From mystery to mastery:understanding autonomous exploration with UAVs

When it comes to developing UAV autonomy, simultaneous localization andmapping (SLAM), autonomous path planning and next best view (NBV) are allcentral algorithms. This article explains these techniques individually and alsotheir interrelationships, highlighting the critical role each one plays in achievingfull autonomy in drone operations, which is important for many researchers and practitioners. The resulting clarity on the functions and interconnections of SLAM, path planning and NBV will help to fill existing knowledge gaps, while also showing the potential of integrating these techniques to drive future advances in autonomous surveying and mapping systems.