Full autonomy of intelligent flight

Abstract

The cost of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) systems includes more than simply the airframe and payload. During operations in Bosnia and Afghanistan, the Predator UAV required support of 50 to 100 people ranging in skill set from ground pilots, to mechanics, to the guards and cooks who supported the flight operation personnel. The affordability of UAV systems will be reduced if support personnel can be eliminated as a dominant recurring cost factor. Full autonomy through the injection of onboard intelligence is a solution to affordability. For the past decade, teams have been pushing the state of the art in intelligent aerial robotic behavior as part of the International Aerial Robotics Competition.