Designs of autonomous vehicles such as unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) are seeing rapid growth in both variety and capability. Non-military UAS functionality has, until recently, been limited to radio-controlled (RC) aircraft being used as platforms to carry a sensor such as a digital camera that is connected to a ground station via a secondary line-of-sight radio data link.
Separate from autonomous vehicle developments, smartphones have seen remarkable advancements in recent years. For example, low cost and high performance components such as integrated accelerometers, gyroscopes, magnetometers, central processing unit (CPU) chips, touchscreens, high definition digital cameras, open software development kits, and global cellular broadband networks have enabled rapid adoption of the modern smartphone.
Components similar to those developed for the smartphone have also been used to advance the field of robotics and physical computing. The resultant state of the art of small UAS design may be said to reflect a merger of the world of RC aircraft with robotics through the use of microelectronics and integrated circuit boards.
Small modern UAS designs may include airplanes, helicopters, quadcopters, and multicopters. Commercial examples include the ArduPilot Mega system, PIXHAWK, and Parrot AR.Drone. These designs are commonly based upon custom designed solutions using uniquely integrated electronic board components. While these unique integrations may be lightweight, customized, and possibly offer better performance, the unique integration may make the systems very inflexible and, as such, a particular design may be capable of some activities and not others. For example, many designs contain autopilots and are capable of autonomous operation. Some designs can be controlled by touchscreen and tilt-controlled devices such as tablets or smartphones. Other designs carry payloads or sensors but usually require a secondary data link, and sensors cannot easily be changed or modified by the average user. Some designs can be controlled through a Wi-Fi signal by a user within line of sight or across the internet. Some designs have demonstrated use of a smartphone to control a small subset of systems inside an airframe such as the servos, but there are limits to the control provided by the smartphone.
Even with the unique integrations, it does not appear that any non-military UAS designs are capable of over-the-horizon controlled flight. Still further, many, if not all, UAS designs are severely limited in urban environments due to buildings and obstructions obscuring line-of-sight to the controller. Typically, the most capable prior art designs are the most difficult and expensive to build and operate while the easiest to use designs are the least capable and flexible.
Current aviation rules require a special permit from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for over-the-horizon flight and non-private uses of unmanned aircraft. However, new FAA rules are due to be released that will allow regular commercial application of UAS technology in the United States. As such, the UAS market is poised to grow exponentially beyond the world of hobbyists, military, and law enforcement and into the commercial sector. Flexible UAS designs (i.e., as opposed to the inflexible unique integrations discussed above) will allow operators to perform a multitude of tasks including remote sensing, precision surveying, surveillance, cargo carrying, and missions too dangerous or mundane for human presence. A capable, flexible, and low cost UAS architecture for use in the commercial sector and beyond is needed.