Autonomous Vehicular Robot for Aerial Monitoring Support
Curtis Klein, Derek Eells, Elizabeth A. Basha · Scholarly Commons (University of the Pacific) · 2017
Aerial robots can support a wide range of activities from wetlands mapping to algae bloom tracking. However, the flight time of the robot is limited due to the combined trade-offs of robot weight, battery capacity, and power needs. This often results in 15-20 minute flight time of an autonomous aerial robot with a sensing payload. Expanding the functionality of aerial robots then requires either a redesign of the robots (into potentially less safe sizes), expanded use of people in transportation and recharging of the robots, or creative use of co-robots to automate the system further.