When the Forest Becomes a Drone Test Ground, Can It Complete an Autonomous Tracking Mission?
Deep in the forest lies a true test of a flying robot's autonomy.
In open environments, UAVs can already rely on mature flight-control systems to fly steadily. But once they enter the space beneath a forest canopy—where dense vegetation, complex terrain, and a constantly changing target environment prevail—the mission becomes entirely different.
Trees and foliage repeatedly block the line of sight, making it difficult for the UAV to perceive its surroundings accurately. Complex spatial structures make obstacle avoidance harder, requiring every flight decision to be made with greater caution. Weak GPS coverage reduces positioning reliability and places higher demands on autonomous navigation.
A continuously moving target further requires real-time perception and dynamic tracking capabilities.
How can a UAV understand the world around it, locate a target, and continue tracking autonomously in such an environment?
That is precisely what this issue's innovation topic—Under-Canopy Moving-Target Tracking—sets out to explore.
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Challenge Topic Overview
Under-Canopy Moving-Target Tracking
This topic focuses on complex under-canopy environments and explores how a single UAV can autonomously track a moving target.
The UAV must be able to:
- Perceive its environment
- Detect the target
- Plan its route
- Maintain continuous tracking
The ultimate goal is to move from 'manually piloted flight' to 'autonomous mission completion.
Challenge Objectives
Five technical directions that together form a complete tracking capability.
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Autonomous Localization Enable the UAV to know where it is. Explore position-estimation methods for complex environments as the foundation for autonomous flight. Technical Directions: Visual Localization | Inertial Navigation | Multi-Sensor Fusion Environmental Perception Enable the UAV to understand what is around it. Gather environmental information through sensors to achieve spatial understanding and obstacle recognition. Technical Directions: Environmental Modeling | Obstacle Detection | Spatial Perception Target Perception Enable the UAV to find the target it needs to track. Detect and locate the moving target and assess its state. Technical Directions: Target Detection | Target Tracking | State Prediction Tracking Control Enable the UAV to maintain continuous pursuit. Adjust its flight strategy as the target's motion changes. Technical Directions: Tracking Algorithms | Motion Control | Dynamic Adjustment Navigation and Obstacle Avoidance Enable safe flight. Plan a route in response to environmental changes and perform dynamic obstacle avoidance. Technical Directions: Path Planning | Autonomous Decision-Making | Safety Control |
Application Scenarios
Under-canopy moving-target tracking is not only a technical challenge; it also addresses several real-world applications.
Forest Patrol
Support forest-resource management and improve patrol efficiency in complex areas.
Emergency Search and Rescue
Quickly locate and track people in complex environments.
Field Exploration
Support unmanned systems in exploring unknown areas.
Autonomous Inspection
Improve UAV autonomy in unstructured operating environments.
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Flying Robot Innovation & Creation Challenge
The development of flying robots requires validation in more real-world scenarios. An innovative idea can become a valuable product only after it has been developed, tested, and validated in application.
To enable more developers to participate, the 2026–2027 Flying Robot Innovation & Creation Challenge is now officially open.
The Challenge is open to universities, research institutes, technology companies, developer teams, and flying-robot enthusiasts. It provides an innovation platform integrating technical learning, project development, scenario validation, and results presentation.
Participating teams can develop projects on the FlyCore Integrated Control System for Flying Robots—from solution design and system construction to scenario validation and project demonstrations—and create flying-robot innovations of their own.
The Challenge will also regularly hold flying-robot development boot camps covering system setup, technology development, and project practice, providing participating teams with learning, exchange, and project-growth support.
Ongoing Innovation Topics, Offering Directions for Exploration
To help participating teams move quickly into development practice, the Challenge will continue to release a series of innovation topics.
Each topic will combine a flying-robot technology direction with a real-world application scenario, giving developers a practical project reference.
Developers may conduct research based on the recommended topics or expand and innovate according to their own interests.
Turning a technical idea into a flying robot that can truly complete a mission is exactly the innovation process the Challenge seeks to advance.
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Build on FlyCore and Compete for the Million-Yuan Innovation Fund
The FlyCore Integrated Control System for Flying Robots gives developers a unified foundation spanning flight control, positioning and navigation, and mission development.
FlyCore integrates core capabilities including flight control, mapping and localization, perception and planning, and sensor connectivity. It creates a complete perception–localization–planning–control loop, enabling developers to rapidly build flying-robot platforms for algorithm validation and application exploration.
With FlyCore, participating teams can rapidly complete solution design, feature development, and scenario validation, transforming innovative ideas into robotic systems that can actually fly and accomplish missions.
With FlyCore, teams can:
✓ Rapidly build a flying-robot platform
✓ Validate algorithms and develop functions
✓ Complete real-world scenario testing
✓ Present projects in the Challenge
Make ideas truly take flight—and turn innovation into real-world applications.
This year's Challenge establishes an annual special incentive fund totaling one million yuan and continues to solicit flying-robot innovation projects with genuine application value and product potential. In addition to cash awards, outstanding projects will receive support in technical guidance, prototype refinement, engineering validation, supply-chain development, and marketing. Top-performing projects may enter a product co-creation program and gain access to industry resources, startup incubation, or strategic investment.
