Path planning in unmanned aerial vehicles: An optimistic overview

Abstract

Summary With the development in the technology, a rapid increase in the use of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is observed. UAVs are executing tasks that were previously performed by humans or manned aircraft, thus reducing the man workload and saving time. Path planning of UAVs is one of the most researched topics these days. Researchers are investigating more about UAVs and path planning to make it more feasible and economical. The major issue faced while planning a feasible path is to detect and avoid the obstacles encountered during a mission. This paper presents a detailed analysis of path planning in UAVs. Important aspects of path planning, that is, environment, dimensions, obstacles, and type and number of UAVs used in path planning, are also being discussed. Obstacle scenarios which UAV may come across during a mission and constraints which UAV has to follow for successful mission are briefly mentioned. Optimization techniques used to optimize the UAV path are also presented. In addition, future challenges and issues are also discussed.