Using Visual Odometry to Determine the Position of a UAV

Abstract

We discuss the main concepts and problems related to navigating an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) in a three-dimensional space via visual odometry. In the nearest future, GMSS-free UAV navigation will embody a critical part of autonomous navigation systems, with information from on-board cameras enabling the user to estimate the UAV's movement and position. In the given context, this paper presents different types of visual odometry, sensors for visual odometry, implementation components, and application scenarios. To allow the development and innovations, we utilize the widely used Robotic Operating System (ROS).We discuss the main concepts and problems related to navigating an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) in a three-dimensional space via visual odometry. In the nearest future, GMSS-free UAV navigation will embody a critical part of autonomous navigation systems, with information from on-board cameras enabling the user to estimate the UAV's movement and position. In the given context, this paper presents different types of visual odometry, sensors for visual odometry, implementation components, and application scenarios. To allow the development and innovations, we utilize the widely used Robotic Operating System (ROS).