Cooperative rover – drone applications
Smart Systems
Semester programme:Embedded Software Engineering
Research group:High Tech Embedded Software
Project description
This project explores a collaborative scouting system using an Avular Origin 1 autonomous rover and a DJI drone.
An operator supervises the system through a centralized dashboard, where live and historical data can be viewed. The rover autonomously navigates to designated locations and acts as a mobile deployment platform for the drone. Once on site, the drone takes off from the rover and performs aerial scouting tasks such as live video streaming and visual inspection.
In addition to visual monitoring, the project aims to integrate object detection techniques to automatically identify points of interest within the collected data. By combining ground-level mobility, aerial perspectives, and AI-based detection, the system demonstrates how coordinated robot–drone platforms can support efficient monitoring, inspection, and situational awareness in complex environments.
Context
To secure and monitor our living environment, autonomous systems such as drones and mobile robots are increasingly being deployed. These technologies are especially valuable in situations where human access is difficult, unsafe, or inefficient.
This project originates from research initiatives by VDL and Fontys Hogescholen, focused on dual-use drone and robotics applications for both civilian and defense-related contexts. By exploring cooperation between ground-based robots and aerial drones, the project investigates how such systems can enhance situational awareness, inspection, and data collection.
The central idea is to combine the strengths of autonomous ground mobility with aerial observation, enabling flexible and scalable solutions for monitoring, inspection, and reconnaissance scenarios.
Results
The result of this semester is a working prototype demonstrated through two scenarios: a happy flow and an unhappy flow.
The happy flow demonstrates the intended use case, where an operator sends the rover to a destination, the rover deploys the drone, and live video feedback is received for monitoring and analysis. This scenario validates system communication, coordination, and the overall concept.
The unhappy flow demonstrates fallback behavior during communication failures, including disrupted video links and local data storage on the drone. These scenarios highlight system robustness and reliability considerations.
Overall, the project delivered research and a functional prototype, establishing a strong foundation and clear direction for future development by subsequent project groups.
About the project group
This project is carried out by a team of five Fontys ICT students over the course of an entire semester. As this is the first semester in which the project is introduced, the team focused on establishing the foundation and direction for future development.
The students have a background in Embedded Systems, with three students in their sixth semester and two in their seventh semester. The project was developed using an Agile Scrum methodology, divided into five sprints, allowing for iterative development, regular evaluation, and continuous improvement.