Invention Description
UAVs rely on fiducial markers, such as AprilTag or Aruco, to help with navigation and precision landing under GPS-denied environments. However, these markers are facing significant limitations in dense urban environments from adverse weather conditions, low visibility, urban clutter as well as security risks from tampering. These limitations hinder the reliability and safety of UAV operations within large and dense cities.
Researchers at Arizona State University have developed a multi-dimensional fiducial marking system integrated into urban infrastructure to provide UAVs with real-time localization data, enabling precise landing and low-altitude navigation under challenging weather and urban clutter. Because navigation and security information are encoded without requiring external power, tamper-resistant identify verification is ensured. This system bridges UAV technologies with cyber-physical systems to enhance operational safety, adaptability, and security, making it a secure and scalable option for urban air mobility applications.
This multi-dimensional fiducial marking system ensures tamper resistance, identify verification and significantly higher data capacity to enhance the security and robustness of UAV operations in urban environments.
Potential Applications
- Urban air mobility & UAV delivery
- Public safety and emergency response technology
- Smart city infrastructure integration
- Cybersecurity solutions for UAV fleet operations and urban airspace regulation
- Research and development of next-generation cyber-physical UAV navigation systems
Benefits and Advantages
- Security benefits – Novel encoding schemes enable tamper resistance and identity verification
- Weather resilience – Enables precise UAV localization and safe low-altitude cruising in urban environments, even in adverse conditions, such as rain, fog, and low visibility
- Architectural integration – Modular marker design ensures seamless integration into urban infrastructure, maintaining aesthetic and environmental compliance
- Computational efficiency – eliminates the need for complex visual feature matching, enabling real-time UAV localization with reduced processing requirements
- Energy-efficient – Requires no external power sources
- Enhanced situational awareness
- Validated through comprehensive simulation, prototyping, and field testing