ABSTRACT
The use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) has been increasingly permeating diverse areas. Swarms of heterogeneous UAVs have the potential to accomplish richer tasks due to the combination of varied resources. However, controlling a swarm of heterogeneous UAVs poses interesting challenges, such as the optimal allocation of resources, the geographical distribution of the components of the swarm, the timely alternation of team members and the complete mission plan of the UAV swarm.
In this chapter we explore the use of SwarmOS, a middleware for edge computing, focused on the cooperative communication of heterogeneous devices. The SwarmOS middleware acts as a communication mediator and facilitator, creating an organic network of devices. SwarmOS is currently used for decentralized and distributed Internet of Things (IoT) applications in a variety of platforms and protocols, and in the present work, we extend its use to the mission plans of UAV swarms.
To evaluate the use of SwarmOS for UAV swarms, we selected some relevant applications from the rural realm, farming and livestock. Along with the SwarmOS middleware we propose a specification of mission plans for those applications, using a rigorous and verifiable model inspired in interaction protocol and soft institutions, which were previously used in hazard prevention of UAV.
The specification of the use cases will be discussed and analyzed to pave the way for future implementations of the proposed mission plans.
