Toward Low-Altitude Embodied Intelligence: A Sensing-Communication-Computation-Control Closed-Loop Perspective

TL;DR

This paper explores the integrated sensing, communication, computation, and control (SC3) systems enabling autonomous UAV operations in complex low-altitude environments, highlighting architectures, techniques, and future challenges.

Contribution

It systematically analyzes the architecture and key techniques of low-altitude embodied intelligence networks, providing a case study and outlining future research directions.

Findings

SC3 integration enables timely, effective UAV responses in complex environments

A case study demonstrates UAV providing communication and sensing in urban areas

Identifies major challenges and future research directions for low-altitude intelligent systems

Abstract

The rapid growth of the low-altitude economy drives increasingly autonomous unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) operations, giving rise to low-altitude embodied intelligence (LAEI), in which sensing, communication, computation, and control (SC$^3$) are tightly integrated to enable closed-loop interaction, ensuring timely, effective, and safe responses in complex or unknown environments. This article systematically explores the LAEI networks, from its fundamental architecture to the diverse scenarios that it can support. We examine key enabling techniques that sustain timely information exchange and effective decision feedback within the $\text{SC}^3$ closed loop. A representative low-altitude UAV mission in an unknown urban area is presented as a case study, where the UAV provides communication services and performs environmental sensing to inform closed-loop control, illustrating how coordinated $\text{SC}^3$ capabilities enable efficient and responsive operation. By identifying major challenges and outlining future research directions, this work serves as a cornerstone for developing next-generation low-altitude intelligent systems.