Użycie bezzałogowych statków powietrznych typu FlyEye na potrzeby wojskowej ochrony przeciwpożarowej – wyniki badań

Unmanned aerial vehicles are used for a wide range of fire protection tasks, includ-ing search and rescue operations. Today, unmanned aerial platforms patrol coastal zones, par-ticipate in road incidents patrolling, and perform many other tasks in various areas of the infra-structure, economy, etc. The Military Fire Protection Inspectorate organizes, supervises, and conducts rescue operations in divisions supervised by Ministry of National Defense. Due to advanced technology, FlyEye unmanned aerial vehicles effectively help to eliminate fire risks in military units and other organizational units.

Towards a Novel Air–Ground Intelligent Platform for Vehicular Networks: Technologies, Scenarios, and Challenges

Modern cities require a tighter integration with Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) for bringing new services to the citizens. The Smart City is the revolutionary paradigm aiming at integrating the ICT with the citizen life; among several urban services, transports are one of the most important in modern cities, introducing several challenges to the Smart City paradigm. In order to satisfy the stringent requirements of new vehicular applications and services, Edge Computing (EC) is one of the most promising technologies when integrated into the Vehicular Networks (VNs). EC-enabled VNs can facilitate new latency-critical and data-intensive applications and services. However, ground-based EC platforms (i.e., Road Side Units—RSUs, 5G Base Stations—5G BS) can only serve a reduced number of Vehicular Users (VUs), due to short coverage ranges and resource shortage. In the recent past, several new aerial platforms with integrated EC facilities have been deployed for achieving global connectivity. Such air-based EC platforms can complement the ground-based EC facilities for creating a futuristic VN able to deploy several new applications and services. The goal of this work is to explore the possibility of creating a novel joint air-ground EC platform within a VN architecture for helping VUs with new intelligent applications and services. By exploiting most modern technologies, with particular attention towards network softwarization, vehicular edge computing, and machine learning, we propose here three possible layered air-ground EC-enabled VN scenarios. For each of the discussed scenarios, a list of the possible challenges is considered, as well possible solutions allowing to overcome all or some of the considered challenges. A proper comparison is also done, through the use of tables, where all the proposed scenarios, and the proposed solutions, are discussed.

Doors in the sky: Detection, localization and classification of aerial vehicles using laser mesh

Stealth technology and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are expected to dominate current and future aerial warfare. The radar systems at their maximum operating ranges, however, are not always able to detect stealth and small UAVs mainly due to their small radar cross sections and/or low altitudes. In this paper, a novel technique as an alternative to radar technology is proposed. The proposed approach is based on creating a mesh structure of laser beams initiated from aerial platforms towards the ground. The laser mesh acts as a virtual net in the sky. Any aerial vehicle disrupting the path of the laser beams are detected and subsequently localized and tracked. As an additional feature, steering of the beams can be used for increased coverage and improved localization and classification performance. A database of different types of aerial vehicles is created artificially based on Gaussian distributions. The database is used to develop several Machine Learning (ML) models using different algorithms to classify a target. Overall, we demonstrated through simulations that our proposed model achieves simultaneous detection, classification, localization, and tracking of a target.

Wykorzystywanie danych personalnych zgromadzonych przypadkowo podczas operacji bezzałogowych statków powietrznych w świetle standardów prawa do prywatności gwarantowanego w Europejskiej Konwencji o Ochronie Praw Człowieka — zarys problemu

The rapid growth of data-gathering technologies on the one hand has provided public authorities with a valuable tool for counteracting crimes, but on the other gave rise to concerns over potentially excessive intrusion into persons’ privacy. In order to mitigate the risk of authoritarian behavior stemming from a moral hazard arising out of ability to conduct an ever more effective surveillance, public authorities must impose certain self-limitations with regards to the usage of such data. In this context, the use of unmanned aerial vehicles, which may serve other non-invigilation purposes, may inadvertently lead to collecting someone’s personal data. This paper provides a propaedeutic analysis of legal challenges associated with collateral collection of personal data through unmanned aerial platforms operated by public bodies, and the subsequent use of said data. The analysis will be carried out through the lens of the standards set out in the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). In order to provide an answer to the paper’s research question whether the current acquis on Article 8 of the ECHR setting out the basic right to privacy and exceptions thereof require adjustment, the analysis will begin with an overview of the existing case-law dedicated to the ECHR’s standards associated with collecting and processing personal data with an emphasis on its relevance to technical specifi cities of drones operations. The inquiry will then focus on standards associated with operating unmanned platforms during which personal data may be collaterally collected in public places. While it stands to reason that anyone within such a public space must reasonably expect that his or her privacy will be somewhat limited, a distinction must be made between mere recording and the subsequent use of such data for a different purpose that it was originally gathered. The next part of the analysis will cover a legal assessment of situations whereby sensors installed on a drone used by public authorities over public spaces will record persons within their domicile — place of living. The analysis carried out in this paper has led to conclusion that while the core of the pre-existing ECHR’s case-law can be successfully applied per analogiam to unmanned aerial platforms’ operations, due to technical and operational factors there is no feasible way to provide adequate information about whether a monitoring is conducted, who is carrying it out, etc., in a similar manner as this is being done in the case of stationary close-circuit cameras. Therefore, it is necessary to place a greater emphasis on ex officio data anonymization.

