AR.Drone as a platform for measurements

Abstract

The number of civil applications that utilize unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) nowadays is continuously growing. Detection of gas leaks is one of the most promising directions. Using UAVs in this area is of great interest cause they are more flexible than ground systems. In this paper authors present integration of a custom sensor into AR.Drone quadrotor on the example of Figaro catalytic gas sensor. This will allow to conduct outdoor air quality monitoring and to prevent environmental pollution. Main focus of this work is to propose a challenging monitoring system capable to detect dangerous gases in the immediate vicinity to the gas source and is controlled via Robot Operating System. First laboratory experiments proved viability of proposed system and serve as a basis for further research.