Collaborative stereo technology for small aerial systems enables instantaneous 3D terrain reconstruction with adjustable resolution, which can be used for robust surface relative navigation, high-resolution mapping, and moving target detection. This project will demonstrate adaptive resolution stereo-vision with two small UAVs flying in a tandem formation to reconstruct the overflown terrain. The accuracy of the reconstruction, which depends on the distance between the vehicles and the altitude, is adjustable during flight based on the current needs of a mission –- for example, tracking a small moving object like a pedestrian on the ground, or performing terrain relative navigation at low altitudes. Application of this technology will include aerial surveillance systems, and small body cube sat missions where this technology could be used for object relative navigation.
