Experimental Flight Patterns Evaluation for a UAV-Based Air Pollutant Sensor

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Robotics
• Sensor Technology

Background:

• Drones and remote sensors offer automated environmental monitoring solutions.
• Electrochemical sensors are increasingly integrated with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the performance and responsiveness of a novel flying e-nose system.
• To assess sensor performance under varying environmental conditions like wind speed and altitude.

Main Methods:

• Assembled AlphaSense electrochemical sensors onto a DJI Matrix 100 UAV, creating a flying e-nose.
• Conducted field tests in a 100 m² area with a nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) source.
• Varied flight parameters: wind speeds (low/high), patterns (zigzag/spiral), and altitudes (3, 6, 9 m).

Main Results:

• A Wilcoxon rank-sum test indicated significant differences in flight patterns solely under high wind conditions.
• Spiral flight patterns demonstrated slightly superior performance compared to zigzag patterns during high wind.
• Sensor responsiveness was evaluated across different altitudes and wind speeds.

Conclusions:

• The flying e-nose system shows potential for automated environmental monitoring.
• Flight pattern selection, particularly spiral, can influence sensor performance in windy conditions.
• Data from this study will be shared to support future research in drone-based sensing.