A Low-Cost Prototyping Approach for Autonomous Unmanned Ground Vehicle for Real-Time Surveillance

The Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV) system architecture is a versatile platform for surveillance. The use of such technology improves the reach of security personnel in remote patrolling areas. The main objective of this paper is to design and develop a low-cost autonomous Unmanned Ground Vehicle prototype using open-source platforms for surveillance. The system consists of Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) for real-time data acquisition, an Ardupilot system for the UGV control, and LoRa (Long Range) transceiver system for internet-free sensor data transmission for security. The GPS and the inertial sensor are interfaced with the Ardupilot system to achieve autonomous operation with preset waypoints mapping. The real-time video obtained from the UGV is processed with OpenCV to detect the human face and eyes. Different electrical test data of the UGV under various operating conditions are presented. Integration of such systems results in an effective autonomous UGV to provide better patrolling in remote and harsh environmental conditions.