Protocol and Logical Models for Robustness and Survivability in Autonomous UAV Systems

Unmanned aerial autonomy is a widely discussed topic with the potential of applications in many areas of modern society. In this work, the concept of robustness in the operation of autonomous groups of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles was examined, understood as the capacity to maintain the target mission despite individual and multiple faults. The formal definition of robustness is given, connected to established characteristics of reliability in complex systems such as fault rate and fault-free operation. A matrix model of operational states is proposed for autonomous UAV groups, with applications in the development of protocols and policies to assure safe and reliable operation of autonomous aerial systems.