Download or read book Knowledge Based Aircraft Automation written by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2018-07-08 with total page 86 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The ultimate goal of this report was to integrate the powerful tools of artificial intelligence into the traditional process of software development. To maintain the US aerospace competitive advantage, traditional aerospace and software engineers need to more easily incorporate the technology of artificial intelligence into the advanced aerospace systems being designed today. The future goal was to transition artificial intelligence from an emerging technology to a standard technology that is considered early in the life cycle process to develop state-of-the-art aircraft automation systems. This report addressed the future goal in two ways. First, it provided a matrix that identified typical aircraft automation applications conducive to various artificial intelligence methods. The purpose of this matrix was to provide top-level guidance to managers contemplating the possible use of artificial intelligence in the development of aircraft automation. Second, the report provided a methodology to formally evaluate neural networks as part of the traditional process of software development. The matrix was developed by organizing the discipline of artificial intelligence into the following six methods: logical, object representation-based, distributed, uncertainty management, temporal and neurocomputing. Next, a study of existing aircraft automation applications that have been conducive to artificial intelligence implementation resulted in the following five categories: pilot-vehicle interface, system status and diagnosis, situation assessment, automatic flight planning, and aircraft flight control. The resulting matrix provided management guidance to understand artificial intelligence as it applied to aircraft automation. The approach taken to develop a methodology to formally evaluate neural networks as part of the software engineering life cycle was to start with the existing software quality assurance standards and to change these standards to include neural network dev...

Download or read book Knowledge Based Integrated Aircraft Design written by Raghu Chaitanya Munjulury and published by Linköping University Electronic Press. This book was released on 2017-05-23 with total page 101 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The design and development of new aircraft are becoming increasingly expensive and timeconsuming. To assist the design process in reducing the development cost, time, and late design changes, the conceptual design needs enhancement using new tools and methods. Integration of several disciplines in the conceptual design as one entity enables to keep the design process intact at every step and obtain a high understanding of the aircraft concepts at early stages. This thesis presents a Knowledge-Based Engineering (KBE) approach and integration of several disciplines in a holistic approach for use in aircraft conceptual design. KBE allows the reuse of obtained aircrafts’ data, information, and knowledge to gain more awareness and a better understanding of the concept under consideration at early stages of design. For this purpose, Knowledge-Based (KB) methodologies are investigated for enhanced geometrical representation and enable variable fidelity tools and Multidisciplinary Design Optimization (MDO). The geometry parameterization techniques are qualitative approaches that produce quantitative results in terms of both robustness and flexibility of the design parameterization. The information/parameters from all tools/disciplines and the design intent of the generated concepts are saved and shared via a central database. The integrated framework facilitates multi-fidelity analysis, combining low-fidelity models with high-fidelity models for a quick estimation, enabling a rapid analysis and enhancing the time for a MDO process. The geometry is further propagated to other disciplines [Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), Finite Element Analysis (FEA)] for analysis. This is possible with an automated streamlined process (for CFD, FEM, system simulation) to analyze and increase knowledge early in the design process. Several processes were studied to streamline the geometry for CFD. Two working practices, one for parametric geometry and another for KB geometry are presented for automatic mesh generation. It is observed that analytical methods provide quicker weight estimation of the design and when coupled with KBE provide a better understanding. Integration of 1-D and 3-D models offers the best of both models: faster simulation, and superior geometrical representation. To validate both the framework and concepts generated from the tools, they are implemented in academia in several courses at Linköping University and in industry

