Ultra-wideband Received Signal Strength Analysis for UAV Indoor NLOS Navigation

It is expected that drones will revolutionize and guide the future progress of the aerospace industry, as they are currently used to successfully complete diverse and complex missions, in both military and civilian environments. In order to carry out their missions safely, unmanned aerial vehicles require reliable and robust navigation systems. In this paper, the feasibility of an ultra-wideband (UWB) indoor positioning system will be tested and demonstrated, with the purpose of enabling drone navigation during search and rescue missions in GNSS-denied areas, such as the inside of buildings that were affected by earthquakes or other man-made calamities. The strength of the UWB (ultra-wideband) signals in non-line-of-sight (NLOS) and hard NLOS conditions was tested. The obtained results are pivotal in deciding whether UWB technology is advanced enough to guarantee the safe completion of indoor missions, without the aid of further navigation sensors.