LandExplorer-1: A 3-D Survey and Monitoring Vehicle System for Natural Resources

The survey and monitoring of natural resources in complex and hazardous areas with rugged terrain and insufficient infrastructure is a challenging issue in the industry. Currently, ground vehicles, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), quadruped robots, and other unmanned systems are widely used in fields related to natural resource survey and monitoring. However, the application scenarios and practical needs for resource survey and monitoring in complex and hazardous areas have not been fully considered. Additionally, the integration of multidimensional, heterogeneous equipment platforms to achieve a comprehensive and 3-D monitoring capability has yet to be fully reached. In this article, a “Vehicle–Air–Ground” 3-D survey and monitoring vehicle system LandExplorer-1 has been developed for natural resources survey and monitoring in complex and hazardous areas. This system enables the organic combination of ground vehicles, UAVs, and quadruped robots, breaking the limitations of single-platform systems and significantly enhancing data collection efficiency. It addresses the challenges of data acquisition difficulties, high operational risks, and high costs in complex environments.