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Proper path planning is the first step of robust and efficient autonomous navigation for mobile robots. Meanwhile, it is still challenging for robots to work in a complex environment without complete prior information. This paper presents…
In this article, we describe the components and procedures for building a drone ready for networking experimentation. In particular, our drone design includes multiple technologies and elements such as 4G/5G connectivity for real-time data…
Electric airplanes are expected to take to the skies soon, finding first use cases in small networks within hardly accessible areas, such as island communities. In this context, the environmental footprint of such airplanes will be strongly…
We present an imitation learning method for autonomous drone patrolling based only on raw videos. Different from previous methods, we propose to let the drone learn patrolling in the air by observing and imitating how a human navigator does…
At present, there is a growing demand for drones with diverse capabilities that can be used in both civilian and military applications, and this topic is receiving increasing attention. When it comes to drone operations, the amount of…
Landing is the most challenging and risky aspect of multirotor drone flight, and only simple landing methods exist for autonomous drones. We explore methods for autonomous drone landing in two scenarios. In the first scenario, we examine…
We present a novel investigation into the impact of inter-drone interference on delivery efficiencies within multi-drone skyway networks. We conduct controlled experiments to analyze the behavior of drones in an indoor testbed environment.…
We propose a novel, heterogeneous multi-agent architecture that miniaturizes rovers by outsourcing power generation to a central hub. By delegating power generation and distribution functions to this hub, the size, weight, power, and cost…
Autonomous drones must often respond to sudden events, such as alarms, faults, or unexpected changes in their environment, that require immediate and adaptive decision-making. Traditional approaches rely on safety engineers hand-coding…
Flapping wings are a bio-inspired method to produce lift and thrust in aerial robots, leading to quiet and efficient motion. The advantages of this technology are safety and maneuverability, and physical interaction with the environment,…
One of the biggest challenges is to determine the deployment and navigation of the drones to benefit the most for different applications. Many research questions have been raised about this topic. For example, drone-enabled wildlife…
This article explores the use of drones in agriculture and discusses the various types of drones employed for different agricultural applications. Drones, also known as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), offer numerous advantages in farming…
Overactuated tilt-rotor platforms offer many advantages over traditional fixed-arm drones, allowing the decoupling of the applied force from the attitude of the robot. This expands their application areas to aerial interaction and…
The design and control of winged aircraft and drones is an iterative process aimed at identifying a compromise of mission-specific costs and constraints. When agility is required, shape-shifting (morphing) drones represent an efficient…
In future transportation systems, the charging behavior of electric Autonomous Mobility on Demand (AMoD) fleets, i.e., fleets of electric self-driving cars that service on-demand trip requests, will likely challenge power distribution…
Low-cost mini-drones with advanced sensing and maneuverability enable a new class of intelligent sensing systems. To achieve the full potential of such drones, it is necessary to develop new enhanced formulations of both common and emerging…
Despite the significant attention that aerial base stations (ABSs) have received recently, their practical implementation is severely weakened by their limited endurance due to the battery constraints of drones. To overcome this fundamental…
Learning to control robots without requiring engineered models has been a long-term goal, promising diverse and novel applications. Yet, reinforcement learning has only achieved limited impact on real-time robot control due to its high…
This paper introduces the powerline unmanned surfer (PLUS) concept to extend the limited endurance of fixed wing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) via in-flight energy harvesting from overhead electrical distribution power lines, and develops…
Aerial unperching of multirotors has received little attention as opposed to perching that has been investigated to elongate operation time. This study presents a new aerial robot capable of both perching and unperching autonomously on/from…