DroneVLC: Exploiting Drones and VLC to Gather Data from Batteryless Sensors

We explore a new alternative for drones to gather information from sensors. Instead of using the traditional radio-frequency spectrum, whose broadcast nature makes it more difficult to poll specific objects, we utilize the light spectrum. In our system, the drone carries a light, and flies to an area that it is interested in polling. Only the...

Firefly: Localizing Drones with Visible Light Communication and Sensor Fusion

In this paper, we propose a new approach where drones attain accurate localization by fusing information from artificial lighting and their embedded inertial and barometer sensors. Our system is able to provide accurate drone localization without the use of radios, GPS or cameras. We evaluate our framework, dubbed Firefly, with a testbed...