FLAGRED -- Fuzzy Logic-based Algorithm Generalizing Risk Estimation for Drones

Accurately estimating risk in real-time is essential for ensuring the safety and efficiency of many applications involving autonomous robot systems. This paper presents a novel, generalizable algorithm for the real-time estimation of risks created by external disturbances on multirotors. Unlike conventional approaches, our method requires no additional sensors, accurate drone models, or large datasets. It employs motor command data in a fuzzy logic system, overcoming barriers to real-world implementation. Inherently adaptable, it utilizes fundamental drone characteristics, making it applicable to diverse drone models. The efficiency of the algorithm has been confirmed through comprehensive real-world testing on various platforms. It proficiently discerned between high and low-risk scenarios resulting from diverse wind disturbances and varying thrust-to-weight ratios. The algorithm surpassed the widely-recognized ArduCopter wind estimation algorithm in performance and demonstrated its capability to promptly detect brief gusts.

Assessing Wind Impact on Semi-Autonomous Drone Landings for In-Contact Power Line Inspection

In recent years, the use of inspection drones has become increasingly popular for high-voltage electric cable inspections due to their efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and ability to access hard-to-reach areas. However, safely landing drones on power lines, especially under windy conditions, remains a significant challenge. This study introduces a semi-autonomous control scheme for landing on an electrical line with the NADILE drone (an experimental drone based on original LineDrone key features for inspection of power lines) and assesses the operating envelope under various wind conditions. A Monte Carlo method is employed to analyze the success probability of landing given initial drone states. The performance of the system is evaluated for two landing strategies, variously controllers parameters and four level of wind intensities. The results show that a two-stage landing strategies offers higher probabilities of landing success and give insight regarding the best controller parameters and the maximum wind level for which the system is robust. Lastly, an experimental demonstration of the system landing autonomously on a power line is presented.