Drones: relying on image processing for balance
Another potential crash situation arises when a drone temporarily loses its GPS position information, for instance, when flying close to buildings where GPS signal is weak. In such situations, it is essential that drones can rely on back-up systems and regain stable flight.
To this end, the UZH research group has equipped drones with a single camera and acceleration sensors. Their orientation system emulates the human visual system and sense of balance. As soon as a toss or a failure situation is detected, computer-vision software analyses the images to identify distinctive landmarks in the environment and restore balance. All image processing and control runs on a smartphone processor onboard the drone. This renders the drone safe and able to fulfil its mission without any communication or interaction with the operator.
"Our new technology allows safe operation of drones beyond the operator’s line of sight, which is crucial for commercial use of drones, such as parcel delivery," says Prof. Davide Scaramuzza, co-inventor and Director of the Robotics and Perception Group at the University of Zurich.
"Our system works similarly to a tight-rope walker. When you balance on a rope, you fixate on some static points in the environment and shift your weight accordingly to restore balance," says Matthias Faessler, co-inventor of the technology and researcher in Scaramuzza’s group.
The same software builds a 3D model of the environment, which is used to group the terrain beneath the drone into "risky" and "safe" landing sites. If an emergency landing is required due to low battery or system failure, the drone will automatically detect and land on a flat, safe location without any human intervention.
One of the drones from UZH research group. Image courtesy of UZH.
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