Air Traffic Management for Collaborative Routing of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles via Potential Fields

TL;DR

This paper presents a novel approach to UAV traffic management using potential fields, establishing routing standards and a scalable infrastructure validated by a national-scale prototype for urban cargo delivery.

Contribution

It introduces a quantifiable standard for UAV routing restrictions and a scalable, collaborative infrastructure for UAV cargo transport using potential fields.

Findings

Validated a national-scale prototype of the infrastructure

Demonstrated effective UAV routing with potential fields

Established a new standard for UTM routing restrictions

Abstract

Aerial cargo transport is anticipated to play a pivotal role in the distribution of goods within urban environments. The shift is propelled by the surge in e-commerce, the imperative to deliver essential supplies to isolated areas, and the growing demand for expedited and more accessible deliveries. Our research introduces a quantifiable standard for defining routing restrictions for Unmanned Aircraft System Traffic Management (UTM) using the concept of repulsive potential fields. Furthermore, we propose a scalable infrastructure that facilitates collaborative routing of cargo Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) by independent shareholders. The practicality of the infrastructure is validated through a functional prototype implemented at a national scale.