West Virginia University Researcher Creates Algorithm to Make Multiple UAS Work Together as Team
West Virginia University mathematics researcher Marjorie Darrah has figured out how to make multiple UAS work together as a team to complete missions, using an algorithm that she created.
The technology is designed for the Raven UAS, which is used by several militaries across the world including the United States military. The Raven typically flies individually, making this algorithm extremely valuable to potential users who want to fly UAS in teams.
The process starts with an operator on the ground setting an area to be scanned by the UAS, and selecting different priority points within that area for the purposes of information gathering.
Once that is complete, the algorithm then sets what coordinates will be surveyed by which UAS, ultimately developing a plan that allows the UAS to scan as much area as possible without completely exhausting battery life.
The algorithm does all this as a partner alongside the human operator on the ground, providing assistance in coordinating difficult missions.
“The technology is not bypassing the ground station, not taking over the flight plan,” Darrah told the school’s website. “It is just giving the ground station help to complete a complex mission with three planes at once.”
Besides using the algorithm to coordinate UAS teams for military operations, the algorithm can also be used to coordinate teams to conduct missions related to agriculture, detecting fires and managing natural disasters.
For Darrah, this technology is a culmination of lots of hard work and development, and the possible ways to use this technology are endless.
“15 years ago, this (technology) was an idea,” Darrah said. “Now it’s a reality. Now that we are seeing how the Raven is being used in many countries around the world—it’s versatile, hand-launched, robust—we can encourage people to use the technology in new ways.”
