International Business Machines Corporation
Unmanned aerial vehicle flight path efficiency through aerodynamic drafting

Abstract:

A method includes: retrieving an initial flight path for a first unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), the initial flight path being from a geographical point A to a geographical point B; generating a projected initial energy consumption of the first UAV for completion of a flight along the initial flight path; retrieving a flight path of a second UAV; generating a projected revised energy consumption of the first UAV for completion of a flight along an altered flight path, the altered flight path being a flight path from point A to point B where the first UAV aerodynamically drafts the second UAV for at least a portion of the altered flight path; comparing the projected revised energy consumption to the projected initial energy consumption to determine which of the projected revised energy consumption and the projected initial energy consumption is lower.