The DVP flying arena is a teaching and research space for ground and aerial robotic systems. The arena is enclosed by a 6 x 3 x 6 m safety net to conduct safe flight operations. This arena is equipped with a dedicated wireless communication network and a high-precision motion capture system. The arena allows participants to validate industry-standard estimation and control algorithms, and test custom software with state-of-art algorithms.
At the DVP flying arena, we can execute control algorithms and track single and especially multiple UASs in real time thanks to the motion capture system which brings refresh rates per object up to 200 frames per second. This system also integrates with advanced position estimation algorithms running onboard UASs that fly without a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) such as GPS.
Precise position estimation systems widen the window of opportunity on prospective UAS application testing in constrained environments including autonomous onboard decision-making, obstacle avoidance, semantic understanding, object manipulation, slung load control and high-accuracy payload dropping. It also allows us to test different visual odometry occupancy maps.