Formation Flight
Supports line, triangle, rectangle, circle, orbiting-circle, and formation switching. It also provides master-slave following, autonomous task allocation, position correction, and other auxiliary functions.
AMOVLAB Solution
UAV Swarm Formation Solution
A full-stack platform package for UAV swarm research, covering indoor and outdoor deployment with integrated aircraft, positioning, communication, flight control, onboard computing, and swarm-control software.
The system is built on ROS and PX4 and uses the Prometheus swarm-control module from AMOVLAB's open-source UAV autonomous platform. It provides rich formation demos and the Prometheus Ground Station Pro workflow, helping researchers move quickly from system setup to core algorithm development.
Solution Overview
Designed for flexible swarm research in indoor and outdoor environments.
The UAV swarm formation package is a full-stack platform solution developed for UAV swarm research. It is suitable for flexible indoor and outdoor applications and includes UAVs, positioning modules, communication modules, flight controllers, onboard computers, and a supporting swarm-control software system.
The package supports indoor high-precision positioning with MOCAP, flexible indoor and outdoor positioning with UWB, and large-scale outdoor applications with RTK. These configurations meet varied research needs and help teams accelerate innovation in UAV swarm technology.
Core Functions
Complete functions for formation flight, safety, interaction, and development.
Safety Protection
Monitors communication, positioning, flight mode, and other status data during swarm operation. Abnormal states trigger prompts and autonomous safety measures to reduce crash risk and operational loss.
Human-Machine Interaction
Provides ground-station software for fast operation and status display, including connection state, flight mode, position, velocity, attitude, 2D maps, 3D maps, takeoff, mission setup, formation setup, hover, and landing controls.
Simulation System
Includes a UAV swarm formation simulation system that supports indoor and outdoor positioning modes and three UAV flight models. The simulation is adapted to the swarm-control system and ground station for a smooth path from secondary development to real aircraft testing.
Distributed Intelligence
Each UAV carries its own computing module. UAVs exchange data through communication links, while task control and planning run on the onboard compute unit. The ground station is used for remote data display and task distribution.
Open Code
Customers who purchase the swarm formation package receive most of the complete swarm system code as open source, excluding ground-station software code, along with secondary-development interfaces.
Flexible Configuration
Provides UWB, MOCAP, and RTK positioning systems, 250 mm and 600 mm UAV frame options, distributed and centralized communication links, and optional payloads such as LiDAR, cameras, and gimbal pods.
Customization Support
AMOVLAB can provide software and hardware customization based on user requirements and project goals.
Application Directions
Research and teaching use cases.
Swarm Algorithm Research
Used for research in multi-agent collaborative control, path planning, and related algorithms.
Teaching Demonstration
Used as a teaching tool to demonstrate UAV technology and swarm collaboration principles.
Technical Parameters
Core hardware options and system configuration.
