Experimental Analysis of Radar Odometry by Commercial Ultralight Radar Sensor for Miniaturized UAS

Autonomous navigation of miniaturized Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) in complex environments, when Global Positioning System is unreliable or not available, is still an open issue. This paper contributes to that topic exploring the use of radar-only odometry by existing commercial ultralight radars. The focus is set on an end-to-end Multiple-Target Tracking strategy compliant with desired sensor and platform, which exploits both range and bearing measurements provided by the radar. A two-dimensional odometry approach is then implemented. Main results show real-time capabilities and standard deviation of errors in Forward and Cross-range directions smaller than 1.50 m and 3.00 m, respectively. Field test data are also used to discuss the potential of this technique, challenging issues, and future improvements.