Extending Our Scientific Reach in Arboreal Ecosystems for Research and Management

The arboreal ecosystem is vitally important to global and local biogeochemical processes, the maintenance of biodiversity in natural systems, and human health in urban environments. The ability to collect samples, observations, and data to conduct meaningful scientific research is similarly vital. The primary methods and modes of access remain limited and difficult. In an online survey, canopy researchers (n = 219) reported a range of challenges in obtaining adequate samples, including ∼10% who found it impossible to procure what they needed. Currently, these samples are collected using a combination of four primary methods: (1) sampling from the ground; (2) tree climbing; (3) constructing fixed infrastructure; and (4) using mobile aerial platforms, primarily rotorcraft drones. An important distinction between instantaneous and continuous sampling was identified, allowing more targeted engineering and development strategies. The combination of methods for sampling the arboreal ecosystem provides a range of possibilities and opportunities, particularly in the context of the rapid development of robotics and other engineering advances. In this study, we aim to identify the strategies that would provide the benefits to a broad range of scientists, arborists, and professional climbers and facilitate basic discovery and applied management. Priorities for advancing these efforts are (1) to expand participation, both geographically and professionally; (2) to define 2–3 common needs across the community; (3) to form and motivate focal teams of biologists, tree professionals, and engineers in the development of solutions to these needs; and (4) to establish multidisciplinary communication platforms to share information about innovations and opportunities for studying arboreal ecosystems.

Challenges in design of an on-board power supply system for a tethered unmanned aerial telecommunication platform

The increasing demand for tethered unmanned aerial platforms in various fields and applications, particularly in telecommunications, leads to growing requirements for the amount and quality of electrical power supplied on board. The paper explores the challenges in hardware, electronic and circuit design of the systems that supply power to the equipment installed on tethered aerial platforms. The arguments for implementing a two-stage DC voltage conversion are provided. In the study the expressions for static and dynamic parameters of the on-board bus voltage regulator and stability conditions for the first stage stabilizer with multiple feedback loops were determined. Additionally, the design of the error signal generation circuit is provided.

Drone-Based Non-Destructive Inspection of Industrial Sites: A Review and Case Studies

Using aerial platforms for Non-Destructive Inspection (NDI) of large and complex structures is a growing field of interest in various industries. Infrastructures such as: buildings, bridges, oil and gas, etc. refineries require regular and extensive inspections. The inspection reports are used to plan and perform required maintenance, ensuring their structural health and the safety of the workers. However, performing these inspections can be challenging due to the size of the facility, the lack of easy access, the health risks for the inspectors, or several other reasons, which has convinced companies to invest more in drones as an alternative solution to overcome these challenges. The autonomous nature of drones can assist companies in reducing inspection time and cost. Moreover, the employment of drones can lower the number of required personnel for inspection and can increase personnel safety. Finally, drones can provide a safe and reliable solution for inspecting hard-to-reach or hazardous areas. Despite the recent developments in drone-based NDI to reliably detect defects, several limitations and challenges still need to be addressed. In this paper, a brief review of the history of unmanned aerial vehicles, along with a comprehensive review of studies focused on UAV-based NDI of industrial and commercial facilities, are provided. Moreover, the benefits of using drones in inspections as an alternative to conventional methods are discussed, along with the challenges and open problems of employing drones in industrial inspections, are explored. Finally, some of our case studies conducted in different industrial fields in the field of Non-Destructive Inspection are presented.

Aerial and UAV Images for Photogrammetric Analysis of Belvedere Glacier Evolution in the Period 1977–2019

Alpine glaciers are strongly suffering the consequences of the temperature rising and monitoring them over long periods is of particular interest for climate change tracking. A wide range of techniques can be successfully applied to survey and monitor glaciers with different spatial and temporal resolutions. However, going back in time to retrace the evolution of a glacier is still a challenging task. Historical aerial images, e.g., those acquired for regional cartographic purposes, are extremely valuable resources for studying the evolution and movement of a glacier in the past. This work analyzed the evolution of the Belvedere Glacier by means of structure from motion techniques applied to digitalized historical aerial images combined with more recent digital surveys, either from aerial platforms or UAVs. This allowed the monitoring of an Alpine glacier with high resolution and geometrical accuracy over a long span of time, covering the period 1977-2019. In this context, digital surface models of the area at different epochs were computed and jointly analyzed, retrieving the morphological dynamics of the Belvedere Glacier. The integration of datasets dating back to earlier times with those referring to surveys carried out with more modern technologies exploits at its full potential the information that at first glance could be thought obsolete, proving how historical photogrammetric datasets are a remarkable heritage for glaciological studies.

Review of Aerial Manipulator and its Control

The aerial manipulator is a new type of aerial robot with active operation capability, which is composed of a rotary-wing drone and an actuator. Although aerial manipulation has greatly increased the scope of robot operations, the research on aerial manipulators also faces many difficulties, such as the selection of aerial platforms and actuators, system modeling and control, etc. This article attempts to collect the research team’s Achievements in the field of aerial robotic arms. The main results of the aerial manipulator system and corresponding dynamic modeling and control are reviewed, and its problems are summarized and prospected.