Adaptive Energy-Efficient Routing for Autonomous Vehicles

A team of aerial and terrestrial robots is sent to analyze previously unexplored terrain by taking photographs and soil samples. Only the aerial robots — drones — can obtain high quality images of tall structures. Imagine that, instead of flying directly from the mission hub to their respective destinations, the drones docked on the ground vehicles for segments of their routes and flew off for a short time to capture some data before swiftly docking back on to a (potentially different) vehicle. Drones are more energy-constrained and sensitive to atmospheric disturbances than their terrestrial counterparts. With such coordination, we could improve energy-efficiency and allow for broader coverage and longer missions.