Instruments & Sensors for UAVs & Robotics. UAV Sensors

Instruments & Sensors for UAVs, Ground Robotics & Marine Unmanned Vehicles

Unmanned vehicles, including drones, UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles), UUVs (unmanned underwater vehicles) and UGVs (unmanned ground vehicles), utilize a wide range of instruments and sensors to enhance the operation of the vehicle or to gather data. Unmanned vehicles are ideal remote sensing platforms for many applications, including military, industrial, surveying and environmental monitoring, due to their lower cost of operation compared to manned vehicles and their ability to operate in hostile or hard-to-reach environments.

Reventec’s UAV Fuel Level Sensors

UAV Sensors: Fuel Level & Fuel Flow

Unmanned vehicles with large fuel tanks, particularly larger UAVs, may require sensors to monitor the level and flow rate of the fuel. State-of-the-art drone sensor technologies include ultrasonic fuel flow sensors and capacitive fuel level sensors, both of which use no moving parts and are ideal for the harsh high-vibration conditions found in UAV applications.

ROV & UAV Sensors: Inertial Measurement

PNI Sensor’s Motion and Measurement (M&M) module

UAV sensors also include Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs), which fuse together information from different sensors such as gyroscopes, accelerometers and magnetometers to provide measurements that can be used to calculate orientation and velocity of the drone. This data can be combined with another source of information such as a GPS to further increase the accuracy of the calculations.

MTi 600-series MEMS-Based Orientation Sensors by Xsens

LiDAR Sensors for Drones & Autonomous Vehicles

LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) sensors, which measure the reflection time of a pulsed laser beam, have a variety of uses in drones and unmanned systems. They may be used for navigation and collision avoidance by UAVs and autonomous driving systems, as well as for mapping and other imaging applications such as agricultural and forestry surveying. LiDAR provides an alternative to traditional photogrammetry methods for when the mapped area contains many obstructions.

Other types of sensor for UAVs and unmanned vehicles

Other imaging sensors that may be mounted on unmanned vehicles and drones include thermal imaging for building inspection, search & rescue and security, as well as other electro-optical (EO) sensors that operate in the visible spectrum. Hyperspectral precision agriculture drone sensors measure reflected light to provide data on the health of crops, allowing farmers to optimize application of pesticides and fertilizers and maximise crop yields.