Optimizing Drones' Delivery Missions with Acoustic Detection Constraints

What is it about?

Airborne package deliveries in urban and rural environments via drone platforms such as multi-rotors have become a fast-evolving market in general aviation over the past decade. Despite numerous advantages, multi-rotor platforms impose a significant acoustic pollution penalty due to rotor noise, which is already adversely affecting the health of many residential communities. Since drone noise regulations are frequently discussed, a growing need arises for advanced multi-rotor mission planning tools that incorporate acoustic detection constraints. This work presents a novel mission planning framework to address the multi-rotor delivery service problem, combining navigation planning with acoustic constraints from surrounding communities to yield a low-noise signature and an optimal delivery route for drone systems.

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Photo by ShareGrid on Unsplash

Photo by ShareGrid on Unsplash

Why is it important?

The mission planning framework presented herein demands low computational resources and thus has the potential to be integrated into a drone's flight computer for real-time mission planning in the future. This can lead to quieter drone missions, fostering broader public acceptance of drone use around communities.