NAITEC, a technology centre specialising in mobility and mechatronics in Navarre, has developed an autonomous navigation and precision landing system for drones that operate in autonomous mode and need to land in areas with weak GPS signals.

The drone can land without human intervention thanks to a combination of three technologies that help it position itself, even on moving platforms.

First, it approaches the base thanks to GPS positioning. When the drone is about 15 metres from its destination, it switches to positioning using ultra-wideband (UWB) antennas, which act like a local GPS network.

The final phase of the landing is carried out thanks to the vision system installed on the drone and an AprilTag (a code similar to a QR code) located at the target point. The entire approach and descent process can be carried out with the landing platform in motion, so that the drone follows the platform.

This NAITEC development overcomes the limitations of autonomous drone landing. In this case, by combining GPS landing with two other positioning technologies (UWB and vision), accuracies of a few centimetres are achieved, allowing a safe landing on a platform.

In the future, this method will enable autonomous landing in environments where the GPS signal may be weakened, such as a hangar, an industrial building or the interior of a truck. This will facilitate automated inspection and reconnaissance missions, as the drone will be able to land without the help of a pilot.

To develop the software and algorithms involved in the precision landing process, a Software In The Loop (SITL) environment was used to validate the system in a simulated 3D environment prior to field testing.