Embedded Platforms for UAS Landing Path and Obstacle Detection: Integration and Development of Unmanned Aircraft Systems

For a small unmanned aircraft, landing is not simply a matter of reaching the ground: the system must help identify a suitable path while detecting hazards near the landing area. Umberto Papa’s Embedded Platforms for UAS Landing Path and Obstacle Detection studies the sensors and embedded electronics behind that challenge, with a particular focus on small UAS.

The book brings sensor design, environmental effects, and practical system integration into one focused account—useful context for readers interested in how autonomous aircraft can sense their surroundings during a critical phase of flight.

How small UAS sense a landing zone

Beginning with an introduction to unmanned aircraft systems, the book examines ultrasonic, infrared, and optical sensors for landing-path estimation and obstacle detection. Rather than treating sensing as an isolated component, it considers how different sensor types can contribute to the same task.

Sensor fusion meets real-world conditions

Combining sensor information is an important part of the discussion, alongside the effects of the atmosphere on sensing systems. The book also describes sensors used to gather temperature, humidity, and aircraft-attitude information, giving readers a broader view of the data an embedded platform may need to work with.

From system design to experiments

Chapters address sensor models, sensor integration, and an optical system intended to assist UAS landing. The account draws on experimental work, connecting the design questions to tests in controlled and real-world settings. A concluding discussion considers UAS endurance enhancement.

For readers working with unmanned aircraft

This technical volume may be useful to engineering students, researchers, and practitioners exploring small UAS, aerospace systems, embedded electronics, navigation, or obstacle avoidance. Its central concern is practical and specific: how a carefully designed sensing platform can help an aircraft assess its surroundings on approach.