This report describes an unmanned systems architecture and platform for performing cooperative autonomy research. The primary research aim of this system is to explore distributed, cooperative, autonomy algorithms for controlling multiple unmanned systems vehicles. The system consists of multiple small, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and an Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV) that can operate autono...

Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) vehicles is a special class of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). This paper summarizes the current stage of VTOL design and market, and discusses VTOL growth and technical performance comparison. A database is presented to provide information concerning VTOL technical characteristics (maximum speed, payload, range, endurance, propulsion configurations), and V...

Unmanned vehicles endowed with attributes of intelligence are finding applications in reconnaissance, surveillance, and rescue operations in both military and civilian domains. We are introducing a methodology to locate a number of such Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) optimally over an urban environment and identify and track potential ground targets using a particle filtering framework. The pa...

The purpose of this paper is to explore control methodologies and vision algorithms to develop an autonomous unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). UAVs include unmanned aircrafts, helicopters, blimps and other flying vehicles. An autonomous UAV brings enormous benefits and is suitable for applications like search and rescue, surveillance, remote inspection, military applications, therefore saving time...

Micro-UAVs (Unmanned-Airborne-Vehicles or drones) with a total weight below 5 kg are interesting alternative carriers for agricultural and forestry applications. Compared to standard airborne aerial surveys UAVs are much more flexible and weather independent. As a result micro-UAV surveys will pave the way for affordable, current and accurate geo-information. Practical tests with two different ...

The United States Department of Transportation (DOT) has been interested for the past several years in obtaining data on traffic trends and to monitor and control traffic in realtime. Currently, there are several methods by which the DOT regulates and monitors road transport. Cameras mounted on towers, detectors embedded in pavements or pneumatic tubes, and unmanned aircraft have been proven to...

This paper is an academic experience report describing analysis of optimal control techniques for simulated quad-rotor unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) performing search and rescue missions. Analysis of the controller and guidance laws governing the UAV are described in detail culminating in a closed form expression describing the probability of detection over a certain field.

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) equipped with LiDAR, electro-­‐optical and infrared cameras, SAR and atmospheric sensors have transformed the way we acquire high spatio-­‐ temporal resolution data. For example, UAVs equipped with these sensors have been able to obtain topography at resolutions of less than one meter, revolutionizing earth sciences. Surface processes act at spatial scales on the...

The advantages of intelligent approaches such as the conjunction of artificial vision and the use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) have been recently emerging. This paper presents a focused on obtaining scans of large areas of livestock system. Counting and monitoring of animal species can be performed with video recordings taken from UAVs. Moreover the system keeps track of the number of ani...

Guarding the perimeter of an area in order to detect potential intruders is an important task in a variety of security-related applications. This task can in many circumstances be performed by a set of camera-equipped unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Such UAVs will occasionally require refueling or recharging, in which case they must temporarily be replaced by other UAVs in order to maintain co...