Aldao Pensado, Enrique (University of Vigo), Fontenla Carrera, Gabriel (University of Vigo), Gonzalez de Santos, Luis Miguel (University of Vigo), Gonzalez Jorge, Higinio (University of Vigo)

UAV Path Planning for the Delivery of Emergency Medical Supplies

Scheduled for presentation during the Regular Session "Path Planning IV" (ThB3), Thursday, June 8, 2023, 11:20−11:40, Room 464

2023 International Conference on Unmanned Aircraft Systems (ICUAS), June 6-9, 2023, Lazarski University, Warsaw, Poland

This information is tentative and subject to change. Compiled on April 25, 2024

Abstract

The use of UAVs for the delivery of emergency medical equipment, such as Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs), has the potential to significantly improve response times in life-threatening situations. This time saving can be crucial for the patient's life. However, the flight in urban areas presents a great challenge due to its complexity and regulatory limitations on the flight over densely populated areas. Therefore, in this work, a UAV route calculation algorithm that minimizes flight time taking into account these restrictions is proposed. Firstly, the horizontal flight profile is computed, generating trajectories avoiding densely populated areas. Then, considering the elevation of the terrain, the vertical profile as well as the aircraft performances are optimized using an Optimal Control algorithm. A practical study case was developed to demonstrate the capabilities of the developed implementation.