Collaborative Inspection of Solar Panel Farms Using YOLOv5-Based Computer Vision and UGV-UAV Integration
Abstract This paper presents a novel framework for collaborative inspection of solar panel farms that use the complementary capabilities of Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGVs) and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). The UGV, equipped with a YOLOv5-based computer vision system, performs cable detection and ground-level navigation. At the same time, the UAV focuses on aerial inspection tasks such as identifying surface-level anomalies in solar panels. The proposed system integrates real-time data exchange, path planning, and a cognitive framework with a human-in-the-loop mechanism to improve the decision-making and adaptability of the systems. Simulations conducted in the Robot Operating System (ROS) and Gazebo validate the framework’s performance in addressing operational challenges such as collaborative task execution and autonomous decision-making.
Authors
- Fabio Andrade (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5599-8080)
- Alessandro R. L. Zachi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5671-5588)
- Milena Faria Pinto (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6916-700X)
- Johann S. J. C. C. Amorim
- Rafael S. Chaves (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8998-8462)
- Josiel Gouvêa (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0224-9323)
- Amador Marcelino de Souza Neto (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0002-0655-7494)
Institutions
- Federal Center for Technological Education Celso Suckow da Fonseca (BR)
- University of South-Eastern Norway (NO)
- NORCE Research AS (NO)
- Federal Center for Technological Education of Minas Gerais (BR)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Journal of Intelligent & Robotic Systems
- Published
- 2025-05-30
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1007/s10846-025-02265-w
- Citations
- 4
- Primary Topic
- Power Line Inspection Robots
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 2.85
Funders
- Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior
- Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico
- Fundação Carlos Chagas Filho de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro