A Solution for the Efficient Takeoff and Flight Coordination of UAV Swarms

[ES] En la última década, hemos asistido a un gran aumento del uso de los VANTs, debido principalmente a los avances en tecnología y materiales. Hoy en día, los VANTs ya no son solo juguetes para el entretenimiento, sino también importantes activos para muchas empresas. Los VANTs son muy versátiles y, por ello, existen muchas y variadas aplicaciones: misiones de búsqueda y rescate, vigilancia de fronteras, inspección térmica de tuberías, cinematografía y agricultura de precisión, solo por nombrar algunas. En estos momentos en que las industrias están incorporando soluciones basadas en VANTs, es crucial que la investigación avance. El cambio más destacado (con respecto a los VANTs) que presenciaremos en esta década, es el despliegue de grupos de VANTs trabajando en colaboración para cumplir un objetivo superior. Estos grupos, también llamados enjambres de drones, permiten realizar tareas más complejas, de forma más eficiente, o con mayor redundancia. Sin embargo, existen retos inherentes al funcionamiento de un enjambre de VANTs. Debe existir una buena comunicación entre los VANTs, deben evitarse las colisiones y los VANTs individuales deben utilizarse de forma inteligente para aumentar la eficiencia global. En este trabajo fin de master se da solución a algunos de los principales problemas relativos a los enjambres de vehículos aéreos no tripulados. En primer lugar, diseñamos varios patrones de formación de enjambres ´útiles. A continuación, incorporamos esas formaciones en dos procedimientos de despegue - una heurística y un algoritmo ya existente (KMA) - los cuales se prueban ampliamente para decidir cual es el más adecuado para despegar un enjambre de VANTs de la manera más eficiente. Una vez que somos capaces de despegar de forma sincronizada y segura un enjambre completo, continuamos nuestra investigación proporcionando una solución para mantener ese enjambre organizado, y estable durante una misión pre-planificada. Nuestra solución incorpora mecanismos para proporcionar resiliencia al enjambre, de tal manera que todos y cada uno de los VANTs pueden abandonar el enjambre (en pleno vuelo), sin perturbar a los demás en su misión.[EN] In the last decade, we have seen a great increase in the use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). This is mainly due to advances in technology and materials. Nowadays, UAVs are no longer only toys for entertainment, but also important assets for many enterprises. UAVs are versatile, and thus many diverse applications exist: search and rescue missions, border surveillance, thermal pipeline inspection, cinematography, and precision agriculture, just to name a few. Now that the industry is incorporating UAVs based solutions, it is crucial that research advances. The most prominent change (with respect to UAVs) that we will witness in this decade, is the deployment of groups of UAVs working collaboratively to fulfill a higher goal. Those groups, also called swarms, allow us to perform more complex tasks, more efficiently, or with more redundancy. However, there are inherent challenges while operating a swarm of UAVs: there must be a good communication channel between the UAVs, collisions must be avoided, and the individual UAVs should be used intelligently in order to increase the overall efficiency. In this master thesis, a solution is given for some of the main problems concerning Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) swarms. First, we lay out various useful swarm formation patterns. Then we incorporate those formations in two takeoff procedures - an heuristic and an existing algorithm (KuhnMunkres algorithm (KMA)) - which are extensively tested to decide which one is the most appropriate for the takeoff of a swarm of UAVs in the most efficient manner. Once we are able to take off an entire swarm, we continue our research by providing a solution to keep that swarm organized and stable during a pre-planned mission. Such solution incorporates mechanisms to provide resilience to the swarm in such a manner that any number of UAVs can be removed from the swarm (mid-flight) without disturbing the others in their mission.Wubben, J. (2021). A Solution for the Efficient Takeoff and Flight Coordination of UAV Swarms. Universitat Politècnica de València. http://hdl.handle.net/10251/172620TFG

