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IANUS Research Project – Remote surveillance service using drones and networking

EUROPEAN UNION
European Regional Development Fund

CAMPANIA ERDF REGIONAL OPERATIONAL PROGRAMME 2014–2020 – AXIS 3 – SPECIFIC OBJECTIVE 3.1 – Action 3.1.1

CUP B67H22003220007

As part of the project, the proposing group developed a prototype consisting of a drone and a remotely controlled ground robot for the surveillance of “large areas” such as national parks, archaeological areas and protected natural areas, with the aim of combating criminal activities such as arson, illegal logging and poaching.
The project has a high level of innovation, which can be adapted according to the identified Implementation Objectives. Latest-generation communication technologies (5G, NB-IoT, LTE and/or wireless) have been adopted for the remote control of the drone-robot.
Equipped with an intelligent surveillance camera, the robot is able to:

  • interact with the surrounding environment in real time;
  • automatically activate investigation mode, in which the Robot sends a notification to the operator and moves towards the identified area, displaying live images.

The operator can interact remotely with people in the area and activate audible alarms and/or other necessary actions.
Equipped with artificial intelligence, the robot is also able to navigate and recognise people, animals and objects. Thanks to the use of a latest-generation microcontroller, it can acquire all data from the sensors and camera, store them locally and transmit them in real time. Depending on surveillance requirements, the drone-robot can be equipped with the following:

  • A 360-degree motorised camera and several infrared sensors, enabling it to record videos and capture images even in low-light conditions;
  • A range of sensors for monitoring environmental parameters (humidity sensor, temperature sensor, GPS, accelerometer, gyroscope, air quality sensor, smoke detection sensor, etc.);
  • Sensors for detecting the presence of people or animals;
  • Latest-generation LIDAR (Laser Imaging Detection and Ranging) sensors.

The drone can be programmed according to the monitoring requirements of the specific environments in which it will operate.
It can be remotely controlled or operate along a pre-programmed route at predetermined regular intervals using autonomous navigation algorithms.
The device is capable of operating in all weather conditions and sending alerts in the event of anomalies. A series of redundant subsystems are provided to ensure the operation and connectivity of the drone even in the event of sabotage and/or damage.
The development of the prototype is preparatory to the production of the basic drone model and charging station, as well as to the creation of a technical structure for:

  • Site inspections of the areas to be monitored for planning the vehicle routes and determining the location of charging stations
  • Drone design according to the client’s requirements (terrain characteristics, motor power, onboard equipment, etc.)
  • Design of charging stations (batteries, solar panels, wind turbines)
  • Software development and updates
  • Training of operators such as employees of security organisations, Municipal Police officers for monitoring areas at risk of illegal dumping, and employees of Mountain Communities to strengthen forest fire prevention services.

An important innovation of the project is the use of a drone-robot for video surveillance.
The potential applications in this field are numerous, including the video surveillance of large archaeological areas for the protection and preservation of artefacts, complex industrial facilities, parks and public areas. In this context, the drone-robot will improve surveillance services and monitoring quality while reducing the standard costs associated with video surveillance.
The project contributes to improving the efficiency of monitoring and surveillance by reducing the need for personnel on site and generating significant economic benefits in the protection of at-risk sites.
In particular, the innovations identified within the project can be divided as follows:

  • mechanical innovation, mainly based on the development of a steel/aluminium robot-drone prototype. Innovation in this area will involve the use of latest-generation components to ensure that the device can operate on all types of terrain, with particular emphasis on energy efficiency and the ability to adapt to different surface conditions;
  • innovation in the control system, hardware and sensors, mainly based on the development of the control hardware for the drone-robot prototype and the integration of sensors with the data acquisition system for real-time data monitoring. Innovation will include continuous monitoring and the use of latest-generation technologies such as artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things;
  • innovation in the mapping and remote control of the drone-robot prototype, based on the analysis of different types of data and the integration of predictive models and geographical relationships in order to improve the communication and efficiency of the drone-robot prototype;
  • research and study of issues related to video surveillance in difficult-to-access areas;
  • software innovation and data management for the development of the drone-robot prototype.
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