Automatic system supporting multicopter swarms with manual guidance

[EN] Currently, there are some scenarios, such as search and rescue operations,where the deployment of manually guided swarms of UAVs can be necessary. In such cases, the pilot's commands are unknown a priori (unpredictable), meaning that the UAVs must respond in near real time to the movements of the leader UAV in order to maintain swarm consistency. In this paper we develop a protocol for the coordination of UAVs in a swarm where the swarm leader is controlled by a real pilot, and the other UAVs must follow it in real time to maintain swarm cohesion. We validate our solution using a realistic simulation software that we developed (ArduSim), testing flights with multiple numbers of UAVs and different swarm configurations. Simulation results show the validity of the proposed swarm coordination protocol, detailing the responsiveness limits of our solution, and finding the minimum distances between UAVs to avoid collisions.This work was partially supported by the "Programa Estatal de Investigation, Desarrollo e Innovation Orientada a Retos de la Sociedad, Proyecto TEC2014-52690-R", Spain, the "Universidad Laica Eloy Alfaro de Manabi," and the "Programa de Becas SENESCYT de la Republica del Ecuador."Fabra Collado, FJ.; Zamora, W.; Masanet, J.; Tavares De Araujo Cesariny Calafate, CM.; Cano, J.; Manzoni, P. (2019). Automatic system supporting multicopter swarms with manual guidance. Computers & Electrical Engineering. 74:413-428. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compeleceng.2019.01.0264134287

A distributed architecture for unmanned aerial systems based on publish/subscribe messaging and simultaneous localisation and mapping (SLAM) testbed

A dissertation submitted in fulfilment for the degree of Master of Science. School of Computational and Applied Mathematics, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa, November 2017The increased capabilities and lower cost of Micro Aerial Vehicles (MAVs) unveil big opportunities for a rapidly growing number of civilian and commercial applications. Some missions require direct control using a receiver in a point-to-point connection, involving one or very few MAVs. An alternative class of mission is remotely controlled, with the control of the drone automated to a certain extent using mission planning software and autopilot systems. For most emerging missions, there is a need for more autonomous, cooperative control of MAVs, as well as more complex data processing from sensors like cameras and laser scanners. In the last decade, this has given rise to an extensive research from both academia and industry. This research direction applies robotics and computer vision concepts to Unmanned Aerial Systems (UASs). However, UASs are often designed for specific hardware and software, thus providing limited integration, interoperability and re-usability across different missions. In addition, there are numerous open issues related to UAS command, control and communication(C3), and multi-MAVs. We argue and elaborate throughout this dissertation that some of the recent standardbased publish/subscribe communication protocols can solve many of these challenges and meet the non-functional requirements of MAV robotics applications. This dissertation assesses the MQTT, DDS and TCPROS protocols in a distributed architecture of a UAS control system and Ground Control Station software. While TCPROS has been the leading robotics communication transport for ROS applications, MQTT and DDS are lightweight enough to be used for data exchange between distributed systems of aerial robots. Furthermore, MQTT and DDS are based on industry standards to foster communication interoperability of “things”. Both protocols have been extensively presented to address many of today’s needs related to networks based on the internet of things (IoT). For example, MQTT has been used to exchange data with space probes, whereas DDS was employed for aerospace defence and applications of smart cities. We designed and implemented a distributed UAS architecture based on each publish/subscribe protocol TCPROS, MQTT and DDS. The proposed communication systems were tested with a vision-based Simultaneous Localisation and Mapping (SLAM) system involving three Parrot AR Drone2 MAVs. Within the context of this study, MQTT and DDS messaging frameworks serve the purpose of abstracting UAS complexity and heterogeneity. Additionally, these protocols are expected to provide low-latency communication and scale up to meet the requirements of real-time remote sensing applications. The most important contribution of this work is the implementation of a complete distributed communication architecture for multi-MAVs. Furthermore, we assess the viability of this architecture and benchmark the performance of the protocols in relation to an autonomous quadcopter navigation testbed composed of a SLAM algorithm, an extended Kalman filter and a PID controller.XL201

Sistema de coordinación y control de múltiples vehículos aéreos no tripulados en testbed de interiores

