Compact Aerial Inspection System for Elevated and Small Spaces

Inspection of naval vessels is arduous, time consuming, and risky. Automated inspection systems would provide valuable information more efficiently than manual inspection and help prioritize worker effort. There is no current Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) that can operate in enclosed environments while providing adequate performance. Adapting existing quadrotor drone to carry electronics for inspection has many hurdles for successful task completion. A novel UAS was designed in the Phase I effort and demonstrated the aerodynamic benefits of the ducted rotor configuration to achieve desired flight time with a compact airframe. A lighting and camera system were developed to provide glare-free illumination and high-resolution imagery of the inspection area. With these core technical challenges addressed, the Phase II effort will continue development of an integrated UAS capable of navigating through compact and enclosed spaces to enable inspection in unlit environments and transmit back to a ground station. Integration of navigation algorithms into the control hardware would allow for autonomous capabilities and minimize workload on the operator. The Phase II prototype will be operated in a simulated environment to demonstrate capabilities.