Model-Driven In-the-Loop Validation: Simulation-Based Testing of UAV Software Using Virtual Environments

With the availability of the off-the-shelf quadrocopter platforms, the implementation of autonomous unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) has substantially been simplified. Such UAVs can explore unaccessible terrain and provide information about the local situation in a specified target area. For the early development of an autonomous aerial vehicle, virtual integration of the system makes it possible to test a software implementation without endangering the hardware or the environment. Key elements of such a virtual test environment for UAV software are the modeling and simulation of the environment and the hardware platform, as well as the integration of the software in the simulation.