Data Storage and Dissemination in Pervasive Edge Computing Environments

Nowadays, smart mobile devices generate huge amounts of data in all sorts of gatherings. Much of that data has localized and ephemeral interest, but can be of great use if shared among co-located devices. However, mobile devices often experience poor connectivity, leading to availability issues if application storage and logic are fully delegated to a remote cloud infrastructure. In turn, the edge computing paradigm pushes computations and storage beyond the data center, closer to end-user devices where data is generated and consumed. Hence, enabling the execution of certain components of edge-enabled systems directly and cooperatively on edge devices. This thesis focuses on the design and evaluation of resilient and efficient data storage and dissemination solutions for pervasive edge computing environments, operating with or without access to the network infrastructure. In line with this dichotomy, our goal can be divided into two specific scenarios. The first one is related to the absence of network infrastructure and the provision of a transient data storage and dissemination system for networks of co-located mobile devices. The second one relates with the existence of network infrastructure access and the corresponding edge computing capabilities. First, the thesis presents time-aware reactive storage (TARS), a reactive data storage and dissemination model with intrinsic time-awareness, that exploits synergies between the storage substrate and the publish/subscribe paradigm, and allows queries within a specific time scope. Next, it describes in more detail: i) Thyme, a data storage and dis- semination system for wireless edge environments, implementing TARS; ii) Parsley, a flexible and resilient group-based distributed hash table with preemptive peer relocation and a dynamic data sharding mechanism; and iii) Thyme GardenBed, a framework for data storage and dissemination across multi-region edge networks, that makes use of both device-to-device and edge interactions. The developed solutions present low overheads, while providing adequate response times for interactive usage and low energy consumption, proving to be practical in a variety of situations. They also display good load balancing and fault tolerance properties.Resumo Hoje em dia, os dispositivos móveis inteligentes geram grandes quantidades de dados em todos os tipos de aglomerações de pessoas. Muitos desses dados têm interesse loca- lizado e efêmero, mas podem ser de grande utilidade se partilhados entre dispositivos co-localizados. No entanto, os dispositivos móveis muitas vezes experienciam fraca co- nectividade, levando a problemas de disponibilidade se o armazenamento e a lógica das aplicações forem totalmente delegados numa infraestrutura remota na nuvem. Por sua vez, o paradigma de computação na periferia da rede leva as computações e o armazena- mento para além dos centros de dados, para mais perto dos dispositivos dos utilizadores finais onde os dados são gerados e consumidos. Assim, permitindo a execução de certos componentes de sistemas direta e cooperativamente em dispositivos na periferia da rede. Esta tese foca-se no desenho e avaliação de soluções resilientes e eficientes para arma- zenamento e disseminação de dados em ambientes pervasivos de computação na periferia da rede, operando com ou sem acesso à infraestrutura de rede. Em linha com esta dico- tomia, o nosso objetivo pode ser dividido em dois cenários específicos. O primeiro está relacionado com a ausência de infraestrutura de rede e o fornecimento de um sistema efêmero de armazenamento e disseminação de dados para redes de dispositivos móveis co-localizados. O segundo diz respeito à existência de acesso à infraestrutura de rede e aos recursos de computação na periferia da rede correspondentes. Primeiramente, a tese apresenta armazenamento reativo ciente do tempo (ARCT), um modelo reativo de armazenamento e disseminação de dados com percepção intrínseca do tempo, que explora sinergias entre o substrato de armazenamento e o paradigma pu- blicação/subscrição, e permite consultas num escopo de tempo específico. De seguida, descreve em mais detalhe: i) Thyme, um sistema de armazenamento e disseminação de dados para ambientes sem fios na periferia da rede, que implementa ARCT; ii) Pars- ley, uma tabela de dispersão distribuída flexível e resiliente baseada em grupos, com realocação preventiva de nós e um mecanismo de particionamento dinâmico de dados; e iii) Thyme GardenBed, um sistema para armazenamento e disseminação de dados em redes multi-regionais na periferia da rede, que faz uso de interações entre dispositivos e com a periferia da rede. As soluções desenvolvidas apresentam baixos custos, proporcionando tempos de res- posta adequados para uso interativo e baixo consumo de energia, demonstrando serem práticas nas mais diversas situações. Estas soluções também exibem boas propriedades de balanceamento de carga e tolerância a faltas

