Intelligent Sensor Systems in Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
A special issue of Sensors (ISSN 1424-8220). This special issue belongs to the section "Intelligent Sensors".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2025
Special Issue Editors
2. Department of Computer Graphics, Vision and Digital Systems, Faculty of Automatic Control, Electronics and Computer Science, Silesian University of Technology, Akademicka 16, 44-100 Gliwice, Poland
Interests: UAV control; computer vision and graphics; digital systems
Interests: UAV control; computer vision and graphics; human gait; artificial intelligence; databases
Interests: processing and classification of motion capture data; time series analysis; machine learning; computer vision
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
While the physical principles behind UAV sensors remain unchanged compared to that of individual sensors, the intelligence of UAV sensor systems arises from their ability to process, interpret, and correlate the data they provide. Intelligent sensor systems do not merely sense the environment—they understand it. This understanding emerges through real-time data fusion, context-aware interpretation, and adaptive decision-making algorithms, which allow UAVs to navigate complex environments, anticipate changes, and coordinate with other platforms.
Relevant sensors include RGB, infrared (IR), monochrome and stereo cameras, multi- and hyperspectral imaging systems, and ultrasonic and ultra-wideband (UWB) sensors, which are being used for localization and obstacle avoidance increasingly frequently.
Inertial measurement units (IMUs) of various precision levels, including those integrated with vision (visual–inertial systems), are essential for UAV pose estimation. Other key pose modalities include magnetometers supported by geomagnetic maps and high-end gyroscopes, such as fiber-optic gyroscopes (FOGs) and ring laser gyroscopes (RLGs).
We welcome original research articles, review papers, and application-focused studies related (but not limited) to the following topics:
- Novel sensor systems for UAVs (RGB, IR, stereo, multispectral, hyperspectral, ultrasonic, UWB, IMU, magnetometers, gyroscopes, etc.);
- The calibration and integration of heterogeneous sensors;
- Sensor fusion and visual–inertial odometry;
- Pose estimation and autonomous navigation;
- Sensory data-driven mapping (landmarks, objects, magnetic fields);
- Algorithms for processing high-dimensional sensor data;
- Intelligent control based on sensory inputs;
- Real-world applications of sensor-based UAV platforms;
Prof. Dr. Konrad W. Wojciechowski
Dr. Henryk Josiński
Dr. Adam Świtoński
Guest Editors
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Keywords
- RGB and IR sensors
- sensor fusion
- visual–inertial systems
- hyperspectral imaging
- ultrasonic sensors
- sensor calibration
- magnetometer mapping
- intelligent navigation
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