A comprehensive survey on non-cooperative collision avoidance for micro aerial vehicles: Sensing and obstacle detection

In recent years, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have been confirmed as a powerful tool for countless applications in nearly every industry, in which collision avoidance plays a vital role for micro aerial vehicles (MAVs) performing autonomous missions. The complexity of collision avoidance systems is directly related to the complexity of the navigation environment, the avoidance of highly uncertain obstacles being a more thoroughly researched critical aspect. The non-cooperative collision avoidance strategy is necessary when communication between the agents is unavailable, under the case with many existing passive obstacles and non-cooperative flying objects. In this article, we review the topic of non-cooperative collision avoidance for MAVs in dynamic environments by covering two main issues: onboard sensing and obstacle description algorithms. A detailed discussion of these two topics is provided to face non-cooperative collision avoidance technology for MAVs. Finally, the paper summarizes the open challenges and foreseen future directions in this field.

Automated summary

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have become a powerful tool in various industries, particularly in collision avoidance for micro aerial vehicles (MAVs) during autonomous missions. The complexity of collision avoidance systems depends on the navigation environment, with uncertain obstacles being a key aspect. Non-cooperative collision avoidance strategies are essential when communication is unavailable, such as when dealing with pre-existing obstacles and non-cooperative flying objects. This article reviews non-cooperative collision avoidance for MAVs in dynamic environments, focusing on onboard sensing and obstacle description algorithms. Open challenges and future directions in this field are also discussed.