EnvE:an environment for the emulation of unmanned aerial vehicles

Louis, Andrew Vincent

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/97460 Copy

Description

Title

EnvE:an environment for the emulation of unmanned aerial vehicles

Author(s)

Louis, Andrew Vincent

Issue Date

2017-04-25

Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)

Caccamo, Marco

Department of Study

Computer Science

Discipline

Computer Science

Degree Granting Institution

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Degree Name

M.S.

Degree Level

Thesis

Keyword(s)

• EnvE
• Emulation
• Simulation
• Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)
• Cyber-physical systems
• Radio control aircraft

Abstract

Since the dawn of modern computation, computing devices have been steadily increasing in both performance and efficiency while decreasing in cost. This trend has produced incredibly powerful computers in tiny form factors at prices that average consumers can afford. Installing such computational resources on a hobby-grade aircraft outfitted with microelectromechanical sensors results in a compelling UAV platform for both research and education in the field of cyber-physical systems. While such UAVs have great potential, they also pose significant danger to anyone in the vicinity of the UAV operation. With the extreme risks involved in flight testing, some method of controlled testing is needed prior to live testing. Providing such a method in a lab context would benefit both research and education applications of UAV systems. To that end, this work is focused on the development and use of an emulation environment for UAVs. The environment is designed with flexibility and versatility in mind. As such, it supports a wide range of hardware and software control platforms and numerous fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft. By requiring only a PC, some cables, and the custom low-level adapter, it is ideal for use in a lab environment. Early evaluation has shown that EnvE provides invaluable testing opportunities for research and an incredible platform for cyber-physical systems education.

Graduation Semester

2017-05

Type of Resource

text

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http://hdl.handle.net/2142/97460

Copyright and License Information

Copyright 2017 Andrew Vincent Louis

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