Mitigating ground effect on mini quadcopters with model reference adaptive control

Mitigating ground effect becomes a big challenge for autonomous aerial vehicles when they are flying in close proximity to the ground. This paper aims to develop a precise model of ground effect on mini quadcopters, provide an advanced control algorithm to counter the model uncertainty and, as a result, improves the command tracking performance when the vehicle is in the ground effect region. The mathematical model of ground effect has been established through a series of experiments and validated by a flight test. The experiments show that the total thrust generated by rotors increases linearly as the vehicle gets closer to the ground, which is different from the commonly-used ground effect model for a single rotor vehicle. In addition, the model switches from a piecewise linear to a quadratic function when the rotor to rotor distance is increased. A control architecture that utilizes the model reference adaptive controller (MRAC) has also been designed, where MRAC is added to the altitude loop. The performance of the proposed control algorithm has been evaluated through a set of flight tests on a mini quadcopter platform and compared with a traditional proportional–integral–derivative (PID) controller. The results demonstrate that MRAC dramatically improves the tracking performance of altitude command and can reduce the rise time by 80 % under the ground effect

INTELLIGENT ENVIRONMENTAL SENSING WITH AN UNMANNED AERIAL SYSTEM IN A WIRELESS SENSOR NETWORK

This paper proposes a novel environmental monitoring mechanism to integrate recentlyestablished development of an Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) with WSNs for remote monitoring. The high mobility of UASs can solve the limitations associated with using WSNs in hazardous areas. In this paper, the WSN node, the Wireless Environmental Monitoring Station (WEMS), is based on ZigBee protocol for long-duration monitoring. Furthermore, to ensure the integrity of collected environmental data, an algorithm is designed in WEMS for verification. Finally, a detailed analysis of packet transmission efficiency based on ranges of flight distance is proposed to examine the effect of environmental monitoring

Drone Technology in Precision Agriculture: Are There No Environmental Concerns?

The adoption of drones in precision agriculture is expanding at a rapid rate, and expected to rise even faster as improvements in the technology result in cheaper models. Studies on the economic impact of drone technology in precision agriculture present optimistic projections of increased global food production. But increased food production almost always comes with significant environmental concerns. This paper examines the environmental concerns of drone technology in precision agriculture. The methodology of this paper is theoretical analysis and extrapolation of current literature in order to reveal the gap which future research needs to fill. While proposing a new area that has not received the close attention of experts and researchers, the paper reveals future scenarios of environmental issues around the various methods of drone applications in agricultural practices. Keywords: Drone technology, precision agriculture, agricultural practices, environmental impact, food security words DOI: 10.7176/JEES/10-9-08 Publication date:September 30th 202

Design and Development of Multirotor UAV with Automatic Collision Avoidance using Stereo Camera

The operation of drones in cluttered environments like forests and hilly areas is extremely difficult; it is impossible to use drones autonomously without having built-in information to detect and avoid obstacles. The vision based obstacle avoidance algorithm is presented in this paper, with extensions to UAV navigation. The proposed method is incorporated on a stereo vison multi copter using a block matching algorithm. The stereo vision baseline is based on horizontal configuration and computes the depth using a sum of absolute difference algorithm. The image processing node (LabVIEW vi) and the controller node are run on a remote laptop. This vi computes the distance between the multirotor and an obstacle and transmits depth data to an onboard flight controller through the MAVLink protocol. The algorithm efficiency was tested using the software in the loop on Gazebo simulator to analyze the performance of the UAV. The hardware in loop results are also shown in this paper after the successful flight test. © 2020. Published by INCAS

Using drones and remote sensing for slope monitoring: a review

Los deslizamientos de tierra son uno de los peligros y riesgos más costoso y fatales para cualquier infraestructura vial, que frecuentemente amenazan e influyen en la situación socioeconómica, principalmente, de los países en vía de desarrollo. Frecuentemente, los estudios de deslizamiento se hacen de manera directa, in situ, siendo muchos de ellos costosos y un reto dada la dificultad que se pueden presentar al acceder a las zonas de estudio. Los datos de los sensores remotos se pueden usar en el monitoreo de deslizamientos de tierra, mapeo, simulación, predicción y evaluación de peligros y otras investigaciones. El presente artículo presenta una revisión bibliográfica en estudios relacionados con el uso de drones y sensores remotos para el seguimiento y monitoreo de laderas, de una manera descriptiva y que permita por medio de la documentación incorporar información relevante para poder abordar futuros estudios más específicos que permitan tener en cuenta el monitoreo de deslizamientos de tierra, las técnicas de sensores remotos, drones y la aplicación global de este conjunto de nuevas tecnologías.Landslides are one of the most costly and fatal hazards and risks for any road infrastructure, often threatening and influencing the socio-economic situation mainly in developing countries. Landslide studies are often carried out directly on site, and many are costly and challenging given the difficulty of access to study areas. Remote sensing data can be used in landslide monitoring, mapping, simulation, hazard prediction and assessment, and other research. This article presents a literature review on studies related to the use of drones and remote sensing for slope tracking and monitoring, in a descriptive manner that allows through documentation to incorporate relevant information in order to address future more specific studies to take into account landslide monitoring, remote sensing techniques, drones and the global application of this set of new technologies.PregradoLandslides are one of the most costly and fatal hazards and risks for any road infrastructure, often threatening and influencing the socio-economic situation mainly in developing countries. Landslide studies are often carried out directly on site, and many are costly and challenging given the difficulty of access to study areas. Remote sensing data can be used in landslide monitoring, mapping, simulation, hazard prediction and assessment, and other research. This article presents a literature review on studies related to the use of drones and remote sensing for slope tracking and monitoring, in a descriptive manner that allows through documentation to incorporate relevant information in order to address future more specific studies to take into account landslide monitoring, remote sensing techniques, drones and the global application of this set of new technologies