Autonomous, Long-Range, Sensor Emplacement Using Unmanned Aircraft Systems

Authors

Adam Plowcha, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
Justin Bradley, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
Jacob Hoberg, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Thomas Ammon, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
Mark Nail, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Brittany Duncan, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Carrick Detweiler, University of Nebraska–LincolnFollow

ORCID IDs

Plowcha 0000-0002-0629-5319

Bradley 0000-0002-4201-6903

Ammon 0000-0003-0866-084X

Nail 0000-0002-5675-0332

Duncan 0000-0002-7289-8273

Detweiler 0000-0002-6369-4009

Document Type

Article

Date of this Version

3-2022

Citation

Field Robotics (March 2022) 2: 437–467

Systems article

Special Issue: General stream

doi: 10.55417/fr.2022015

Comments

Copyright 2022, the authors. Open access

License: CC BY

Abstract

Automated, in-ground sensor emplacement can significantly improve remote, terrestrial, data collection capabilities. Utilizing a multicopter, unmanned aircraft system (UAS) for this purpose allows sensor insertion with minimal disturbance to the target site or surrounding area. However, developing an emplacement mechanism for a small multicopter, autonomy to manage the target selection and implantation process, as well as long-range deployment are challenging to address. We have developed an autonomous, multicopter UAS that can implant subsurface sensor devices. We enhanced the UAS autopilot with autonomy for target and landing zone selection, as well as ensuring the sensor is implanted properly in the ground. The multicopter UAS, limited by onboard energy, can be carried by a transport aircraft to within 1 km of the desired sensor location site and deployed by a novel parachuting-canister system. Through a comprehensive set of field trials and testing, we assess the effectiveness of each subsystem. We evaluate our system on missions covering distances up to 25 km away in mountains 1 km above the takeoff location.