Power-over-Tether UAS Leveraged for Nearly Indefinite Meteorological Data Acquisition In the Platte River Basin

Authors

Daniel Rico, University of Nebraska - LincolnFollow
Carrick Detweiler, University of Nebraska - LincolnFollow
Francisco Munoz-Arriola, University of Nebraska - LincolnFollow

Date of this Version

2020

Citation

Rico D, Detweiler C, Munoz-Arriola F (2020) Power-over-Tether UAS Leveraged for Nearly Indefinite Meteorological Data Acquisition In the Platte River Basin, Poster Presentation, UNL Spring Research Fair, University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Comments

Copyright 2020 by the authors.

Abstract

The integration of unmanned aerial systems (UASs) has increased in the field of agriculture. These systems can provide data that was previously difficult to obtain to help increase efficiency and production. Typical commercial off the shelf (COTS) UASs have significant limitations in the form of small payloads, and short flight times which inhibit their ability to provide significant quantities of useful data. We present the development of a novel power-over-tether UAS that leverages the physical presence of the tether to integrate sensors at multiple altitudes along the tether. The UAS can acquire data nearly indefinitely to sense atmospheric conditions and gradients along the tether. We present the development of the prototyped system, along with the results of field experiments where we demonstrate 6 hours of continuous flight at 50 feet altitude, and a 1 hour flight at sunset to acquire atmospheric temperature from an array of sensors. An evaluation of the systems performance is presented along with a discussion of the systems future implications.