Comparison of flight paths from fixed-wing and rotorcraft small unmanned aerial systems at SR530 mudslide Washington state

Brittany A. Duncan, Robin R. Murphy

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

4 Scopus citations

Abstract

This work provides a case study of both fixed-wing and rotorcraft small unmanned aerial systems (SUAS) used in a deployment at the SR530 mudslides in Washington state and compares the types of flight paths used by each vehicle type. Previously aerial imagery from SUAS have produced 2D and 3D reconstructions of simple terrain, but have not been used in complex terrain which encompasses both flat areas and drastic changes in the height of ground level, such as a mudslide. In this deployment, both types of SUAS platforms were used to collect imagery over terrain varied nearly 200m in elevation but different paths were used due to the complexity of the terrain, safety, privacy, and platform-specific limitations. The deployment found that paths with fixed-wing platforms can be thought of as stacked horizontal planes while rotorcraft can cover complex terrain with a set of vertical planes. The different paths contribute to autonomous path planning, particularly to accommodate vertical planes, and to general understanding of how different SUAS can be applied to challenging terrains. Future work in path planning should incorporate Geographic Information Systems (GIS) information to facilitate flight paths in vertical planes and to maintain altitude restrictions relative to radically changing elevations of a landscape.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publication2015 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, ICRA 2015
PublisherInstitute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc.
Pages3416-3421
Number of pages6
EditionJune
ISBN (Electronic)9781479969234
DOIs
StatePublished - Jun 29 2015
Externally publishedYes
Event2015 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, ICRA 2015 - Seattle, United States
Duration: May 26 2015May 30 2015

Publication series

NameProceedings - IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation
NumberJune
Volume2015-June
ISSN (Print)1050-4729

Other

Other2015 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, ICRA 2015
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CitySeattle
Period5/26/155/30/15

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Software
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Electrical and Electronic Engineering
  • Control and Systems Engineering

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