Research Trends in Collaborative Drones

Abstract

The last decade has seen an explosion of interest in drones—introducing new networking technologies, such as 5G wireless connectivity and cloud computing. The resulting advancements in communication capabilities are already expanding the ubiquitous role of drones as primary solution enablers, from search and rescue missions to information gathering and parcel delivery. Their numerous applications encompass all aspects of everyday life. Our focus is on networked and collaborative drones. The available research literature on this topic is vast. No single survey article could do justice to all critical issues. Our goal in this article is not to cover everything and include everybody but rather to offer a personal perspective on a few selected research topics that might lead to fruitful future investigations that could play an essential role in developing drone technologies. The topics we address include distributed computing with drones for the management of anonymity, countering threats posed by drones, target recognition, navigation under uncertainty, risk avoidance, and cellular technologies. Our approach is selective. Every topic includes an explanation of the problem, a discussion of a potential research methodology, and ideas for future research.

Risks of Drone Use in Light of Literature Studies

“…For this reason, they have been collected in an additional category under the heading “Other”. This includes publications on the following issues: Adapting drones for unrestricted and safe indoor use [ 287 ]; The safety of racing drones [ 288 ]; The use of ultrasonic sensors in autonomous devices [ 289 ]; The dangers associated with filming VLOS flights, which arise from the need for the pilot to manage variable supervision at two levels, i.e., filming and flying [ 290 ]; Legal and organisational norms and regulations for the operation and use of drones in various areas [ 291 , 293 ]; Aspects related to the operation and use of drones [ 292 ]. …”

“…Legal and organisational norms and regulations for the operation and use of drones in various areas [291,293]; • Aspects related to the operation and use of drones [292].…”

On the role and opportunities in teamwork design for advanced multi-robot search systems

“…To facilitate the development of such anti-UAV methods, the recent technological status for sensing, mitigation and command and control systems for intercepting unmanned aerial systems are discussed, as well as their applicability for usage in mini drones. In Barbeau et al. (2022) recent trends on collaborative drones are explored with an emphasis on surveying threats posed by drones, target recognition, navigation under uncertainty and risk avoidance which are relevant topics in the perspective of multi-agent search tasks.…”