Abstract: A system for nondestructive inspection of structures. The system includes an omni-directional unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and a support arm extending outward from the UAV body from a first end attached to the body to a second distal end, which is used to support a nondestructive testing (NDT) sensor. The system includes an autopilot module stabilizing the flight of the omni-directional platform. The autopilot includes a wall-tracking mode, which determines the normal of the structure's surface, and the omni-directional UAV is stabilized to fly with the support arm aligned with normal to the surface and with the second end proximate to the surface with the UAV body in any orientation in space. The UAV operates to follow a flight path whereby a longitudinal axis of the support arm coincides with the normal and the sensor is positioned in predefined measurement position relative to the structure surface to take the measurements.

Abstract: A painting system that makes use of drones such as modified quadrotors. The drone includes a support arm that carries a paint nozzle configured for pan and tilt motion. A power supply line is connected from an external power supply to the drone to allow extended flight time. A paint supply line is also connected from an external paint supply to the drone to allow extended painting time and/or surface coverage with each flight. The drone has an onboard controller so painting is autonomous with no human input being required. The drone stores a 3D model of the target structure annotated with the drone trajectory plus commands to control the pan-tilt paint nozzle to perform the painting. At runtime, the controller uses a sensor to view the target structure and localizes itself. The drone then traverses the stored trajectory and implements the painting commands to paint the 3D structure's surfaces.

Abstract: A painting system that makes use of drones such as modified quadrotors. The drone includes a support arm that carries a paint nozzle configured for pan and tilt motion. A power supply line is connected from an external power supply to the drone to allow extended flight time. A paint supply line is also connected from an external paint supply to the drone to allow extended painting time and/or surface coverage with each flight. The drone has an onboard controller so painting is autonomous with no human input being required. The drone stores a 3D model of the target structure annotated with the drone trajectory plus commands to control the pan-tilt paint nozzle to perform the painting. At runtime, the controller uses a sensor to view the target structure and localizes itself. The drone then traverses the stored trajectory and implements the painting commands to paint the 3D structure's surfaces.