Date of Award

3-1-2021

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science

Department

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering

First Advisor

Scott L. Nykl, PhD

Abstract

The operational capability of drones is limited by their inability to perform aerial refueling. This can be overcome by automating the process with a computer vision solution. Previous work has demonstrated the feasibility of automated aerial refueling (AAR) in simulation. To progress this technique to the real world, this thesis conducts experiments using real images of a physical aircraft replica and a motion capture system for truth data. It also compares the error between the real and virtual experiments to validate the fidelity of the simulation. Results indicate that the current technique is effective on real images and that the simulation can predict errors in real world experiments.

AFIT Designator

AFIT-ENG-MS-21-M-016

DTIC Accession Number

AD1144402

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