Kim, Dongbin (University of Nevada, Las Vegas), Oh, Paul (University of Nevada Las Vegas)

Skywriting Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Proof-Of-Concept Design

Scheduled for presentation during the "UAS Swarms" (FrA3), Friday, June 16, 2017, 11:20−11:40, Salon CD

2017 International Conference on Unmanned Aircraft Systems, June 13-16, 2017, Miami Marriott Biscayne Bay, Miami, FL,

This information is tentative and subject to change. Compiled on April 18, 2024

Abstract

With the goal of a skywriting unmanned aerial vehicle, a proof-of-concept design is presented. Drone swarms act as illuminated pixels for night-time aerial imagery. By contrast, this proof-of-concept employs a single quadcopter for day-time skywriting with smoke. This paper describes hardware and software selection and mounting configuration. A Snellen Chart approach is used to calculate appropriate sizing of letters written in the sky. Testing-and-evaluation reveal higher letter-shape fidelity when flight path factors in wind speed and direction. The proof-of-concept’s efficacy present a platform for future work with multiple UAV coordination to acts as a dot-matrix or ink-jet printer for the sky.