An Experimental UAV System for Search and Rescue Challenge
Abstract
The overall UAV approach discussed in this article provided satisfactory performance for the avionics systems; however, the design is limited with regard to the wireless link and the image processing. Future development will focus on redesign of the airframe platform, the wireless link, and the image processing. UAV flight characteristics need to be better understood and more thoroughly tested to accommodate less-than-ideal flight conditions. Full analyses of the link margin for spectrum management and of risk assessment to handle flight failure/termination events, e.g., loss of data link, GPS, or autopilot, are needed. Overall, the design experience demonstrated systems trade-offs present in a practical vehicle and UAV capabilities even using off-the-shelf component integration. The prototype UAV could be used for aerial mapping, environmental monitoring, and search and rescue at a cost significantly lower than using traditional full-size aircraft for the same missions.
Recommended Citation
A. Erdos and S. E. Watkins, "An Experimental UAV System for Search and Rescue Challenge," IEEE Aerospace and Electronic Systems Magazine, vol. 28, no. 5, pp. 32 - 37, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), Jan 2013.
The definitive version is available at https://doi.org/10.1109/MAES.2013.6516147
Department(s)
Electrical and Computer Engineering
Keywords and Phrases
Avionics systems; Design experience; Environmental Monitoring; Flight conditions; Flight failure; Off-the-shelf components; Search and rescue; Spectrum management; Electrical engineering; Electronics engineering; Image processing
International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)
0885-8985
Document Type
Article - Journal
Document Version
Citation
File Type
text
Language(s)
English
Rights
© 2013 Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), All rights reserved.
Publication Date
01 Jan 2013
