scholarly journals Accuracy Assessment of Small Unmanned Aerial Vehicle for Traffic Accident Photogrammetry in the Extreme Operating Conditions of Kuwait

Information ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 442
Author(s):  
Abdullah M. Almeshal ◽  
Mohammad R. Alenezi ◽  
Abdullah K. Alshatti
Keyword(s):  
Unmanned Aerial Vehicle ◽  
Traffic Accident ◽  
Traffic Accidents ◽  
Mean Squared Error ◽  
Accuracy Assessment ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Extreme Environments ◽  
3D Models ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Aerial Vehicle

This study presents the first accuracy assessment of a low cost small unmanned aerial vehicle (sUAV) in reconstructing three dimensional (3D) models of traffic accidents at extreme operating environments. To date, previous studies have focused on the feasibility of adopting sUAVs in traffic accidents photogrammetry applications as well as the accuracy at normal operating conditions. In this study, 3D models of simulated accident scenes were reconstructed using a low-cost sUAV and cloud-based photogrammetry platform. Several experiments were carried out to evaluate the measurements accuracy at different flight altitudes during high temperature, low light, scattered rain and dusty high wind environments. Quantitative analyses are presented to highlight the precision range of the reconstructed traffic accident 3D model. Reported results range from highly accurate to fairly accurate represented by the root mean squared error (RMSE) range between 0.97 and 4.66 and a mean percentage absolute error (MAPE) between 1.03% and 20.2% at normal and extreme operating conditions, respectively. The findings offer an insight into the robustness and generalizability of UAV-based photogrammetry method for traffic accidents at extreme environments.

scholarly journals Tracking the Evolution of Riverbed Morphology on the Basis of UAV Photogrammetry

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 829
Author(s):  
Teresa Gracchi ◽  
Guglielmo Rossi ◽  
Carlo Tacconi Stefanelli ◽  
Luca Tanteri ◽  
Rolando Pozzani ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Management Practices ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
3D Models ◽  
Vegetation Coverage ◽  
Detection Analysis ◽  
Digital Terrain ◽  
Fluvial Dynamics ◽  
Aerial Vehicle ◽  
One Year ◽  
Short Time

Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) photogrammetry has recently become a widespread technique to investigate and monitor the evolution of different types of natural processes. Fluvial geomorphology is one of such fields of application where UAV potentially assumes a key role, since it allows for overcoming the intrinsic limits of satellite and airborne-based optical imagery on one side, and in situ traditional investigations on the other. The main purpose of this paper was to obtain extensive products (digital terrain models (DTMs), orthophotos, and 3D models) in a short time, with low costs and at a high resolution, in order to verify the capability of this technique to analyze the active geomorphic processes on a 12 km long stretch of the French–Italian Roia River at both large and small scales. Two surveys, one year apart from each other, were carried out over the study area and a change detection analysis was performed on the basis of the comparison of the obtained DTMs to point out and characterize both the possible morphologic variations related to fluvial dynamics and modifications in vegetation coverage. The results highlight how the understanding of different fluvial processes may be improved by appropriately exploiting UAV-based products, which can thus represent a low-cost and non-invasive tool to crucially support decisionmakers involved in land management practices.

scholarly journals Suitability of a Non-Dispersive Infrared Methane Sensor Package for Flux Quantification Using an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle

Sensors ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (21) ◽  
pp. 4705 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adil Shah ◽  
Joseph Pitt ◽  
Khristopher Kabbabe ◽  
Grant Allen
Keyword(s):  
Unmanned Aerial Vehicle ◽  
Mole Fraction ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Methane Flux ◽  
Gain Factor ◽  
Measured Signal ◽  
Allan Deviation ◽  
Methane Sensor ◽  
Aerial Vehicle ◽  
Flux Quantification

Point-source methane emission flux quantification is required to help constrain the global methane budget. Facility-scale fluxes can be derived using in situ methane mole fraction sampling, near-to-source, which may be acquired from an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) platform. We test a new non-dispersive infrared methane sensor by mounting it onto a small UAV, which flew downwind of a controlled methane release. Nine UAV flight surveys were conducted on a downwind vertical sampling plane, perpendicular to mean wind direction. The sensor was first packaged in an enclosure prior to sampling which contained a pump and a recording computer, with a total mass of 1.0 kg. The packaged sensor was then characterised to derive a gain factor of 0.92 ± 0.07, independent of water mole fraction, and an Allan deviation precision (at 1 Hz) of ±1.16 ppm. This poor instrumental precision and possible short-term drifts made it non-trivial to define a background mole fraction during UAV surveys, which may be important where any measured signal is small compared to sources of instrumental uncertainty and drift. This rendered the sensor incapable of deriving a meaningful flux from UAV sampling for emissions of the order of 1 g s−1. Nevertheless, the sensor may indeed be useful when sampling mole fraction enhancements of the order of at least 10 ppm (an order of magnitude above the 1 Hz Allan deviation), either from stationary ground-based sampling (in baseline studies) or from mobile sampling downwind of sources with greater source flux than those observed in this study. While many methods utilising low-cost sensors to determine methane flux are being developed, this study highlights the importance of adequately characterising and testing all new sensors before they are used in scientific research.

