Experimental Implementation of Spectral Multiscale Coverage and Search Algorithms for Autonomous UAVs

We discuss the implementation of Spectral Multiscale Coverage (SMC) based multi-vehicle control and coordination for coverage and search missions by autonomous UAVs. The SMC algorithm gives rise to multiscale vehicle trajectories leading to efficient coverage of a given area and thereby making it useful for search algorithms that are robust to sensor errors and terrain uncertainties. We provide a functional summary of the SMC framework and address its practical implementation. The practical feasibility of the SMC approach is demonstrated via several coverage problems using high fidelity software-in-the-loop (SIL) simulations and experimental flight tests conducted using an electric helicopter.