RI: Medium: Collaborative Research: Towards Perpetual Flight of a Gliding Unmanned Aerial Vehicle in the Jet Stream

为了实现无人机的持续动态飞行，需要发展必要的科学技术。它有四个主要组成部分。首先，该团队针对动态翱翔运动规划问题开发了新颖的实时解决方案，以实现永久飞行。其次，他们开发了用于实时估计风场的紧凑表示。这些测量作为运动规划器的输入，以优化从给定的飙升周期中恢复的能量。第三，他们开发了一种新的机身，其设计与运动规划算法的开发紧密结合。最后，进行了一项重要的技术评估，最后进行了持续低空动态飞行的演示。能够停留在高空的无人飞行器的实现对许多领域都是革命性的，例如，作为传统卫星系统的低空和低成本替代品。这些伪卫星充当传感器网络，提供监视数据、天气监测，并充当电信网络中的中继节点。它们被放置到位，回收和维护，没有与太空发射相关的重大费用和失败风险。动态翱翔的无人飞行器是飓风观测的理想选择，因为飞行器的设计具有所需的强度和相关的风梯度，为风暴的生命周期提供了足够的飞机耐力。一项主要的推广活动是面向20-30名八年级和九年级学生的机器人和航空航天夏令营；这是全年学院的一部分，旨在促进经济和学业困难的初中和高中学生的学业成就和大学安置。

The necessary science and technology are developed to demonstrate sustained dynamic soaring of an unmanned aerial vehicle. This has four primary components. First, the team develops novel, real-time solutions specific to the dynamic soaring motion planning problem to enable perpetual flight. Second, they develop compact representations for estimating wind field in real time. These measurements serve as input to the motion planner to optimize energy that is recovered from a given soaring cycle. Third, they develop a novel airframe whose design is tightly coupled with motion planning algorithm development. Finally, a significant technical evaluation is performed which culminates in a demonstration of sustained low-altitude dynamic soaring.The realization of unmanned aerial vehicles capable of staying aloft is transformative for many fields, e.g., as a low altitude and cost alternative to conventional satellite systems. Such pseudo-satellites serve as a sensor network and provide surveillance data, weather monitoring, and act as relay nodes in telecommunications networks. They are put into place, recovered, and maintained without the significant expense and failure risk associated with a space launch. A dynamically soaring unmanned aerial vehicle is ideal for hurricane observation since the craft is designed with the required strength and the associated wind gradients provide sufficient aircraft endurance for the life of the storm. One major outreach effort is the Robotics and Aerospace Camp for a group of 20-30 eighth and ninth grade students; this is part of a year round academy to promote academic achievement and college placement for economically and academically challenged middle level and high school students.