Implementation Issues of Real - Time Trajectory Generation on Small Uavs

IMPLEMENTATION ISSUES OF REAL-TIME TRAJECTORY GENERATION ON SMALL UAVS Derek Bastian Kingston Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Master of Science The transition from a mathematical algorithm to a physical hardware implementation is non-trivial. This thesis discusses the issues involved in the transition from the theory of real-time trajectory generation all the way through a hardware experiment. Documentation of the validation process as well as modifications to the existing theory as a result of hardware testing are treated at length. The results of hardware experimentation show that trajectory generation can be done in real-time in a manner facilitating coordination of multiple small UAVs. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I wish to express sincere appreciation to Professor Randy Beard for his guidance throughout the implementation and writing of this thesis. In addition, many others in the MAGICC lab have helped make this work possible including Reed Christiansen, Joshua Hintze, Wei Ren, Matt Blake, Walt Johnson, and David Hubbard. I also owe a debt of gratitude to my wife, Sarah, for her support and patience.