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arXiv · 2012.01608

Obstacle Avoidance Using a Monocular Camera

Kyle Hatch·John Mern·Mykel Kochenderfer
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Abstract

A collision avoidance system based on simple digital cameras would help enable the safe integration of small UAVs into crowded, low-altitude environments. In this work, we present an obstacle avoidance system for small UAVs that uses a monocular camera with a hybrid neural network and path planner controller. The system is comprised of a vision network for estimating depth from camera images, a high-level control network, a collision prediction network, and a contingency policy. This system is evaluated on a simulated UAV navigating an obstacle course in a constrained flight pattern. Results show the proposed system achieves low collision rates while maintaining operationally relevant flight speeds.

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Kyle Hatch, John Mern, Mykel Kochenderfer. 2020-12-03. Obstacle Avoidance Using a Monocular Camera. https://doi.org/10.2514/6.2021-0269

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