1. Onboard Computer
| Parameter | AllSpark2-Orin-Nano | AllSpark2-Orin-NX (8GB) |
|---|---|---|
| AI Performance | 40 TOPS | 70 TOPS |
| GPU | 1024-core NVIDIA Ampere GPU with 32 Tensor Cores | 1024-core NVIDIA Ampere GPU with 32 Tensor Cores |
| Maximum GPU Frequency | 625 MHz | 765 MHz |
| CPU | 6-core ARM Cortex-A78AE v8.2 64-bit CPU, 1.5 MB L2 + 4 MB L3 | 6-core ARM Cortex-A78AE v8.2 64-bit CPU, 1.5 MB L2 + 4 MB L3 |
| Maximum CPU Frequency | 1.5 GHz | 2 GHz |
| DL Accelerator | / | 1x NVDLA v2 |
| Maximum DLA Frequency | / | 614 MHz |
| Vision Accelerator | / | 1x PVA v2 |
| External Storage | 128 GB SSD, M.2 Key M, NVMe protocol | 128 GB SSD, M.2 Key M, NVMe protocol |
| Display Interface | 1 micro HDMI display interface, supports 1920 x 1080P output | 1 micro HDMI display interface, supports 1920 x 1080P output |
| CSI Interface | 2-channel MIPI CSI 2-lane interface | 2-channel MIPI CSI 2-lane interface |
| Ethernet | 2x 100 Mbps Ethernet ports | 2x 100 Mbps Ethernet ports |
| WiFi | Built-in WiFi mini PCIe module with external antenna support | Built-in WiFi mini PCIe module with external antenna support |
| USB | 1x USB 3.2 Type-A, 1x USB 3.2 Type-C, 1x micro USB for flashing | 1x USB 3.2 Type-A, 1x USB 3.2 Type-C, 1x micro USB for flashing |
| GPIO | 4 GPIO channels, CMOS 3.3 V | 4 GPIO channels, CMOS 3.3 V |
| CAN Transceiver | CAN transceiver supporting CANH and CANL communication | CAN transceiver supporting CANH and CANL communication |
| UART | 4 UART channels, CMOS 3.3 V, including 1 debug UART | 4 UART channels, CMOS 3.3 V, including 1 debug UART |
| I2C | 1 I2C channel, CMOS 3.3 V | 1 I2C channel, CMOS 3.3 V |
| SPI | 1 SPI channel, CMOS 3.3 V | 1 SPI channel, CMOS 3.3 V |
| Power Input | XT30M, 10-26 V at 3 A | XT30M, 10-26 V at 3 A |
| System Power | 6-25 W | 6-25 W |
| Weight | About 188 g | About 188 g |
| Dimensions | 102.5 mm x 62.5 mm x 31 mm | 102.5 mm x 62.5 mm x 31 mm |
2. UAV Frame
| Parameter | Small UAV | Large UAV |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Multirotor UAV | Multirotor UAV |
| Wheelbase | 250 mm | 600 mm |
| Maximum Takeoff Weight | 1.6 kg | 4.0 kg |
| Maximum Payload | 0.55 kg | 1.5 kg |
| Maximum Horizontal Speed | 10 m/s | 12 m/s |
| Maximum Climb Speed | 1.5 m/s | 5 m/s |
| Maximum Descent Speed | 0.7 m/s | 3 m/s |
| Hover Time | 15 min unloaded, 8 min with 300 g payload | 70 min unloaded, 30 min with 1.5 kg payload |
3. Communication Link
| Parameter | LQ Communication Link | Mini Homer | Homer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Interface | 3x serial, 2x Ethernet | 2x serial, 2x Ethernet | 3x serial, 3x Ethernet |
| Frequency Band | 2.4 GHz to 2.4835 GHz | Sub-1G band, 27 MHz to 960 MHz | 5.1 GHz to 5.9 GHz |
| Maximum Bandwidth | 40 Mbps | 11 Mbps | 40 Mbps |
| Maximum Distance | 3 km | 1 km | 2.5 km |
| Maximum Nodes | 8 | 8 | 12 |
| Dimensions | Air unit: 49 mm x 34 mm x 15 mm Ground unit: 94 mm x 64 mm x 23 mm | Air unit: 64 mm x 39 mm x 13 mm Ground unit: 95 mm x 74 mm x 24 mm | 88 mm x 78 mm x 20 mm |
4. Positioning System
| Parameter | UWB | MOCAP | RTK |
|---|---|---|---|
| Positioning Accuracy | 5-10 cm | Within 0.1 mm | 2-4 cm |
| Application Scenario | Indoor and outdoor | Indoor | Outdoor |
| Positioning Data | 2D XY plane data | 3D position plus 6-DOF attitude data | 3D position data |
Optional Sensors
Sensor payloads can be selected according to the research task.
Contact Us
Building a UAV swarm formation lab?
Formation projects usually depend on swarm size, test field, positioning method, and teaching or research goals.
Useful details to include
- 01 Indoor or outdoor test environment and swarm scale
- 02 Formation modes, teaching tasks, or algorithm goals
- 03 MOCAP, UWB, RTK, communication, and safety requirements
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