scholarly journals Multi-Temporal Vineyard Monitoring through UAV-Based RGB Imagery

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 1907 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luís Pádua ◽  
Pedro Marques ◽  
Jonáš Hruška ◽  
Telmo Adão ◽  
Emanuel Peres ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Accuracy Assessment ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Ground Truth ◽  
Volume Estimation ◽  
Height Range ◽  
Ground Truth Data ◽  
Operational Technique ◽  
Digital Elevation ◽  
Multi Temporal ◽  
Aerial Vehicle

This study aimed to characterize vineyard vegetation thorough multi-temporal monitoring using a commercial low-cost rotary-wing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) equipped with a consumer-grade red/green/blue (RGB) sensor. Ground-truth data and UAV-based imagery were acquired on nine distinct dates, covering the most significant vegetative growing cycle until harvesting season, over two selected vineyard plots. The acquired UAV-based imagery underwent photogrammetric processing resulting, per flight, in an orthophoto mosaic, used for vegetation estimation. Digital elevation models were used to compute crop surface models. By filtering vegetation within a given height-range, it was possible to separate grapevine vegetation from other vegetation present in a specific vineyard plot, enabling the estimation of grapevine area and volume. The results showed high accuracy in grapevine detection (94.40%) and low error in grapevine volume estimation (root mean square error of 0.13 m and correlation coefficient of 0.78 for height estimation). The accuracy assessment showed that the proposed method based on UAV-based RGB imagery is effective and has potential to become an operational technique. The proposed method also allows the estimation of grapevine areas that can potentially benefit from canopy management operations.

scholarly journals Simulation of UAV Systems

10.14311/754 ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 45 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Kaňovský ◽  
L. Smrcek ◽  
C. Goodchild
Keyword(s):  
Dynamical System ◽  
Unmanned Aerial Vehicle ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Design Tool ◽  
Inertial System ◽  
Principal Function ◽  
Low Weight ◽  
High Bandwidth ◽  
Aerial Vehicle ◽  
Selection Of

The study described in this paper deals with the issue of a design tool for the autopilot of an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) and the selection of the airdata and inertial system sensors. This project was processed in cooperation with VTUL a PVO o.z. [1]. The feature that distinguishes the autopilot requirements of a UAV (Figs. 1, 7, 8) from the flight systems of conventional manned aircraft is the paradox of controlling a high bandwidth dynamical system using sensors that are in harmony with the low cost low weight objectives that UAV designs are often expected to achieve. The principal function of the autopilot is flight stability, which establishes the UAV as a stable airborne platform that can operate at a precisely defined height. The main sensor for providing this height information is a barometric altimeter. The solution to the UAV autopilot design was realised with simulations using the facilities of Matlab® and in particular Simulink®[2]. 

scholarly journals Design of a Low-Cost Fixed Wing UAV

2018 ◽  
Vol 159 ◽  
pp. 02045
Author(s):  
Mochammad Ariyanto ◽  
Joga D. Setiawan ◽  
Teguh Prabowo ◽  
Ismoyo Haryanto ◽  
Munadi
Keyword(s):  
Unmanned Aerial Vehicle ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Flight Test ◽  
Body Part ◽  
Aerial Vehicle ◽  
Straight Wing

This research will try to design a low cost of fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) using low-cost material that able to fly autonomously. Six parameters of UAV’s structure will be optimized based on basic airframe configuration, wing configuration, straight wing, tail configuration, fuselage material, and propeller location. The resulted and manufactured prototype of fixed-wing UAV will be tested in autonomous fight tests. Based on the flight test, the developed UAV can successfully fly autonomously following the trajectory command. The result shows that low-cost material can be used as a body part of fixed-wing UAV.

scholarly journals Aerial physical interaction via IDA-PBC

2019 ◽  
Vol 38 (4) ◽  
pp. 403-421 ◽  
Author(s):  
Burak Yüksel ◽  
Cristian Secchi ◽  
Heinrich H. Bülthoff ◽  
Antonio Franchi
Keyword(s):  
Unmanned Aerial Vehicle ◽  
Control Method ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Surface Inspection ◽  
Physical Interaction ◽  
External Disturbances ◽  
Aerial Vehicle ◽  
Passivity Based Control ◽  
The Stability ◽  
First Time

This paper proposes the use of a novel control method based on interconnection and damping assignment–passivity-based control (IDA-PBC) in order to address the aerial physical interaction (APhI) problem for a quadrotor unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). The apparent physical properties of the quadrotor are reshaped in order to achieve better APhI performances, while ensuring the stability of the interaction through passivity preservation. The robustness of the IDA-PBC method with respect to sensor noise is also analyzed. The direct measurement of the external wrench, needed to implement the control method, is compared with the use of a nonlinear Lyapunov-based wrench observer and advantages/disadvantages of both methods are discussed. The validity and practicability of the proposed APhI method is evaluated through experiments, where for the first time in the literature, a lightweight all-in-one low-cost force/torque (F/T) sensor is used onboard of a quadrotor. Two main scenarios are shown: a quadrotor responding to external disturbances while hovering (physical human–quadrotor interaction), and the same quadrotor sliding with a rigid tool along an uneven ceiling surface (inspection/painting-like task).

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