An Approach to Simulation & Navigation of Autonomous Unmanned Aerial Vehicle in 3D

Abstract

Drone simulation refers to the emulation of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) in a virtual environment, replicating real-world conditions to study and test the behavior, performance, and functionalities of drones. This paper explores the simulation of UAVs in the Unreal Engine environment using MAVProxy (Micro Air Vehicle Proxy) and the Python library DroneKit. By leveraging the computational capabilities of computers, this approach enables precise visualization and control of UAV flight dynamics in three dimensions. The use of Blueprints in Unreal Engine facilitates a cost-effective and accessible simulation process, allowing engineers and scientists to refine their UAV designs before real-world deployment. Results show the applicability of this approach vs. different environments, where an alternative approach also emerges as a viable option for visualizing textured buildings. This approach shows the power of open-source collaboration in advancing innovative solutions in the dynamic field of science and technology.

Keywords

UAV / Drones / Unreal Engine / Blueprints / MAVLink (Micro Air Vehicle Link) / SITL (Software in The Loop) / 3D-visualization

Acknowledgments

This work was presented in dissertation form in fulfilment of the requirements for the MSc in Robotics Engineering for the student Mubeen Ahamed Kabir Ribayee1 at the School of Computer Science and the Environment, Liverpool Hope University.

Author Contributions

Conceptualization, M.A.K.R. and O.A.; methodology, M.A.K.R. and O.A.; software, M.A.K.R.; validation, M.A.K.R.; supervision, O.A.; writing—original draft preparation, M.A.K.R. and E.L.S.; final draft preparation, E.L.S.

Ethics Statement

Not applicable.

Informed Consent Statement

Not applicable.

Funding

This research received no external funding.

Declaration of Competing Interest

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

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