Logo
ScienceStack
Table of Contents
Fetching ...
Sign In

Range-Only Localization System for Small-Scale Flapping-Wing Robots

Raul Tapia, Ivan Gutierrez Rodriguez, Javier Luna-Santamaria, Jose Ramiro Martinez-de Dios, Anibal Ollero

TL;DR

This work targets accurate 3D localization for tiny flapping-wing aerial robots under strict payload and compute constraints. It proposes a range-only UWB system using ultra-light 5 g tag and anchor hardware, with a Two Way Ranging protocol and an EKF on a Ground Control Station to fuse multiple range measurements. Key contributions include hardware and software designs (including a low-bandwidth communication scheme and release of the PCB and localization module) and experimental validation achieving a mean 3D position error of approximately $0.28$ m. The approach enables robust, energy-efficient localization for small FWMAVs, paving the way for autonomous flight with minimal onboard sensing requirements.

Abstract

The design of localization systems for small-scale flapping-wing aerial robots faces relevant challenges caused by the limited payload and onboard computational resources. This paper presents an ultra-wideband localization system particularly designed for small-scale flapping-wing robots. The solution relies on custom 5 grams ultra-wideband sensors and provides robust, very efficient (in terms of both computation and energy consumption), and accurate (mean error of 0.28 meters) 3D position estimation. We validate our system using a Flapper Nimble+ flapping-wing robot.

Range-Only Localization System for Small-Scale Flapping-Wing Robots

TL;DR

This work targets accurate 3D localization for tiny flapping-wing aerial robots under strict payload and compute constraints. It proposes a range-only UWB system using ultra-light 5 g tag and anchor hardware, with a Two Way Ranging protocol and an EKF on a Ground Control Station to fuse multiple range measurements. Key contributions include hardware and software designs (including a low-bandwidth communication scheme and release of the PCB and localization module) and experimental validation achieving a mean 3D position error of approximately m. The approach enables robust, energy-efficient localization for small FWMAVs, paving the way for autonomous flight with minimal onboard sensing requirements.

Abstract

The design of localization systems for small-scale flapping-wing aerial robots faces relevant challenges caused by the limited payload and onboard computational resources. This paper presents an ultra-wideband localization system particularly designed for small-scale flapping-wing robots. The solution relies on custom 5 grams ultra-wideband sensors and provides robust, very efficient (in terms of both computation and energy consumption), and accurate (mean error of 0.28 meters) 3D position estimation. We validate our system using a Flapper Nimble+ flapping-wing robot.
Paper Structure (7 sections, 1 equation, 5 figures)

This paper contains 7 sections, 1 equation, 5 figures.

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Sensing and Localization
  3. UWB-based Range Sensors
  4. Outlier Rejection
  5. Localization Algorithm
  6. Experiments
  7. Conclusions and Work in Progress

Figures (5)

  • Figure 1: Experimental setup used for validation. The flapping-wing robot (tag) is equipped with a UWB sensor. A total of 6 anchors are used.
  • Figure 2: Custom DWM1000-based UWB sensors (5g, left) and Flapper Nimble+ (114g, 49cm wingspan, right).
  • Figure 3: Communication protocol between tag $T$ and anchor $A_i$ used for distance estimation.
  • Figure 4: Estimated trajectories in the preliminary tests (top-left, top-center) and in one real flight (top-right). The errors between the distances from the anchors to the estimated robot position and the measured distances for the real flight are shown (bottom). $Ai$ denotes the $i$-th anchor.
  • Figure :