Objectives

Our drone research and development efforts aim to push the boundaries of autonomous aerial operations through 5G connectivity, BVLOS (Beyond Visual Line of Sight) control, and multi-drone orchestration.

These efforts focus on:

• Enabling safe and reliable BVLOS drone operations using real-time 5G telemetry and HD video streaming.

• Building a customizable 5G-enabled drone platform based on open-source flight stacks and companion computer architecture.

• Developing a Multi-Drone Control Platform (MDCP) capable of managing multiple drones simultaneously in real-world applications such as perimeter patrol, inspection, and autonomous facility management.

• Integrating drones with real-world industrial systems, including Facility Management Platforms (FMPs) and Digital Twin systems.

5G BVLOS Drone Operations 

Our BVLOS system enables drones to operate beyond visual range with:

• Live HD video streaming over 5G

• Real-time telemetry (RSSI, GPS position, attitude, cell tower data)

• Remote command and mission uploads

• Fail-safe handling through PX4 failsafe modes
  
  

BVLOS operations were demonstrated through missions such as:

• Perimeter patrol over large outdoor fields

• Inspection routes defined by GPS waypoints

• Remote-launch and remote-monitoring from a control room kilometres away

This validates the reliability of 5G networks for long-distance drone missions.

Demonstration:

This demonstration showcases the capabilities of a remote-controlled drone system that leverages a 5G network for seamless communication and monitoring. The system operates across two primary locations:

1. a local site for monitoring and control

   • This is where the monitoring and control of the drone were managed under Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) via a ground control station situated in the FCTLab. 

2. a remote site where the drone conducts its operations.

   • The is the site where the drone was deployed and operated remotely in the Dover field. 

Multi-Drone Control Platform (MDCP)  

The MDCP extends BVLOS capability from a single drone to an entire fleet operating concurrently. 

• Controls multiple drones simultaneously over 5G

• Translates high-level commands from a Fleet Management System (FMS) into MAVLink commands

• Provides real-time telemetry aggregation from all drones

• Ensures safe and coordinated drone operations

• Manages drone onboarding, updating, removal

MDCP shields the FMS from the low-level nitty-gritty of driving a drone. It provides a set of API to FMS for drone control in the form of JSON messages or ROS topics.

Architecture Overview 

• Drone management – add/update/delete drone from MDCP

• Manual control loop - provides manual control of drones via joystick

• Mavlink message handler – handles all incoming MAVLink messages from drones; translates relevant messages to ROS topic and send to publication queue.

• Command & control – receives command from subscription queue and converts to appropriate MAVLink command and send to target drone.

• ROS topic publication handler – receives messages from publication queue and convert to appropriate ROS topic for publication

• ROS topic subscription handler - receives command via ROS topic and send to subscription queue for necessary action