Catch-Me-If-You-Can Infrastructure-less UWB-based Leader-Follower System for Compact UAVs

Abstract

Thanks to the development of compact and microsized Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), their use in dynamic and complex environments is becoming increasingly common. Many are the fields where UAVs can be exploited, from disaster rescue to logistics transportation to precision agriculture. This paper presents a Leader-Follower application for Human-Robot interaction. The system is based on ranging measurements and exploits only low-cost UWB radio avoiding complex and expensive vision-based systems. The system performance was assessed using HIL simulations and outdoor tests. The results show good accuracy and robustness of the tracking system and acceptable error levels while always ensuring the right level of safety for the human involved.