Controller Design of an Autonomous Quadcopter for Enhanced Aerial Surveillance and Situational Awareness

The use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) for aerial surveillance operations has gained significant attention due to their maneuverability, versatility, and ability to access remote and challenging terrains. In this paper, acceleration-based controllers are designed using Lyapunov-based Control Scheme for a quadcopter UAV to enhance its performance in a series of aerial surveillance tasks. Using the proposed algorithm, the quadcopter’s maneuvering capabilities can be optimized, allowing for precise movements during surveillance missions in obstacle-ridden environments. Through computer simulations, the performance of the acceleration-based controllers is evaluated in terms of stability and accuracy. The results demonstrate that the proposed controllers exhibit successful navigation, enabling the quadcopter to execute complex surveillance maneuvers with improved efficiency and reliability. This research contributes to the applicability of quadcopter technology for aerial surveillance applications, paving the way for enhanced situational awareness and effective monitoring of a series of targeted areas for various law enforcement and security operations.