Download or read book Knowledge based Functions in Aerospace Systems written by and published by . This book was released on 1995 with total page 168 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Human centered Aircraft Automation A Concept and Guidelines written by Charles E. Billings and published by . This book was released on 1991 with total page 126 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Future of Airplane Factory written by George Nicholas Bullen and published by SAE International. This book was released on 2019-05-28 with total page 194 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Future of Airplane Factory: Digitally Optimized Intelligent Airplane Factory defines the architecture, key building blocks, and roadmap for actualizing a future airplane factory (FAF) that is digitally optimized for intelligent airplane assembly. They fit and integrate with other FAF building blocks that aggregate to a Digitally Optimized Intelligent Airplane Factory (DOIAF). The word "intelligent" refers to the ability of a system to make right decisions and take right action in the highly dynamic and fluid environment of the modern airplane manufacturing space. The event-driven dynamics inherent in the complexity of this environment drive the need for expert knowledge which resides in intelligence systems incorporating the experience of experts. Expert knowledge need not be smart, brilliant, or possess genius as long as the outcomes are derived from right decisions resulting in right actions-applied rapidly to sustain an optimized factory enterprise. Complete factory enterprise visibility requires a higher order of decision capability that current operating systems do not have. A highly visible factory collects and displays data and information as it happens-at a rate beyond the ability of humans and current systems to analyze, process, decide, and act upon. Expert systems are constructed to present humans with right decisions in the form of optimal choices for right actions by incorporating the knowledge of experts into the logic for the decision. Structured Knowledge-Based Expert Systems (SKBES) are incorporated in this book and defined as a critical component for full enterprise actionable visibility. The power of the Digitally Optimized Intelligent Airplane Factory not only is found in its ability to unify the factory, reduce touch labor, improve quality, and streamline throughput but it also enables a significant reduction in above-the-shop-floor support and management. Such an ecosystem frees the human to focus on the complexity of interpersonal responsibilities. If the use of a DOIAF can be viewed as a holistic mechanism, then the human can be the agent engaging with that mechanism; improving negotiations for pricing, contracts, or other person-to-person events that require instinct and relationship.

Download or read book Foundations of Circulation Control Based Small Scale Unmanned Aircraft written by Konstantinos Kanistras and published by Springer. This book was released on 2017-11-02 with total page 147 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book focuses on using and implementing Circulation Control (CC) - an active flow control method used to produce increased lift over the traditionally used systems, like flaps, slats, etc. - to design a new type of fixed-wing unmanned aircraft that are endowed with improved aerodynamic efficiency, enhanced endurance, increased useful payload (fuel capacity, battery cells, on-board sensors) during cruise flight, delayed stall, and reduced runway during takeoff and landing. It presents the foundations of a step-by-step comprehensive methodology from design to implementation and experimental testing of Coandǎ based Circulation Control Wings (CCWs) and CC system, both integral components of the new type of aircraft, called Unmanned Circulation Control Air Vehicle. The methodology is composed of seven coupled phases: theoretical and mathematical analysis, design, simulation, 3-D printing/prototyping, wind tunnel testing, wing implementation and integration, and flight testing. The theoretical analysis focuses on understanding the physics of the flow and on defining the design parameters of the geometry restrictions of the wing and the plenum. The design phase centers on: designs of Coandǎ surfaces based on wing geometry specifications; designing and modifying airfoils from well-known ones (NACA series, Clark-Y, etc.); plenum designs for flow uniformity; dual radius flap designs to delay flow separation and reduce cruise drag. The simulation phase focuses on Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analysis and simulations, and on calculating lift and drag coefficients of the designed CCWs in a simulation environment. 3-D printing and prototyping focuses on the actual construction of the CCWs. Wind tunnel testing centers on experimental studies in a laboratory environment. One step before flight testing is implementation of the qualified CCW and integration on the UAV platform, along with the CC system. Flight testing is the final phase, where design validation is performed. This book is the first of its kind, and it is suitable for students and researchers interested in the design and development of CCWs for small-scale aircraft. Background knowledge on fundamental Aerodynamics is required.

