Autavia · 2026
Mission-oriented tilt-rotor system
A system platform connecting vertical take-off, efficient cruise, mission planning, perception and human-supervised autonomy for low-altitude inspection.
Project Overview
Autavia Type 7-3 is the mission-oriented iteration of the Type 7 Series. It connects airframe, propulsion, flight control, perception, planning and ground interaction within one integrated system architecture.
Current development focuses on low-altitude inspection and mission planning, with platform integration and validation progressing through simulation, software prototypes and physical development records.
Inspection as a constrained system
Forest inspection is modeled as a closed-route problem with risk priority, no-fly constraints, obstacle buffers, terrain cost and return margin.
Vertical take-off expands deployment options near complex terrain.
Risk-weighted waypoint generation allocates resources to higher-value regions.
Terrain, wind cost, obstacles and no-fly regions are modeled separately.
Route and time margins keep planning away from theoretical limits.
Six connected layers
The architecture presents system boundaries, subsystem responsibilities and the information flow that connects mission intent with flight execution.
The operator defines the mission, boundary and priorities; the system translates them into traceable planning inputs.
Waypoint generation, route optimization, obstacle avoidance and return margins are managed as distinct planning functions.
Perception provides terrain, obstacle and mission-observation inputs for planning and operator awareness.
Flight-control logic converts mission-level commands into platform-level actions within defined system limits.
Airframe, propulsion, energy and payload interfaces form the physical boundary of the mission system.
Digital models, software prototypes and physical tests form a continuous validation workflow.
Planning workflow
The research workflow connects a risk map, candidate waypoints, route optimization, obstacle-aware local planning and path smoothing.
Construct priority, cost and exclusion layers.
Place observable candidates around higher-value regions.
Compare route-order strategies under common metrics.
Introduce obstacle buffers and local feasibility.
Reduce unnecessary heading changes in the planned path.
Keep mission assumptions and limits visible to the operator.
From concept to validation
Define inspection value, operating boundaries and mission priorities.
Explore tilt-rotor geometry and distributed propulsion.
Define interfaces across platform, control, perception and planning.
Build repeatable mission models and common evaluation criteria.
Connect physical records with a mission-agent demonstrator.
Extend toward real terrain, energy models and flight execution.
Connected knowledge
A MATLAB-based study combining risk-weighted waypoint generation, route sequencing, constrained local planning and trajectory smoothing.
Research Manuscript · 2025An AHP-based framework organising urban-air-mobility risk across six first-level dimensions and nineteen indicators.
Autonomous Systems · 2026An engineering note on the shift from stabilising an aircraft to coordinating a complete mission system.