Voice and rural wireless mesh community networks: a framework to quantify scalability and manage end-user smartphone battery consumption

Philosophiae Doctor - PhDCommunity wireless mesh initiatives are a pioneering option to cheap ‘last-mile’ access to network services for rural low-income regions primarily located in Sub-Saharan Africa and Developing Asia. However, researchers have criticized wireless mesh networks for their poor scalability; and scalability quantification research has mostly consisted of modularization of per-node throughput capacity behaviour. A scalability quantification model to design wireless mesh networks to provide adequate quality of service is lacking. However, scalability quantification of community mesh networks alone is inadequate because rural users need affordable devices for access; and they need to know how best to use them. Low-cost low-end smartphones offer handset affordability solutions but require smart management of their small capacity battery. Related work supports the usage of Wi-Fi for communication because it is shown to consume less battery than 2G, 3G or Bluetooth. However, a model to compare Wi-Fi battery consumption amongst different low-end smartphones is missing, as is a comparison of different over-the-top communication applications

Independent- Oct. 9, 1995

https://neiudc.neiu.edu/independent/1139/thumbnail.jp

The Development Of A Human Centered Methodology For The Identification Of Communication Needs And The Assessment Of Hand-held Communication Devices Used To Support Communication Flow In High Consequence Emergency Management

Communication has been identified as a critical component in the outcome of emergency response. Post-mortems of “what went wrong” in disaster responses often point toward breakdown in communication between first responders, those directing rescue efforts, and the general population as one of the primary impediments to rendering timely aid and communicating adequate safety and weather information. Due to the high resilience, relatively low costs, and advanced features of modern hand-held communication devices, these devices are in a position to drastically improve communication flow during emergency management situations. Due to the lack of official implementation of these devices and the lack of the establishment of standard guidelines for device selection, the use of hand-held communication devices in emergency management is yet to be optimized. Island nations such as the Bahamas, which face unique challenges in regard to emergency management due to geographical, infrastructural, political, and cultural hurdles which are found in the region, can especially benefit from the optimized implementation of hand-held communication devices in emergency management. This study examined current emergency response procedures in The Bahamas, created a baseline for the current use of hand-held communication devices by Bahamian emergency management officials and civilians, identified the communication needs of Bahamian emergency management officials and civilians, and proposed a model for the selection of handheld communication devices based upon human factors principals and focusing on user priorities. This study began with a focus group interview which included 14 Bahamian emergency management officials in order to gain an understanding of current Bahamian emergency response iv procedures and the communication challenges faced by emergency management officials during high consequence emergencies. A paper based survey was conducted, in which 31 Bahamian emergency management officials answered demographic, skill level, and functionality questions related to the use of hand-held communication devices to support emergency related activities including those directed toward preparation, mitigation, and response. These emergency management officials provided invaluable input based upon their practical experience in high consequence emergency situations. 155 Bahamian civilians participated in a similar survey which was a reduced version of the survey used for emergency management officials. Both surveys included questions in regard to the background information of the participants, previous handheld communication experience, device performance, and what other communication devices were being utilized. The surveys were analyzed using statistical methods of categorical data analysis and correlations were identified. Several communication needs which were categorized as infrastructure, organizational, and equipment needs as well as a hierarchy of device selection factors in regard to the use of hand-held communication devices during emergency management situations were identified. The analytic hierarchy process (AHP) was used in order to determine the priorities of each of the identified device selection factors and a model for the selection of hand-held communication devices used to support communication flow in high consequence emergency management was proposed

Outdoor Education and Mobile Learning: an Autobiographical Narrative Using Application-Based Information and Resources

Although mobile learning using smartphones and applications or apps have the potential to inform and educate individuals in an outdoor environment, users may find that connectivity issues and basic knowledge of outdoor environments, including both physical and emotional, could be limited by what this technology provided. This study provided my perspective as both participant and researcher on a journey over 150 miles on the Colorado Trail, using my iPhone as my primary tool for navigation and information for learning how to survive in an outdoor environment. From the beginning, the physical effects were difficult to overcome, but it was the psychological toll that became my greatest obstacle and the one element where mobile learning in the outdoor environment proved to have the greatest value. While this was one perspective, in a single study, by one participant, in which mobile learning in an outdoor environment took place, there were several themes that developed in regards to data connection, the use of fluid apps, the usefulness of static apps, and the restrictions of power in rural mountainous environments. These themes were emphasized to help future researchers further develop this information to help in the continued development of outdoor education using mobile learning

