SUAS for deployment and recovery of an environmental sensor probe

Lukas Vacek, Edward Atter, Pedro Rizo, Brian Nam, Ryan Kortvelesy, Delaney Kaufman, Jnaneshwar Das, Vijay Kumar

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

2 Scopus citations

Abstract

Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (sUAS) are already revolutionizing agricultural and environmental monitoring through the acquisition of high-resolution multi-spectral imagery on-demand. However, in order to accurately understand various complex environmental and agricultural processes, it is often necessary to collect physical samples of pests, pathogens, and insects from the field for ex-situ analysis. In this paper, we describe a sUAS for autonomous deployment and recovery of a novel environmental sensor probe. We present the UAS software and hardware stack, and a probe design that can be adapted to collect a variety of environmental samples and can be transported autonomously for off-site analysis. Our team participated in an NSF-sponsored student unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) challenge, where we used our sUAS to deploy and recover a scale-model mosquito trap outdoors. Results from indoor and field trials are presented, and the challenges experienced in detecting and docking with the probe in outdoor conditions are discussed.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publication2017 International Conference on Unmanned Aircraft Systems, ICUAS 2017
PublisherInstitute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc.
Pages1022-1029
Number of pages8
ISBN (Electronic)9781509044948
DOIs
StatePublished - Jul 25 2017
Externally publishedYes
Event2017 International Conference on Unmanned Aircraft Systems, ICUAS 2017 - Miami, United States
Duration: Jun 13 2017Jun 16 2017

Publication series

Name2017 International Conference on Unmanned Aircraft Systems, ICUAS 2017

Other

Other2017 International Conference on Unmanned Aircraft Systems, ICUAS 2017
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CityMiami
Period6/13/176/16/17

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Aerospace Engineering
  • Control and Optimization

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