 5G, 4G/LTE, Microhard |
| Thermal Cameras | FLIR Boson (USB), FLIR Lepton (USB; SPI in development) |
| Power Consumption | 0.5 - 8 W |
| Dimensions | 42 mm x 42 mm, 30.5 mm x 30.5 mm industry-standard mount |
| Weight | 11 g |
| Software Requirement | Platform Release 1.0 or newer |
| Compliance | NDAA '20 Section 848 compliant, assembled in the USA |
Software Features
- Full VOXL SDK: GPS-denied navigation, SLAM, obstacle avoidance, object recognition
- ROS 1 and ROS 2, OpenCV, Docker build environments
- PX4 flight stack running on the sensors DSP
- QGroundControl and ATAK support
- Modem management via
voxl-modemand the rest of thevoxl-softwarepackage
Product Change Notice
Per our M0104 Product Change Notification, we have migrated from the original M0104 version of VOXL 2 Mini to the M0204 version.
Technical Details
What's Included
| MPN | Description | Contents |
|---|---|---|
| MDK-M0204-1-00 | Board Only Kit | (1) VOXL 2 Mini board |
| MDK-M0204-1-01 | Dev Kit with APM, no image sensors | (1) VOXL 2 Mini board (1) Add-on power module Cabling |
| MDK-M0204-1-02 | Dev Kit with 4-in-1 Mini ESC, no image sensors | (1) VOXL 2 Mini board (1) VOXL Mini 4-in-1 ESC (3.8 V version) Cabling |
Additional Items Not Included
- Image sensor modules (sold separately)
- M0188 or M0195 carrier board, required for ToF and some offboard sensors
- Modem add-on for Wi-Fi, LTE, 5G or Microhard connectivity
- Motors, propellers and battery
Compatible Products
| Product | Compatible? |
|---|---|
| VOXL Mini 4-in-1 ESC (M0129) | ✅ use the 3.8 V version (M0129-3 / M0129-63) — it powers VOXL 2 Mini directly |
| VOXL FPV ESC 4-in-1 (M0138) | ✅ high-current 5in, 7in and 10in FPV applications — 3.8 V variant powers VOXL 2 Mini directly |
| VOXL 2 I/O (M0065) | ✅ |
| M0188 / M0195 carrier boards | ✅ required for ToF and offboard sensor ports |
| M0189 8x8 ToF Module | ✅ requires M0188 or M0195 carrier and MCBL-00128 |
| MIPI image sensor modules | ✅ up to 4 concurrent |
| FLIR Boson / FLIR Lepton | ✅ USB (Lepton SPI in development) |
| Wi-Fi / 4G LTE / 5G / Microhard modem add-ons | ✅ via USB3 port |
| Flight Core v2 | ✅ external flight controller mode |
| VOXL 2 add-on boards (M0017, M0078, M0151) | ❌ VOXL 2 only — different form factor |
Note: order the M0138 variant that matches your power rail — the 3.8 V version powers VOXL 2 Mini directly, the 5.1 V version powers VOXL 2. The VOXL Mini 4-in-1 ESC is the lighter choice for vehicles under 750 g. Both are compared on the 4-in-1 drone ESCs page.
Export Information
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| ECCN | EAR99 |
| Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) Code | 8542.31 |
| Country of Origin | USA |
| Radio Frequencies Used | None on the board itself — RF is provided by optional add-on modems |
| RoHS Compliant | Yes |
Size matters.
Technical specifications
-
Autonomy
- 42mm x 42mm SWaP-optimized for GPS-denied Navigation, Obstacle Avoidance
- Powered by Qualcomm QRB5165: 8 cores up to 3.091GHz, 8GB LPDDR5
- Abundance of perception capabilities including four MIPI image sensor inputs which can include up to five image sensors, including 8K30 and PMD ToF
- VOXL Mini ESC with regenerative braking and closed or open loop RPM control
- Pre-integrated payloads include FLIR Lepton® and Boson®
- Open-source software: Open CV, ROS2, Docker, PX4 integrated flight controller
- Integrated flight controller on DSP with TDK® ICM-42688 IMU and ICP-10111 Barometer
-
Artificial Intelligence
- The QRB5165’s Qualcomm AI Engine pushes 15 TOPS of AI performance with industry leading power consumption
- Onboard QRB5165: Hexagon Tensor Accelerator, GPU, DSP, NPU
- Perception models such as object segmentation and depth from mono
- NPU and GPU-accelerated TensorFlow Lite
-
Interoperability
- SWAP-optimized autonomous autopilot stack with industry standard 30.5mm x 30.5mm frame mounting
- Pre-integrated compatibility with Blue UAS Framework image sensors, radios, and connectors
Compare VOXL
Find the right autopilot for you.
VOXL 2 Mini
CPU: QRB5165
OS: Debian Buster
GPU: Adreno 650 GPU - 1024 ALU
NPU: 15 TOPS
Built in Wifi: No
USB 3 Add On Connectivity: WiFi, 5G, 4G/LTE, Microhard
MIPI-CSI2 Inputs: 4
Video Encoding: up to 8K30
Computer Vision Sensors: QTY 2 Stereo Pair, QTY 1 Tracking
Dimensions: 42mm x 42mm
Weight: 11g
VOXL SDK: Yes
ROS: ROS 2
NDAA Compliance: Assembled in USA, NDAA '20 Section 848, NDAA '21 Section 841
VOXL 2
CPU: QRB5165
OS: Debian Buster
GPU: Adreno 650 GPU - 1024 ALU
NPU: 15 TOPS
Built in Wifi: No
B2B Add On Connectivity: WiFi, 5G, 4G/LTE, Microhard, Doodle Labs
MIPI-CSI2 Inputs: 6
Video Encoding: up to 8K30
Computer Vision Sensors: QTY 2 Stereo Pair, QTY 1 Tracking
Dimensions: 70mm x 36mm
Weight: 16g
VOXL SDK: Yes
ROS: ROS 1 & 2
NDAA Compliance: Assembled in USA, NDAA '20 Section 848, NDAA '21 Section 841