Biomedical and Human Factors Requirements for a Manned Earth Orbiting Station

This report is the result of a study conducted by Republic Aviation Corporation in conjunction with Spacelabs, Inc.,in a team effort in which Republic Aviation Corporation was prime contractor. In order to determine the realistic engineering design requirements associated with the medical and human factors problems of a manned space station, an interdisciplinary team of personnel from the Research and Space Divisions was organized. This team included engineers, physicians, physiologists, psychologists, and physicists. Recognizing that the value of the study is dependent upon medical judgments as well as more quantifiable factors (such as design parameters) a group of highly qualified medical consultants participated in working sessions to determine which medical measurements are required to meet the objectives of the study. In addition, various Life Sciences personnel from NASA (Headquarters, Langley, MSC) participated in monthly review sessions. The organization, team members, consultants, and some of the part-time contributors are shown in Figure 1. This final report embodies contributions from all of these participants

An indoor pedestrian localisation system with self-calibration capability

The Global Positioning System (GPS), a space-based system, employs dozens of satellites to provide location determination and navigation services around the world. However, due to the constraints to the power consuming and long-distance transmission, the strength of the GPS signal received on the mobile device is weak. Errors of the detection of the line-of-sight (LOS) propagated components of the signals are expected to be high if the users are in urban areas or in buildings, since obstacles in the surrounding environments could attenuate the LOS propagated components of the GPS signals significantly, but might upfade the multi-path components (constructive multi-path effect). Therefore, GPS should be replaced by other techniques for providing localisation services in urban areas or, especially, in indoor environments. Among all the candidates, received signal strength (RSS) location fingerprint based positioning systems attract great attentions from both the academia and industry. Usually, a time-consuming and labour-intensive site survey to collect dozens of training samples of RSS from access points (APs) in range on every reference position (RP) in the area of interest is required to build the radio map (RM), before the localisation services could be provided to users. The purpose of the thesis is to reduce the workload involved in the site survey while providing accurate localisation service from two aspects, as shown as follows. Firstly, the quantity of the training samples collected on each RP is reduced, by taking advantage of the on-line RSS measurements collected by users to calibrate the RM. The on-line RSS measurements are geo-tagged probabilistically by an implementation of particle filter to track the trajectories of the users. The employed particles in estimation of the users’ states are initialised by a supervised clustering algorithm, propagated according to the analysis of the data sourcing from inertial measurement units (IMUs), e.g., walking detection, orientation estimation, step and stepping moments detection, step length detection, etc., and corrected by the wall constraints. Furthermore, the importance weights of the particles are adjusted to reduce the negative influence of the multi-clustered distribution of the particles to the on-line localisation accuracy, by applying the on-line RSS-based localisation results when significant users' body turnings are detected. The final results confirm that the accuracy of the localisation service with the RM calibrated by the method proposed in this thesis is higher than the previously proposed approach taking advantage of expectation maximisation algorithm. Secondly, a semi-automatic site-survey method which takes advantage of a route-planning algorithm and a walking detection module to recognise automatically the index of the RP for the current site-survey task, inform the system automatically of the start/end of the process of the task on the current RP and switch automatically to the following RPs on the planned route for the following tasks. In this way, human beings' intervention to the site-survey process is greatly reduced. As a result, the errors made in the site-survey tasks, such as incorrect recognition of the index of the RP for the current task which is highly likely to occur when the technicians get absent-minded in the work, misoperations to start/end of the task for collecting RSS samples on the current RP at wrong time moments, forgetting to notify the system of the fact that the technician has moved on to the next RP, etc., are avoided. The technicians no longer feel bored or anxious in the process of fulfilment of site-survey tasks, and the working efficiency and robustness of the RM could be also improved