3D Simulation and Testing of Formation Flying Using ESPcopter

This research work intends to develop an algorithm for 3D simulation of formation flying using ESP-copter and successfully implementing it in real life environment. Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) flight is the coordinated movement of two or more UAVs, which are required to fly from one location to another while preserving the intended pattern, i.e., moving and maneuvering together in a controlled, timed, and prearranged manner. New methods are required to coordinate Unmanned Aerial Vehicles when they are flying without direct human supervision as their popularity and number rise daily. It is a difficult and time-consuming process that calls for more time, money, and study to test such methods on live UAVs. As a result, it becomes vital to simulate the solutions that have been designed first. The purpose of this paper is to simulate the algorithm of formation flight such that the swarm of UAVs collaborate as a team, rather than flying as an independent drone. Initial testing is performed via software-in-the-loop (SITL), demonstrating formation flight of three ESPcopter. Software such as ArduPilot, Mission Planner and Gazebo are used for the simulation of the formation flight algorithm.