Project for an autonomous model helicopter navigation system

In this paper we present the concept of a potential project aimed at the development of an autonomous model helicopter. Such vehicle will be used for land photogrammetric surveying, for documentation of archeological sites, for detection of polluted areas at sea and for many other situations where remote surveying is a definite advantage due to accessibility. Upon checking other projects in bibliography which deal with similar autonomous navigation systems developed with different approaches, we propose here a different solution based on the use of a pair of color digital CCD cameras, which acquire images in continuous mode. Positioning and imaging systems are composed by compact and as lightweight as possible sensors in order to reduce the total payload of the helicopter. The development project is structured according to a two-stage approach: firstly the model helicopter will be piloted by a human operator from a ground control station. Then, after successful testing in real applications, it is planned to develop an autonomous guidance system resorting to robust control tools and more advanced results in the field of robotics. Though the project has not yet been financed, the presented system can be regarded as a potential alternative to develop surveying applications in areas which represent a difficult task for existing ground-based mobile mapping systems. An overview on the selected hardware components and on data integration and processing will be provided.