We have tested our multi-UAV system for a search and rescue scenario, where we have demonstrated the planning, communication, and detection capabilities of the aerial network. Once the target is detected, a communication relay chain is formed from the UAVs to the ground station, streaming real-time video of the target. See the video of the demo here.
Our paper “Information Exchange and Decision Making in Micro Aerial Vehicle Networks for Cooperative Search,” is accepted for publication in accepted in IEEE Transactions on Control of Network Systems.
The article considers a network of autonomous micro aerial vehicles (MAVs) cooperatively searching for multiple stationary targets, with the objective to minimize the search time while considering sensing and communication limitations. We explore and classify the design options in multi-MAV cooperative search in two dimensions: information merging and decision making where each dimension can be either centralized or distributed. Algorithms are then introduced to analyze the effects of centralized or distributed coordination for minimizing the search time. We show that depending on the availability of information and capability of making decisions, the MAVs can search an area more efficiently if both information merging and decision making are distributed.
Our paper, “Experimental Performance Analysis of Two-Hop Aerial 802.11 Networks” is accepted in IEEE Wireless Communication and Networking Conference 2014.
The paper focuses on deployment of standard WLAN technology for different network setups over an aerial network. It is experienced that certain setups not only offer network range extension, but also much lower variance in throughput. It is also seen that the standard routing protocol for 802.11s mesh lacks vastly in its implementation when applied to multihop aerial networks. Thus, there is a need to evaluate alternative mesh routing protocols that cater for aerial communication network demands.
Christian Bettstetter and I have organized the Sixth Lakeside Research Days on Multi-UAV Systems. The event was hosted by Lakeside Labs and the University of Klagenfurt in Klagenfurt, Austria, from July 8 to 12, 2013.