ScoutHive: Portable WxUAS Swarm for Distributed Atmospheric Sensing
Keywords
nano-UAS, swarm, portable, fire weather, obstacle avoidance, boundary layer
Presenter Abstract
ScoutHive is a portable, all-inclusive four-drone weather uncrewed aircraft system (WxUAS) swarm designed for rapid deployment and remote atmospheric sensing. Fully loaded, the complete system weighs 26 lb and is housed within a carry-on-sized Pelican case for transport to austere or hard-to-access locations. Each nano-UAS weighs approximately 250 g and carries dedicated pressure, temperature, and relative humidity sensors, while horizontal wind is estimated using a calibrated Kalman filter.
The Hive base station provides storage, charging, communications, and a custom graphical user interface that supports tailored mission planning, real-time monitoring, and autonomous swarm operations of up to ten drones. Four drones can be recharged in under one hour, while individual flight endurance reaches up to 45 minutes, enabling near-continuous profiling and distributed sensing through rotational operations.
This presentation will summarize system architecture, operational capabilities, and recent sensor accuracy assessments. Results from recent field campaigns will be presented, including swarm observations during a prescribed burn that captured microscale fire-atmosphere interactions. Integrated obstacle avoidance and portable field logistics that enable safe operations in complex environments will also be discussed.
Presentations
Presented in Session 1: Platform Development I
ScoutHive: Portable WxUAS Swarm for Distributed Atmospheric Sensing
ScoutHive is a portable, all-inclusive four-drone weather uncrewed aircraft system (WxUAS) swarm designed for rapid deployment and remote atmospheric sensing. Fully loaded, the complete system weighs 26 lb and is housed within a carry-on-sized Pelican case for transport to austere or hard-to-access locations. Each nano-UAS weighs approximately 250 g and carries dedicated pressure, temperature, and relative humidity sensors, while horizontal wind is estimated using a calibrated Kalman filter.
The Hive base station provides storage, charging, communications, and a custom graphical user interface that supports tailored mission planning, real-time monitoring, and autonomous swarm operations of up to ten drones. Four drones can be recharged in under one hour, while individual flight endurance reaches up to 45 minutes, enabling near-continuous profiling and distributed sensing through rotational operations.
This presentation will summarize system architecture, operational capabilities, and recent sensor accuracy assessments. Results from recent field campaigns will be presented, including swarm observations during a prescribed burn that captured microscale fire-atmosphere interactions. Integrated obstacle avoidance and portable field logistics that enable safe operations in complex environments will also be discussed.
Presenter Biography (Optional)
Dr. Matthew Cann is an atmospheric scientist with GreenSight, Inc. specializing in drone-based atmospheric sensing systems. He has five years of experience applying uncrewed aircraft data to solve weather-related challenges across defense, research, and commercial sectors. https://greensightdefense.com/scouthive