The development of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) has achieved a considerable progress and it has changed modern aviation significantly. Most of the application areas of UAVs were military and they were flown in restricted airspace or special permit. In the last decades, there were increasing requirements in civil applications such as crop dusting, inspection and surveillance of power lines or traffic facilities, research mission for weather and clime as well as reconnaissance and support in disaster areas, to name just a few of them.

UAVs are affected by interaction of mechanical-, electronic- and software-components. They can be established in manifold applications and in different aviation scenarios and flight environments. Thus, the demands on security, robustness and precision of the flight controller increase.

Goals of Research and Education 

The aim of the research group "Unmanned Aerial Vehicles" is the development of innovative systems and methods to assure the assignment robustness and safety in various fields. Another aim is the setup of a research network through close collaboration between the researches of the ZITI and the University of Heidelberg, as well as the cooperation with the industry and international researchers. The regional, national (e.g. the "Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft" (DFG)) and European research funding subserve the financing of projects by the group or third-party projects.

Areas of Interest

The research group addresses both the Basic Research and application-oriented research. According to the field of application of the UAVs, unprecedented control methods are developed and tested, as for example collision avoidance and controller design (e.g. to stabilise the UAVs against wind gusts).
Another aspect of prime importance is the use of imaging sensors like video cameras or laser sensors to recognize and trace the environment (object recognition / mapping of sites of discovery).
The new topics enrich our department in a crucial way, while at the same time our group members profile themselves in the research process. The group brings together researchers from the most different departments to investigate and solve relevant scientific issues. The colorful cooperation also boosts the research potential significantly.

New Combustion Engine

Maintenance means taking new parts for replacements with caring for mechanical constraints in assembling parts together