Abstract
Nano unmanned aerial vehicles (nano-UAVs) can navigate confined spaces that larger robots cannot, but their payload capacity severely limits the sensors and compute available for self-localization in global navigation satellite system (GNSS)-denied environments. We present a vision-based system that localizes a nano-UAV from a quadruped robot with an arm-mounted camera. The quadruped tracks the drone, estimates its position in its own coordinate system using segmentation masks and depth, and transmits that position over a real-time radio link. To ensure continuous tracking, we developed a perception-aware nonlinear Model Predictive Controller (NMPC) that dynamically adjusts the quadruped's body and arm to maximize the drone's visibility, treating observation reliability as a primary control objective. Relying solely on this external estimate, the nano-UAV executed predefined trajectories from takeoff to landing with a median 3D localization error of 59 mm. The system demonstrates robustness against short visual occlusions by smoothly transitioning to onboard inertial flight when line-of-sight is temporarily lost. Ultimately, this framework allows a quadruped to offload the localization burden of a nano-UAV, enabling inspection of complex spaces that neither robot could navigate alone.
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Publication details
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- Open access
- Green open access
Cite this article
APA 7
Mora, A. L., Arapis, D., & Faíña, A. (2026). Borrowed Eyes: Markerless Nano-UAV Flight with an Active Quadruped Observer. https://omanscience.com/en/articles/borrowed-eyes-markerless-nano-uav-flight-with-an-active-quadruped-observer
MLA 9
Mora, Alejandro Lorite, et al. "Borrowed Eyes: Markerless Nano-UAV Flight with an Active Quadruped Observer." https://omanscience.com/en/articles/borrowed-eyes-markerless-nano-uav-flight-with-an-active-quadruped-observer.
Chicago (author–date)
Mora, Alejandro Lorite, Dimitrios Arapis, and Andrés Faíña. 2026. "Borrowed Eyes: Markerless Nano-UAV Flight with an Active Quadruped Observer." https://omanscience.com/en/articles/borrowed-eyes-markerless-nano-uav-flight-with-an-active-quadruped-observer.
Harvard
Mora, A. L., Arapis, D. and Faíña, A. (2026) 'Borrowed Eyes: Markerless Nano-UAV Flight with an Active Quadruped Observer', Available at: https://omanscience.com/en/articles/borrowed-eyes-markerless-nano-uav-flight-with-an-active-quadruped-observer.
Vancouver
Mora AL, Arapis D, Faíña A. Borrowed Eyes: Markerless Nano-UAV Flight with an Active Quadruped Observer. https://omanscience.com/en/articles/borrowed-eyes-markerless-nano-uav-flight-with-an-active-quadruped-observer
IEEE
A. L. Mora, D. Arapis, and A. Faíña, "Borrowed Eyes: Markerless Nano-UAV Flight with an Active Quadruped Observer," https://omanscience.com/en/articles/borrowed-eyes-markerless-nano-uav-flight-with-an-active-quadruped-observer.