SILS Framework for Co-Operative Flight of Autonomous Drones

This was an interesting project that eventually evolved into my Masters project at the University of Louisville. It was based upon previous work (sponsored by Dr. Adrian Lauf) on a system for autonomous flight of lightweight unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Research and development of the system was divided into multiple components with the eventual goal of providing disaster relief teams a group/swarm of UAVs to assist in search and rescue efforts. The UAVs/drones relay back to the ground station during flight captured images and streaming video, providing critical analysis of target areas that may otherwise be inaccessible to human teams.

Abstract

A comprehensive software-based approach to the simulation of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in co-operative flight, without the need for physical hardware connections. Software in the loop (SILS) simulation allows for the development and testing of co-operative flight patterns without the risk associated with hardware-based testing. This framework incorporates simulation components from the ArduPilot autopilot module and JSBSim flight dynamics model to create a virtual flight environment.