Implementation of Edge-driven Geofencing and BVLOS Control for 5G-enabled Delivery Drone.

Drone-assisted applications have gained significant attention in both academic and industrial research and development. The utilization of advanced technologies like 5G and edge computing plays a vital role in facilitating the capabilities of these drone applications. Time-critical drone applications can be effectively supported by leveraging the high-bandwidth connectivity provided by 5G networks. Moreover, the integration of edge offloading addresses the challenge of limited onboard processing power in drone operations. This paper demonstrates the requirements and implementation of drone, edge, and 5G technology use case scenarios. Specifically, we focus on implementing a dynamic geofencing algorithm and beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) control for the delivery drone use case in a real system using 5G, exploiting the use of edge computing to extend the onboard processing power of the drone. Finally, the obtained results and accompanying videos provide concrete evidence of the applicability of edge-driven 5G-enabled drones in drone-assisted use-case scenarios.