Investigation of an Autonomous Tracking System for Localization of Radio-Tagged Flying Insects

Abstract

The tracking of flying insects is one of the main challenges in the field of ecosystem and biodiversity protection. In the case of invasive insects such as Asian hornets, extensive considerations must be made in estimating the habitat because of the limitations of available sensors and environmental uncertainty. In this study, we propose an approach for localizing and autonomously tracking radio-tagged flying insects and developing an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)-based robotic system. The extended Kalman filter is applied to the received signal strength emitted from a radio telemetry transmitter to estimate the insect's position while reducing the measurement error and noise. The proposed autonomous tracking strategy involves a method in which the UAV rotates around one point to measure the signal strength and control its position in relation to the direction of the strongest signal. We also designed a system architecture that includes a tracking sensor system and a UAV system for radio-tagged flying insects. The effectiveness of the proposed system for estimating and autonomously tracking the target position was evaluated via numerical dynamics simulation. Furthermore, feasibility tests with unmanned ground vehicle replacements for insects and UAVs were performed to validate the proposed approach. Finally, to verify the UAV system, field tests were conducted to track a fixed radio-tagged flying target on a vast flatland. This study is unique because we propose and validate a novel mobile robot-based tracking system to localize radio tags of flying insects. INDEX TERMSRadio-tagged flying insects, unmanned aerial vehicles, radio telemetry localization, autonomous tracking, sensor systems I. INTRODUCTION

Unmanned Aerial Vehicle-based Autonomous Tracking System for Invasive Flying Insects

“…In a previous study [45], we attempted to track radio-tagged flying insects by using a single directional antenna. However, this method had limitations, including the need for rotation time and low tracking accuracy.…”

Leader–follower control of multi-unmanned aerial vehicle based on supervisory control theory for a broad tributary area mapping scenario

“…Recently, with the increase in environmental pollution, the need for management systems that can effectively manage natural systems and ecosystems has emerged. [1][2][3][4] Furthermore, in agriculture, a system to minimize environmental damage and manage it is being studied. 5,6 Among the environmental management systems, data obtained from satellite maps of the natural environment of tributaries are used for water quality management.…”

Intelligent Grazing UAV Based on Airborne Depth Reasoning

“…Since it was reported that it was used in the investigation of American alligators and waterfowl in 2006 [16], UAVs made some progress in animal identification, tracking [17,18], size measurement [19] and behavior investigation [18,20]. Due to the low cost of UAV images and the fact that the resolution can be adjusted according to the altitude (up to 2 mm), UAV images can be used to identify large animals such as African elephants, giraffes [18], manatees [17], cattle, and sheep [21], as well as animals as small as penguins, albatross cubs [22], Canadian geese [23], and even flying insects such as bumblebees [24].…”