Energy-Efficient UAV Trajectories: Simulation vs Emulation

Abstract

This paper uses an emulator to verify an energy-efficient trajectory for an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) acting as a portable access point (PAP) to serve a set of users. Specifically, we use the Common Open Research Emulator (CORE), and Extendable Mobile Ad-hoc Network Emulator (EMANE), which allow us to take theoretical assumptions regarding data transfer rates and transmission characteristics and test them in the virtualized wireless networking setting the two tools provide us. The optimal fly-hover-communicate trajectory that maximizes the system’s energy efficiency is obtained using a circle-packing algorithm. The CORE-EMANE emulator results match the simulated results, thereby verifying the practicality of the obtained trajectory solution.