Range-Only Localization System for Small-Scale Flapping-Wing Robots

TL;DR

This paper introduces an ultra-wideband localization system tailored for small-scale flapping-wing robots, achieving high accuracy with minimal payload and computational demands, validated on a real robot platform.

Contribution

The paper presents a lightweight, energy-efficient UWB localization system specifically designed for small flapping-wing robots, with custom sensors and validated performance.

Findings

Mean position error of 0.28 meters

System is highly energy-efficient and computationally lightweight

Validated on Flapper Nimble+ robot

Abstract

The design of localization systems for small-scale flapping-wing aerial robots faces relevant challenges caused by the limited payload and onboard computational resources. This paper presents an ultra-wideband localization system particularly designed for small-scale flapping-wing robots. The solution relies on custom 5 grams ultra-wideband sensors and provides robust, very efficient (in terms of both computation and energy consumption), and accurate (mean error of 0.28 meters) 3D position estimation. We validate our system using a Flapper Nimble+ flapping-wing robot.