Download or read book Aviation Automation written by Charles E. Billings and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2018-01-29 with total page 251 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The advent of very compact, very powerful digital computers has made it possible to automate a great many processes that formerly required large, complex machinery. Digital computers have made possible revolutionary changes in industry, commerce, and transportation. This book, an expansion and revision of the author's earlier technical papers on this subject, describes the development of automation in aircraft and in the aviation system, its likely evolution in the future, and the effects that these technologies have had -- and will have -- on the human operators and managers of the system. It suggests concepts that may be able to enhance human-machine relationships in future systems. The author focuses on the ability of human operators to work cooperatively with the constellation of machines they command and control, because it is the interactions among these system elements that result in the system's success or failure, whether in aviation or elsewhere. Aviation automation has provided great social and technological benefits, but these benefits have not come without cost. In recent years, new problems in aircraft have emerged due to failures in the human-machine relationship. These incidents and accidents have motivated this inquiry into aviation automation. Similar problems in the air traffic management system are predicted as it becomes more fully automated. In particular, incidents and accidents have occurred which suggest that the principle problems with today's aviation automation are associated with its complexity, coupling, autonomy, and opacity. These problems are not unique to aviation; they exist in other highly dynamic domains as well. The author suggests that a different approach to automation -- called "human-centered automation" -- offers potential benefits for system performance by enabling a more cooperative human-machine relationship in the control and management of aircraft and air traffic.

Download or read book Cockpit Automation Flight Systems Complexity and Aircraft Certification written by Bart Elias and published by . This book was released on 2019-10-20 with total page 38 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The increasing complexity and automation of flight control systems pose a challenge to federal policy regarding aircraft certification and pilot training. Despite significant commercial aviation safety improvements over the past two decades, flight control automation and aircraft complexity have been cited as contributing factors in a number of major airline accidents, including two high-profile crashes overseas involving the recently introduced Boeing 737 Max variant in 2018 and 2019. These crashes have directed attention to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) oversight of aircraft type certification and pilot training practices for transport category aircraft, particularly as they pertain to complex automated flight control systems. As aircraft systems have evolved over the past three decades to incorporate new technologies, Congress has mandated FAA to streamline certification processes, with the primary motivation being to facilitate the development of new safety-enhancing technologies. Modern commercial aircraft rely on "fly-by-wire" flight control technologies, under which pilots' flight control inputs are sent to computers rather than through direct mechanical linkages to flight control systems. The fly-by-wire software contains flight control laws and logic that, in addition to optimizing performance efficiency, protect the aircraft from commanded actions that could put the airplane in an unsafe state. Automated flight control systems have largely been viewed as having a positive effect on safety, and accident rates have improved considerably over the past two decades. However, the increasing complexity of automated flight systems has sometimes caused confusion and uncertainty, contributing to improper pilot actions during critical phases of flight and in some cases leading pilots to unintentionally place an aircraft in an unsafe condition. Besides designing these systems in a manner that minimizes pilot errors and the consequences of those errors, aircraft designers and operators face challenges regarding maintaining piloting skills for flight crews to be able to take over and manually fly the aircraft safely if critical systems fail. They also face challenges regarding documentation and pilot training effectiveness in building accurate mental models of how these complex systems operate. The primary goals of ongoing efforts to address these challenges are to enhance pilot situation awareness when using automation and reduce the likelihood of mode errors and confusion, while at the same time not overburdening pilots with intricate systems knowledge beyond what is necessary. In the ongoing investigations of two Boeing 737 Max crashes, Lion Air flight 610 and Ethiopian Airlines flight 302, concerns have been raised about the design of an automated feature called the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS) and its reliance on a single angle-of-attack sensor even though the aircraft is equipped with two such sensors. These concerns led to the worldwide grounding of all Boeing 737 Max aircraft until the MCAS safety concerns can be resolved, significantly impacting both U.S. and foreign airlines that operate the aircraft. These recent aviation accidents have prompted reviews of the manner in which modern transport category aircraft are certified by FAA and its foreign counterparts, and in particular, the roles of regulators and manufacturers in the certification process. The challenges of certifying increasingly complex aircraft are largely being met by delegating more of FAA's certification functions to aircraft designers and manufacturers. This raises potential conflicts between safety and quality assurance on the one hand and competitive pressures to market and deliver aircraft on the other. Under Organization Designation Authorization (ODA), FAA can designate companies to carry out delegated certification functions on its behalf.

