Work

Review of sensor placement and configuration methods for uncrewed aerial vehicles and spacecraft

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: We review the literature on sensor configuration methods for applications related to UAVs and spacecraft. The objective is to provide a tutorial-style overview of the state of the art, starting from the fundamental underlying concepts and leading to application domains and recent off-shoots of this topic. Many of these applications arise from the aforesaid UAV-mounted mobile sensor concept and spacecraft-enabled remote sensing, but we also review space situational awareness where (primarily) ground-based sensors are used to track spacecraft. We first review fundamental theoretical ideas including the information measures typically used to quantify the value of sensor data. Next, we review methods for optimal sensor configuration, including methods based on efficient optimization of information measures. Next, we review a wide variety of application areas where the benefits of optimal sensor configuration are evident. Next, we study some recent advances in related areas, including our own work on sensor configuration coupled with optimal path-planning. We conclude with comments about the potential for future research on this topic.

Source: Progress in Aerospace Sciences

DOI: 10.1016/j.paerosci.2026.101229

Authors: Prakash Poudel, Jeffrey DesRoches, Raghvendra V. Cowlagi

Institution: Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Language: English

Topic: Robotic Path Planning Algorithms

Subfield: Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition

Field: Computer Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $5,860

Funders: National Science Foundation, Directorate for Engineering, Air Force Institute of Technology