Common robotic navigation techniques often utilize GPS to set up the robot’s reference frame, which is not possible in environments, such as indoor facilities, underground passages, and disaster zones, where GPS is not available. This research explores the integration of a Boston Dynamics Spot robot with a Tello drone to form a non-GPS-based autonomous navigation system. By leveraging coordinate transformation logic, this study enables real-time aerial reconnaissance and ground-based waypoint navigation without reliance on GPS. The methodology includes software development using the Spot SDK and Tello APIs, a virtual networked solution for integration, and an experimental setup to validate navigation accuracy. The integration showcases the feasibility of multi-agent robotic collaboration in constrained environments, contributing toward advancements in autonomous exploration and search-and-rescue systems.
","abstract_html":"<p>Common robotic navigation techniques often utilize GPS to set up the robot’s reference frame, which is not possible in environments, such as indoor facilities, underground passages, and disaster zones, where GPS is not available. This research explores the integration of a Boston Dynamics Spot robot with a Tello drone to form a non-GPS-based autonomous navigation system. By leveraging coordinate transformation logic, this study enables real-time aerial reconnaissance and ground-based waypoint navigation without reliance on GPS. The methodology includes software development using the Spot SDK and Tello APIs, a virtual networked solution for integration, and an experimental setup to validate navigation accuracy. The integration showcases the feasibility of multi-agent robotic collaboration in constrained environments, contributing toward advancements in autonomous exploration and search-and-rescue systems.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Alexander, Robert"],"institution":null,"degree_name":null,"degree_level":"Thesis","degree_discipline":"Electrical Engineering and Computer Science","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Dr. Tom Springer","Dr. Trudi Qi","Dr. Peiyi Zhao"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2025,"date_issued":"2025-05-01T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2025-05-01T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T01:38:43Z","subjects":["Multi-agent","Spot","Tello","Integration","Computer Engineering","Search and Rescue","Robotics"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://digitalcommons.chapman.edu/eecs_theses/2","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Dr. Tom Springer","Dr. Trudi Qi","Dr. Peiyi Zhao"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Alexander, Robert"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Electrical Engineering and Computer Science"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Thesis"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Multi-agent","Spot","Tello","Integration","Computer Engineering","Search and Rescue","Robotics"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://digitalcommons.chapman.edu/eecs_theses/2"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Common robotic navigation techniques often utilize GPS to set up the robot’s reference frame, which is not possible in environments, such as indoor facilities, underground passages, and disaster zones, where GPS is not available. This research explores the integration of a Boston Dynamics Spot robot with a Tello drone to form a non-GPS-based autonomous navigation system. By leveraging coordinate transformation logic, this study enables real-time aerial reconnaissance and ground-based waypoint navigation without reliance on GPS. The methodology includes software development using the Spot SDK and Tello APIs, a virtual networked solution for integration, and an experimental setup to validate navigation accuracy. The integration showcases the feasibility of multi-agent robotic collaboration in constrained environments, contributing toward advancements in autonomous exploration and search-and-rescue systems.
"]},{"key":"dc:source","label":"Dc Source","values":["R. L. Alexander, III, \"Autonomous search and rescue: Real-time drone and robotic dog integration,\" M. S. thesis, Chapman University, Orange, CA, 2025. https://doi.org/10.36837/chapman.000643"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Autonomous Search and Rescue: Real-Time Drone and Robotic Dog Integration"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Dr. Tom Springer","Dr. Trudi Qi","Dr. Peiyi Zhao"],"dc:creator":["Alexander, Robert"],"dc:description.abstract":["Common robotic navigation techniques often utilize GPS to set up the robot’s reference frame, which is not possible in environments, such as indoor facilities, underground passages, and disaster zones, where GPS is not available. This research explores the integration of a Boston Dynamics Spot robot with a Tello drone to form a non-GPS-based autonomous navigation system. By leveraging coordinate transformation logic, this study enables real-time aerial reconnaissance and ground-based waypoint navigation without reliance on GPS. The methodology includes software development using the Spot SDK and Tello APIs, a virtual networked solution for integration, and an experimental setup to validate navigation accuracy. The integration showcases the feasibility of multi-agent robotic collaboration in constrained environments, contributing toward advancements in autonomous exploration and search-and-rescue systems.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://digitalcommons.chapman.edu/eecs_theses/2"],"dc:source":["R. L. Alexander, III, \"Autonomous search and rescue: Real-time drone and robotic dog integration,\" M. S. thesis, Chapman University, Orange, CA, 2025. https://doi.org/10.36837/chapman.000643"],"dc:subject":["Multi-agent","Spot","Tello","Integration","Computer Engineering","Search and Rescue","Robotics"],"dc:title":["Autonomous Search and Rescue: Real-Time Drone and Robotic Dog Integration"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Electrical Engineering and Computer Science"],"thesis:degree_level":["Thesis"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T01:38:43Z"}