Download or read book Knowledge based Processing for Aircraft Flight Control written by and published by . This book was released on 1994 with total page 100 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Introduction to Unmanned Aircraft Systems written by R. Kurt Barnhart and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2016-10-26 with total page 396 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Introduction to Unmanned Aircraft Systems surveys the fundamentals of unmanned aircraft system (UAS) operations, from sensors, controls, and automation to regulations, safety procedures, and human factors. It is designed for the student or layperson and thus assumes no prior knowledge of UASs, engineering, or aeronautics. Dynamic and well-illustrated, the first edition of this popular primer was created in response to a need for a suitable university-level textbook on the subject. Fully updated and significantly expanded, this new Second Edition: Reflects the proliferation of technological capability, miniaturization, and demand for aerial intelligence in a post-9/11 world Presents the latest major commercial uses of UASs and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) Enhances its coverage with greater depth and support for more advanced coursework Provides material appropriate for introductory UAS coursework in both aviation and aerospace engineering programs Introduction to Unmanned Aircraft Systems, Second Edition capitalizes on the expertise of contributing authors to instill a practical, up-to-date understanding of what it takes to safely operate UASs in the National Airspace System (NAS). Complete with end-of-chapter discussion questions, this book makes an ideal textbook for a first course in UAS operations.

Download or read book Artificial Intelligence with Applications for Aircraft written by L. Harrison and published by . This book was released on 1994 with total page 196 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Automation and Human Performance written by Raja Parasuraman and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2018-01-29 with total page 329 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: There is perhaps no facet of modern society where the influence of computer automation has not been felt. Flight management systems for pilots, diagnostic and surgical aids for physicians, navigational displays for drivers, and decision-aiding systems for air-traffic controllers, represent only a few of the numerous domains in which powerful new automation technologies have been introduced. The benefits that have been reaped from this technological revolution have been many. At the same time, automation has not always worked as planned by designers, and many problems have arisen--from minor inefficiencies of operation to large-scale, catastrophic accidents. Understanding how humans interact with automation is vital for the successful design of new automated systems that are both safe and efficient. The influence of automation technology on human performance has often been investigated in a fragmentary, isolated manner, with investigators conducting disconnected studies in different domains. There has been little contact between these endeavors, although principles gleaned from one domain may have implications for another. Also, with a few exceptions, the research has tended to be empirical and only theory-driven. In recent years, however, various groups of investigators have begun to examine human performance in automated systems in general and to develop theories of human interaction with automation technology. This book presents the current theories and assesses the impact of automation on different aspects of human performance. Both basic and applied research is presented to highlight the general principles of human-computer interaction in several domains where automation technologies are widely implemented. The major premise is that a broad-based, theory-driven approach will have significant implications for the effective design of both current and future automation technologies. This volume will be of considerable value to researchers in human

Download or read book Human Automation Interaction Considerations for Unmanned Aerial System Integration into the National Airspace System written by National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2018-06-11 with total page 69 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Prior to 2012, unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) technology had been primarily used by the military and hobbyists, but it has more recently transitioned to broader application, including commercial and scientific applications, as well as to expanded military use. These new uses encroach on existing structures for managing the nation's airspace and present significant challenges to ensure that UASs are coordinated safely and suitably with existing manned aircraft and air traffic management systems, particularly with the National Airspace System (NAS). Of particular concern is the interaction between human pilots, operators, or controllers and increasingly automated systems. Enhanced understanding of these interactions is essential to avoid unintended consequences, especially as new technologies emerge. In order to explore these issues, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine organized a 2-day workshop in January 2018. This publication summarizes the presentations and discussions from the workshop.

