Autonomous Drone Face Verification for Safe Hand-Launched Takeoff
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Solution Overview
Problem
Autonomous drones face challenges in safely taking off without crashing into people or objects due to limited visibility and power constraints, and excessive winds can disrupt their flight plans.
Innovation Solution
The autonomous drone system employs a two-phase process for takeoff, ensuring the user's face is correctly positioned and maintaining a safe distance before initiating flight, and adjusts flight plans based on wind conditions to prevent collisions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If the autonomous drone takes off without verification, then takeoff speed is improved, but safety deteriorates due to risk of crashing into people or objects
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary face detection and verification before allowing takeoff. The camera captures images, detects faces, and verifies user presence in advance of the takeoff action, ensuring safety conditions are met before the drone becomes airborne.
Solution Approach 2:
The system provides visual feedback through a user interface displaying detected faces and takeoff readiness status. This feedback loop allows the user to confirm proper positioning and system readiness before takeoff is executed, improving both safety and user awareness.
2Reliability
If the autonomous drone uses advanced face detection and verification systems, then safety is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The drone's camera system serves multiple functions: it captures images for face detection, provides visual feedback to the user interface, and monitors the environment. By making the camera multi-functional, the system achieves enhanced safety capabilities without adding dedicated separate components.
Solution Approach 2:
The face detection and verification system is fully autonomous, requiring no manual intervention. The system automatically captures images, detects faces, determines user presence, and controls takeoff based on detected conditions, reducing the need for complex manual control interfaces.
3Reliability
If the autonomous drone maintains strict safety protocols including face verification, then safety is improved, but productivity decreases due to additional verification steps
Solution Approach 1:
Once face verification is complete and takeoff is authorized, the drone executes the takeoff sequence rapidly without further delays. The system skips prolonged verification steps after initial confirmation, allowing quick execution of the flight mission while maintaining safety.
Solution Approach 2:
All safety verification steps including face detection and user confirmation are completed before the takeoff sequence begins. By resolving all safety conditions in advance, the actual takeoff execution can proceed without interruptions or delays.
4Volume of moving object
If the autonomous drone reduces its size to meet power constraints, then portability is improved, but measurement precision deteriorates due to limited camera field of view
Solution Approach 1:
The system adjusts operational parameters such as camera focus, exposure, and image processing algorithms to optimize face detection capability within the constraints of a small drone size. By changing these parameters, the system maintains detection accuracy despite the smaller form factor.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems, computer readable medium and methods for unlocking an autonomous drone are disclosed. Example methods include receiving an indication of a selection of a fly instruction, capturing an image using an image capturing device of the autonomous drone, processing the image to determine whether a face is present in the image, and if the face is present in the image, taking off. The face has to be within a predetermined distance of the autonomous drone. This ensures that the face is likely from the person that selected the fly instruction and ensures that the autonomous drone is far enough away from the face that the autonomous drone will not crash into the face on take-off. In some examples, the autonomous drone determines whether the autonomous drone is sitting on a hand before taking off. The autonomous drone uses a position of the face to determine an initial flight plan.