En este trabajo se ha llevado a cabo la puesta en marcha de un sistema que permite volar simultáneamente un elevado número de vehículos aéreos no tripulados en un entorno controlado. El propósito de dicho sistema es servir de infraestructura que habilite futuras investigaciones relacionadas con los sistemas multi-UAV, permitiendo llevar a cabo pruebas de concepto para la validación experimental de nuevos algoritmos. Los UAVs empleados se encuentran disponibles comercialmente y son especialmente adecuados para este fin, por tratarse de una plataforma de código abierto. A pesar de esto, su uso como sistema multi-UAV no es inmediato y está fuertemente condicionado por el hardware adicional del que se disponga. En nuestro caso, disponemos de un sistema de posicionamiento en interiores que nos permite obtener la localización de cada dron de manera precisa. A la fecha de este documento el sistema cuenta con 10 UAVs, sin embargo, es previsible que en el futuro se plantee incrementar esta cifra. Por este motivo, desde el comienzo se ha tenido presente el asunto de la escalabilidad. Esto plantea ciertos retos, tales como la imposibilidad de hacer uso de tantas antenas como UAVs cuando la cantidad de vehículos comience a ser significativa. De dicha restricción se han derivado numerosos problemas, por lo que ha sido necesario adquirir un profundo conocimiento del sistema para identificar las causas y buscar soluciones. En este documento se detalla todo el proceso y se justifican las decisiones tomadas. Finalmente, se presentan resultados experimentales con hasta 9 UAVs.In this project, it has been carried out the set-up of a system that enables the simultaneous fly of a large number of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) in a structured environment. The main goal is to serve as an infrastructure for future researches related to multi-UAV systems, allowing the execution of proof-ofconcept tests to validate new algorithms. The UAVs employed are commercially available and especially well-suited for this end, as they constitute an open-source platform. Despite this, their usage as a multi-UAV system is not an out-of-thebox feature and is strongly conditioned by the additional hardware that is available. In our case, we use an indoor positioning system that provides the localization of each drone with high accuracy. At the time of writing this document the system has 10 UAVs. However, this number is expected to be increased in the future. For this reason, we have kept in mind the scalability issue from the beginning. It poses certain challenges, such as the impossibility of using as many antennas as UAVs when the number of these becomes higher. Several problems arose because of this constraint; therefore, a deep understanding of the system was required to identify the causes and propose solutions. In this document, we detail the whole process and justify the decisions taken. Finally, experimental results are provided for up to nine UAVs.Universidad de Sevilla. Grado en Ingeniería Electrónica, Robótica y Mecatrónic

Feature Papers of Drones - Volume I

[EN] The present book is divided into two volumes (Volume I: articles 1–23, and Volume II: articles 24–54) which compile the articles and communications submitted to the Topical Collection ”Feature Papers of Drones” during the years 2020 to 2022 describing novel or new cutting-edge designs, developments, and/or applications of unmanned vehicles (drones). Articles 1–8 are devoted to the developments of drone design, where new concepts and modeling strategies as well as effective designs that improve drone stability and autonomy are introduced. Articles 9–16 focus on the communication aspects of drones as effective strategies for smooth deployment and efficient functioning are required. Therefore, several developments that aim to optimize performance and security are presented. In this regard, one of the most directly related topics is drone swarms, not only in terms of communication but also human-swarm interaction and their applications for science missions, surveillance, and disaster rescue operations. To conclude with the volume I related to drone improvements, articles 17–23 discusses the advancements associated with autonomous navigation, obstacle avoidance, and enhanced flight plannin

Air Force Institute of Technology Research Report 2020

This Research Report presents the FY20 research statistics and contributions of the Graduate School of Engineering and Management (EN) at AFIT. AFIT research interests and faculty expertise cover a broad spectrum of technical areas related to USAF needs, as reflected by the range of topics addressed in the faculty and student publications listed in this report. In most cases, the research work reported herein is directly sponsored by one or more USAF or DOD agencies. AFIT welcomes the opportunity to conduct research on additional topics of interest to the USAF, DOD, and other federal organizations when adequate manpower and financial resources are available and/or provided by a sponsor. In addition, AFIT provides research collaboration and technology transfer benefits to the public through Cooperative Research and Development Agreements (CRADAs). Interested individuals may discuss ideas for new research collaborations, potential CRADAs, or research proposals with individual faculty using the contact information in this document