Download or read book Human automation teamwork written by Åsa Svensson and published by Linköping University Electronic Press. This book was released on 2020-04-07 with total page 114 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This dissertation explores the topic of human-automation teamwork in Air Traffic Control (ATC). ATC is a high stakes environment where complex automation is being introduced while the human operator has the legal responsibility. With increasing demands on productivity in various industries (as also in ATC), automation is introduced for efficiency, maintaining safety, and to keep the workload of the human operator within acceptable limits. However, previous research has shown that automation may cause negative effects on the human operator and performance, such as forcing the operator out of the control loop, which might lead to problems or confusion. Previous research suggests a need for strengthening human-automation collaboration where automation is seen as a team member to keep the operator in the loop. In order to achieve such teamwork, the design of the automation needs to be human-centred, i.e. that the automation is designed for the underlying need of the operator. The aim of this dissertation is to explore teamwork in ATC from several angles to understand how the air traffic controllers are working in current ATC environments and how automation could be designed to support human-automation teamwork. The included studies rely on interviews, simulations, and questionnaires, all with operational air traffic controllers as participants. The results indicate that for both human-human teamwork and human-automation teamwork, teamwork factors such as adaptability and mutual performance monitoring (knowing what the other team members are doing) are important for the work performance in current ATC environments, where mutual performance monitoring is especially important during stressful situations. When designing automation, lessons learned from human-human teamwork should be considered. The work within the scope of this dissertation identifies and concerns two human-automation teamwork aspects: boundary awareness and implicit communication. These are proposed to support the operator’s knowledge about the automation and the communication flow between the operator and the automation. Boundary awareness is the operator’s knowledge of the automation’s abilities, its boundaries (what it can or cannot manage), and about consequences if it would go outside of these boundaries. Implicit communication is the unspoken or implied small cues that the operator and the automation can use to communicate with each other. It is proposed that implicit communication can be based on the work patterns of the operator. The knowledge gained through the work in this dissertation can be used as a foundation for further research and design of automation regarding operator knowledge about the automation boundaries and the communication within the team. Denna avhandling utforskar teamwork mellan människa och automation inom flygtrafikledning. Flygtrafikledning är en högriskmiljö där komplex automation introduceras samtidigt som den mänskliga operatören har det juridiska ansvaret. Med ökade krav på produktivitet inom olika industrier (och även inom flygtrafikledning) så introduceras automation för effektiviteten, för att bibehålla säkerheten och för att hålla arbetsbelastningen för den mänskliga operatören inom acceptabla gränser. Tidigare forskning har däremot visat att automationen kan orsaka negativa effekter på den mänskliga operatören och på prestationen, som till exempel att tvinga ut operatören utanför kontrolloopen vilket leder till problem och förvirring. Tidigare forskning föreslår ett starkare samarbete mellan människa och automation där automationen är sedd som en teammedlem för att behålla operatören i loopen. För att uppnå ett sådant samarbete behöver automation vara människo-centrerad, att automation med andra ord är designad för operatörens underliggande behov. Syftet med denna avhandling är att utforska teamwork från olika vinklar inom flygtrafikledning för att förstå hur flygledare jobbar i nuvarande flygtrafikledningsmiljöer och för att förstå hur automation skulle kunna designas för att stödja teamwork mellan människa och automation. Studierna som denna avhandling bygger på har använt sig av intervjuer, simuleringar och enkäter, alla med operativa flygtrafikledare som deltagare. Resultatet tyder på att för både människa-människa teamwork och människa-automations teamwork så är teamwork faktorer så som flexibilitet och ömsesidig övervakning av teammedlemmarnas prestationer viktiga där övervakning av teammedlemmarnas prestationer är speciellt viktigt under stressiga situationer. När man designar automation bör man ta lärdom från teamwork mellan människor. Vidare så identifierar och behandlar arbetet inom denna avhandling två aspekter gällande teamwork mellan människa och automation: gränsmedvetenhet och implicit kommunikation. Dessa aspekter är föreslagna vi att stötta operatörens kunskap om automationen och kommunikationsflödet mellan operatören och automationen. Gränsmedvetenhet är operatörens kunskap om automationens förmågor, dess gränser och dess konsekvenser när automation går utanför dessa gränser. Implicit kommunikation är de outtalade eller implicita ledtrådar som operatören och automationen kan använda för att kommunicera med varandra. Det är föreslaget att implicit kommunikation kan baseras på arbetsmönster från operatören eller från prediktioner från automationen. Kunskapen från denna avhandling kan användas som ett underlagför vidare forskning och design av automation gällande operatörers kunskap om automationens gränser och kommunikationen inom teamet.

