HoloGCS : Mixed Reality-based Ground Control Station for Unmanned Aerial Vehicle

Ground control station (GCS) is a system for controlling and monitoring unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). In current GCS, the device used are considered as complex environment. This paper proposes a video streaming and speech command control for supporting mixed reality based UAV GCS using Microsoft HoloLens. Video streaming will inform the UAV view and transmit the raw video to the HoloLens, while the HoloLens steers the UAV based on the displayed UAV field of view (FoV). Using the HoloLens Mixed Reality Tool-Kit (MRTK) speech input, UAV speech control from the HoloLens was successfully implemented. Finally, experimental results based on video streaming and speech command calculation of the throughput, round-time trip, latency and speech accuracy tests are discussed to demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed scheme.

HoloGCS : Mixed Reality-based Ground Control Station for Unmanned Aerial Vehicle

Ground control station (GCS) is a system for controlling and monitoring unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). In current GCS, the device used are considered as complex environment. This paper proposes a video streaming and speech command control for supporting mixed reality based UAV GCS using Microsoft HoloLens. Video streaming will inform the UAV view and transmit the raw video to the HoloLens, while the HoloLens steers the UAV based on the displayed UAV field of view (FoV). Using the HoloLens Mixed Reality Tool-Kit (MRTK) speech input, UAV speech control from the HoloLens was successfully implemented. Finally, experimental results based on video streaming and speech command calculation of the throughput, round-time trip, latency and speech accuracy tests are discussed to demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed scheme.

Development and Performance Measurement of an Affordable Unmanned Surface Vehicle (USV)

Indonesia is a maritime country that has vast coastal resources and biodiversity. To support the Indonesian maritime program, a topography mapping tool is needed. The ideal topography mapping tool is the Unmanned Surface Vehicle (USV). This paper proposes the design, manufacture, and development of an affordable autonomous USV. The USV which is composed of thruster and rudder is quite complicated to build. This study employs rudderless and double thrusters as the main actuators. PID compensator is utilized as the feedback control for the autonomous USV. Energy consumption is measured when the USV is in autonomous mode. The Dynamics model of USV was implemented to study the roll stability of the proposed USV. Open-source Mission Planner software was selected as the Ground Control Station (GCS) software. Performance tests were carried out by providing the USV with an autonomous mission to follow a specific trajectory. The results showed that the developed USV was able to complete autonomous mission with relatively small errors, making it suitable for underwater topography mapping.

3D Placement of a New Tethered UAV to UAV Relay System for Coverage Maximization

In this paper, a new relay system that uses the UAV as a relay station between the tethered UAV and ground user (TU2U2G) is proposed. The TU2U2G system replaces the base station (BS) in the cellular system with a tethered UAV (TUAV). The TUAV is a UAV that receives power over a cable from a ground control station. It has advantages of high and variable altitude up to (100m) compared to BS. In addition, it overcomes the UAV drawback of the batteries' limited capacity. After that, a 3D placement Algorithm of the UAV as a relay station in the TU2U2G system is proposed. It is presented to maximize the coverage by jointly optimizing the transmitting power and relaying distance. The TU2U2G system shows better results than the traditional cellular system in terms of optimum UAV height, maximum coverage radius, and maximum distance between BS and UAV.

Electric Ducted Fan (EDF) Rocket Attitude Telemetry Using 2.4 GHz Radio Frequency

On a rocket, control requires monitoring to determine its position and attitude. Rocket stance includes roll, pitch, and yaw angles. Monitoring can be done manually without the help of tools while the object’s position is still within reach. It is difficult to carry out monitoring when the object is moving far and beyond the reach of the operator. This observation requires a monitoring system to monitor the object further. This research applies a telemetry system to a target tracking rocket. The measurement results from the IMU and GPS sensors on the rocket body will be processed by the ATMega 2560 microcontroller and sent via a 2.4 GHz RF signal. to Ground Control Station. The rocket telemetry data that has been sent to the GCS can be viewed by the operator through the GUI system in a computer program using the C# language in Visual Studio. Tests on latitude and longitude are carried out by tracking the trajectory of objects while testing for roll, pitch, and yaw angles is carried out by placing objects according to the reference angle. The results of the position obtained the values of altitude, latitude, and longitude of 0.5364 m, 0.000012°, and 0.000023°, respectively. An attitude tests for roll position, pitch, and compass heading have values of 0.35°, 0.07, and 2.90°, respectively. The telemetry data transmission distance test is still well-received at a distance of 200 with a test speed of 70 KM/hour.

