Autonomous Formation Flight Algorithm and Platform for Quadrotor UAVs

There are many advantages for having collaborative flight of multiple Unmanned Arial Vehicles (UAVs) rather than a single UAV. In this paper, a proposed formation flight algorithm is tested and a Graphical User Interface (GUI) is implemented on the ground station to allow for path planning and flight control. The proposed algorithm is based on a Hierarchal Leader-Follower formation, where the leader has more flexibility and independence, while the follower is completely dependent on the path taken by the leader. The path planning and the proposed formation flight algorithm are implemented on one axis and tested on two quadrotors. The proposed algorithm is implemented on real quadrotors and its ability to track the given path will be shown.