Download or read book Advances in Aerospace Guidance Navigation and Control written by Qiping Chu and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2013-11-18 with total page 773 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Following the successful 1st CEAS (Council of European Aerospace Societies) Specialist Conference on Guidance, Navigation and Control (CEAS EuroGNC) held in Munich, Germany in 2011, Delft University of Technology happily accepted the invitation of organizing the 2nd CEAS EuroGNC in Delft, The Netherlands in 2013. The goal of the conference is to promote new advances in aerospace GNC theory and technologies for enhancing safety, survivability, efficiency, performance, autonomy and intelligence of aerospace systems using on-board sensing, computing and systems. A great push for new developments in GNC are the ever higher safety and sustainability requirements in aviation. Impressive progress was made in new research fields such as sensor and actuator fault detection and diagnosis, reconfigurable and fault tolerant flight control, online safe flight envelop prediction and protection, online global aerodynamic model identification, online global optimization and flight upset recovery. All of these challenges depend on new online solutions from on-board computing systems. Scientists and engineers in GNC have been developing model based, sensor based as well as knowledge based approaches aiming for highly robust, adaptive, nonlinear, intelligent and autonomous GNC systems. Although the papers presented at the conference and selected in this book could not possibly cover all of the present challenges in the GNC field, many of them have indeed been addressed and a wealth of new ideas, solutions and results were proposed and presented. For the 2nd CEAS Specialist Conference on Guidance, Navigation and Control the International Program Committee conducted a formal review process. Each paper was reviewed in compliance with good journal practice by at least two independent and anonymous reviewers. The papers published in this book were selected from the conference proceedings based on the results and recommendations from the reviewers.

Download or read book Pilot s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge written by Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and published by Ravenio Books. This book was released on 2016-09-25 with total page 1032 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge provides basic knowledge that is essential for pilots. This handbook introduces pilots to the broad spectrum of knowledge that will be needed as they progress in their pilot training. Except for the Code of Federal Regulations pertinent to civil aviation, most of the knowledge areas applicable to pilot certification are presented. This handbook is useful to beginning pilots, as well as those pursuing more advanced pilot certificates. This handbook includes the following chapters: Chapter 1. Introduction to Flying Chapter 2. Aeronautical Decision-Making Chapter 3. Aircraft Construction Chapter 4. Principles of Flight Chapter 5. Aerodynamics of Flight Chapter 6: Flight Controls Chapter 7. Aircraft Systems Chapter 8. Flight Instruments Chapter 9. Flight Manuals and Other Documents Chapter 10. Weight and Balance Chapter 11. Aircraft Performance Chapter 12. Weather Theory Chapter 13. Aviation Weather Services Chapter 14. Airport Operations Chapter 15. Airspace Chapter 16. Navigation Chapter 17. Aeromedical Factors Appendix A. Performance Data for Cessna Model 172R and Challenger 605 Appendix B. Acronyms, Abbreviations, and NDTAM Contractions Appendix C. Airport Signs and Markings

Download or read book Unmanned Rotorcraft Systems written by Guowei Cai and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2011-06-01 with total page 282 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Unmanned Rotorcraft Systems explores the research and development of fully-functional miniature UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) rotorcraft, and provides a complete treatment of the design of autonomous miniature rotorcraft UAVs. The unmanned system is an integration of advanced technologies developed in communications, computing, and control areas, and is an excellent testing ground for trialing and implementing modern control techniques. Included are detailed expositions of systematic hardware construction, software systems integration, aerodynamic modeling; and automatic flight control system design. Emphasis is placed on the cooperative control and flight formation of multiple UAVs, vision-based ground target tracking, and landing on moving platforms. Other issues such as the development of GPS-less indoor micro aerial vehicles and vision-based navigation are also discussed in depth: utilizing the vision-based system for accomplishing ground target tracking, attacking and landing, cooperative control and flight formation of multiple unmanned rotorcraft; and future research directions on the related areas.