Bachelorarbeit
iPad/iPhone App as a Frontend for Prototype of a Highly Adaptive and Mobile Communication Network using Unmanned Arial Vehicules (UAVs)
Betreuer: Thomas Staub
Student: Adrian Hänni
First response scenarios such as avalanches, flooding, and earthquakes require an automatically deployable and adaptive communication infrastructure for video communication of the action forces. The nodes of the communication network have to autonomic position them-selves according to the communication needs. We currently see two options for the autonomic positioning. Besides the use of land robots carrying wireless mesh nodes (proposed by DARPA), we think UAVs provide additional benefits such as better accessibility, avoidance of mechanical challenges (climbing etc.) and better coverage (air relays) than land robots when operating in the difficult terrain of natural disaster.
A first prototype of such a network is currently being implemented as the Master thesis "Prototype of a Highly Adaptive and Mobile Communication Network using Unmanned Arial Vehicules (UAVs)". The prototype is based on quadrocopters from mikrokopter.de and attached wireless mesh nodes. These nodes interoperate with the navigation control of the UAV over a serial line.
The final prototype should provide the following modes:
- Airborne relais
The UAV acts as an airborne relais and forwards network traffic between two distant stationary clients. - Airborne multi-hop relais
Multiple UAVs form a communication chain between two distant stationary clients. - Formation flights
The UAVs fly in parallel formation (wingmans and commander) or in free-flight keeping security distances between them. - Autonomic Network maximizing the network coverage
UAVs provide an optimal network coverage for a predefined area or the current network users.
The scope of the Bachelor project is to produce a front-end for these different operation modes of the prototype incl. monitoring of the flying network. The front-end is planned as an iPhone/iPad application, which makes use of the location-awareness of these devices as well as the integration of maps.
Project Start: 19.10.2010
Prerequisites: Knowledge in network programming, Objective-C beneficial