Practical Aspects of Design and Testing Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

A design of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) construction, intended for autonomous flights in a group, was presented in this article. The design assumptions, practical implementation and results of the experiments were given. Some of the frame parts were made using 3D printing technology. It not only reduces the costs but also allows for better fitting of the covers to the electronics, which additionally protects them against shocks and dirt. The most difficult task was to develop the proper navigation system. Owing to high costs of precision positioning systems, common global positioning system (GPS) receivers were used. Their disadvantage is the floating position error. The original software was also described. It controls the device, allows performing autonomous flight along a pre-determined route, analyses all parameters of the drone and sends them in a real time to the operator. The tests of the system were carried out and presented in the article, as well.