Reshaping UAV-Enabled Communications with Omnidirectional Multi-Rotor Aerial Vehicles

TL;DR

This paper introduces omnidirectional multi-rotor aerial vehicles (o-MRAVs) that can independently control their 3D position and orientation, enabling advanced aerial communication capabilities and new research opportunities.

Contribution

It presents the concept of o-MRAVs, discusses their potential in communication networks, and explores use cases and research challenges in this emerging field.

Findings

Enhanced control of antenna orientation without additional devices

Improved security and optical communication performance in simulations

Identification of new research problems in UAV-based communications

Abstract

A new class of Multi-Rotor Aerial Vehicles (MRAVs), known as omnidirectional MRAVs (o-MRAVs), has attracted significant interest in the robotics community. These MRAVs have the unique capability of independently controlling their 3D position and 3D orientation. In the context of aerial communication networks, this translates into the ability to control the position and orientation of the antenna mounted on the MRAV without any additional devices tasked for antenna orientation. This additional Degrees of Freedom (DoF) adds a new dimension to aerial communication systems, creating various research opportunities in communications-aware trajectory planning and positioning. This paper presents this new class of MRAVs and discusses use cases in areas such as physical layer security and optical communications. Furthermore, the benefits of these MRAVs are illustrated with realistic simulation scenarios. Finally, new research problems and opportunities introduced by this advanced robotics technology are discussed.