SIMULASI ANTENA MIKROSTRIP RECTANGULAR PATCH ARRAY EMPAT ELEMEN UNTUK PENERIMA FPV 5,8 GHZ PADA WAHANA UAV

Antena merupakan faktor utama pada sistem First Person View (FPV) untuk mentransmisi video secara real time dari Unmaned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) ke pengguna di Ground Control Station (GCS). Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk merancang antena mikrostrip rectangular patch array empat elemen menggunakan teknik pencatu Line Feed untuk penerima FPV 5,8 GHz, metode yang dipakai adalah simulasi dengan software Advanced Design System (ADS). Bahan yang digunakan Epoxy fiberglass FR4, ketebalan (h) = 1,6 mm, konstanta dielektrik (εr) = 4,5, dan Loss tangent = 0,018. Berdasarkan hasil simulasi diperoleh nilai return loss = -23,018 dB, VSWR = 1,152, gain = 9,442 dBi, bandwidth = 284 MHz serta memiliki pola radiasi directional.

Modeling and development of a fundamentally new way of landing a quadcopter on inclined surfaces

Methods and software and hardware for modeling and developing a fundamentally new way of landing a quadrocopter on inclined surfaces are discussed in the paper. The current state of the project under elaboration is conditioned and described. Various approaches to the solution are feasible due to the complexity of the considered issue. Solutions can differ both in the distribution of control functions between the ground control station and the quadcopter itself, and in the choice of principles that can be used as the basis for the control system and determine its design and dynamic characteristics. Simulation and testing processes demonstrate that reverse thrust alone can increase the landing zone of an average mass quadcopter, almost doubling the maximum tilt angle at which a landing maneuver is made, thus, allowing for a high vertical speed landing. It is clearly shown that low-power adhesion mechanisms such as electrical adhesion, switchable magnets, grippers or dry glue are activated after landing, allowing it to stay on the surface after the back thrust has ceased. This can be useful in situations where sudden interference is likely to occur. Such a result is achieved using a classic quadrocopter as DJI F450 without adding any equipment.

Improving Human Ground Control Performance in Unmanned Aerial Systems

The use of Unmanned Aerial Systems, commonly called drones, is growing enormously today. Applications that can benefit from the use of fleets of drones and a related human–machine interface are emerging to ensure better performance and reliability. In particular, a fleet of drones can become a valuable tool for monitoring a wide area and transmitting relevant information to the ground control station. We present a human–machine interface for a Ground Control Station used to remotely operate a fleet of drones, in a collaborative setting, by a team of multiple operators. In such a collaborative setting, a major interface design challenge has been to maximize the Team Situation Awareness, shifting the focus from the individual operator to the entire group decision-makers. We were especially interested in testing the hypothesis that shared displays may improve the team situation awareness and hence the overall performance. The experimental study we present shows that there is no difference in performance between shared and non-shared displays. However, in trials when unexpected events occurred, teams using shared displays-maintained good performance whereas in teams using non-shared displays performance reduced. In particular, in case of unexpected situations, operators are able to safely bring more drones home, maintaining a higher level of team situational awareness.

TOWARDS MORE EFFICIENT UAS DATA ACQUISITION: CAMERA AUTO MOUNT PIVOTING OBLIQUE SURVEY

In this paper I present a new MAVLink command, enabling oblique aerial surveys, along with its implementation on the major open source flight stacks (PX4 and ArduPilot) and ground control station (QGroundControl). A key advantage of this approach is that it enables vehicles with a typical gimbaled camera to capture oblique photos in the same pass as nadir photos, without the need for heavier and more expensive alternatives that feature multiple cameras, at fixed angles in a rigid mount, thus are unsuitable for lightweight platforms. It also allows for flexibility in the configuration of the camera angles. The principle is quite simple, the command combines camera triggering with mount actuation in a synchronized cycle along the flight traverses through the region of interest. Oblique photos have also been shown to increase the accuracy of data and help filling holes in point clouds and related outputs of surveys with vertical components. To provide evidence of its benefits, I compare the results of several missions, in simulated and field experiments, flown with nadir only surveys versus oblique surveys, and different camera configurations. In both cases, ground control and check points were used to evaluate the accuracy of the surveys. The field experiments show the vehicle had to fly 44% less with the oblique survey to cover the same area as the nadir survey, which could translate in a 80% gain in efficiency in coverage area per flight. Furthermore, this new command is capable of enhancing functionality of Unmanned Aerial Systems (UASs) without any additional hardware, therefore its adoption should be straightforward.