Multimodal Sensor-Gated Mid-Air Launch and Vision-Based Recovery of a Child UAV on a Hovering Mothership Drone

Launching a micro unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) from a hovering carrier and recovering it in flight requires reliable confirmation that the child is securely seated before the carrier is allowed to descend. This is challenging because vision provides relative guidance but does not directly indicate load transfer, and a downward-facing camera can lose its fiducial near touchdown.

From the abstract. Our summary is in progress.