The Reach module appears to have all the necessary sensors on board already.
APM has been successfully ported to Linux.
Powerful Intel processor.
Built in WiFi for telemetry.
What is standing in the way of this?
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We are constantly asked why we aren’t making Navio for BBB, Odroid XU, Cubieboard etc.
But there’s just no point in making autopilot extension boards for all SBCs on the market and then supporting all of them. All these SBCs are quite similar, but none has beaten Raspberry Pi in popularity and community support.
As for the Reach - it is primarily targeted as a ready-to-use device, not an extension for Edison. We could have used any other processor module, it just happened that Edison suited us well in terms of performance, size and price.
I see it like an enhanced GPS “module”. For exanple, this could solve the limitation of not being able to run RTKLIB and APM on Navio at the same time (I read on a forum reply here somewhere). If Reach can do its RTK magic then proxy the results back down a UART to the Navio/APM/Pixhawk it would effectively act like a 100% accurate GPS “device”.
If that is possible and makes sense (depends on price and availability) I might try to 3D print some kind of all-in-one GPS case with a simple output cable, like a direct GPS replacement. Same for ground station except with USB cable instead of serial.