UAV/RPAS designed to meet the specific patrolling demands of UFRN’s Central Campus. Triggered by an application, which can be made available to students, the aircraft performs vertical takeoff (VTOL) and sets off for patrolling the coordinates transmitted by the GPS of the smartphone that activated it. Equipped with a high-quality FLIR camera and “Target tracking” software, the camera locks onto the target and remains on patrol for several minutes. Being a fixed-wing aircraft, it has greater autonomy than quadcopter drones.
It has a production cost close to that of a domestic drone, but with the autonomy and flight model of a military drone. The entire system is operated from a Control Station that validates missions and controls the aircraft. The flight is semi-autonomous, allowing the autopilot to keep the aircraft flying around the target, as well as its movements between base and target. Using this technology, it is possible to enhance campus security and provide a strong deterrent effect against incidents.
In terms of technologies, AEDES was developed using QGroundControl, PixHawk, FLIR, target tracking, carbon fiber, among others.
It fits into the contexts of patrolling other universities, border patrolling, support for military police operations, firefighting, maritime monitoring, combating environmental crimes, aerial targeting, patrolling large events, support for the prison system, search and rescue operations, and aerospace technology research and development.
