Examining application-specific resiliency implementations in UAV swarm scenarios

Abstract

The number of real-world scenarios where the use of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) swarm is beneficial has greatly increased in recent years. From precision agriculture to forest fire monitoring, post-disaster search and rescue applications, to military use, the applications are widespread. While it is a perceived requirement that all UAV swarms be inherently resilient, in reality, it is often not so. The incorporation of resilient mechanisms depends on an application usage scenario. This study examines a comprehensive range of application scenarios for UAV swarms to bring forward the multitude of components that work together to provide a measure of resilience to the overall swarm. A three-category scheme is used to classify swarm applications. While systemic resilience is an interconnected concept, most real-world applications of UAV swarm research focus on making certain components resilient to disturbances. A broad categorization of UAV swarm applications, categorized by recognized components and modules, is presented, and prevalent approaches for novel resilience mechanisms in each category are discussed.