Defining and Implementing Autonomy in Multi-Drone Systems

Abstract

Defining autonomy or autonomous capability from the context of a single drone is often the default position. However, future drone applications will deploy as multi-drone systems comprising multiple drones. Such systems will carry out specific and complex tasks cooperatively in various use scenarios. It is imperative to understand how autonomy for these multi-drone systems could be better defined for design, regulatory and operational purposes. The chapter proposes a framework for defining and evaluating autonomy for multi-drone systems by segregating the system into hierarchies and layers. In the work, a typical multi-drone system is segregated into three (3) layers consisting of; Single Vehicle Control (Layer 1), Multi-Vehicle Control (Layer 2) and Global Mission Control (Layer 3). This framework could be beneficial to designers, regulators and standardisation efforts. Currently, some progress is in motion to find a consensus on the definition and ramifications of autonomy levels and human-autonomy interactions. This chapter contributes to the ongoing efforts by proposing a framework that addresses autonomy or autonomous capability for multi-drone systems.