DroneTrack: Cloud-Based Real-Time Object Tracking Using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Over the Internet

Abstract

Low-cost drones represent an emerging technology that opens the horizon for new smart Internet-of-Things (IoT) applications. Recent research efforts in cloud robotics are pushing for the integration of low-cost robots and drones with the cloud and the IoT. However, the performance of real-time cloud robotics systems remains a fundamental challenge that demands further investigation. In this paper, we present DroneTrack, a real-time object tracking system using a drone that follows a moving object over the Internet. The DroneTrack leverages the use of Dronemap planner (DP), a cloud-based system, for the control, communication, and management of drones over the Internet. The main contributions of this paper consist in: (1) the development and deployment of the DroneTrack, a real-time object tracking application through the DP cloud platform and (2) a comprehensive experimental study of the real-time performance of the tracking application. We note that the tracking does not imply computer vision techniques but it is rather based on the exchange of GPS locations through the cloud. Three scenarios are used for conducting various experiments with real and simulated drones. The experimental study demonstrates the effectiveness of the DroneTrack system, and a tracking accuracy of 3.5 meters in average is achieved with slow-speed moving targets.