GPS Denied IBVS-Based Navigation and Collision Avoidance of UAV Using a Low-Cost RGB Camera

Abstract-- This paper proposes an image-based visual ser-voing (IBVS) framework for UA V navigation and collision avoidance using only an RGB camera. While UA V navigation has been extensively studied, it remains challenging to apply IBVS in missions involving multiple visual targets and collision avoidance. The proposed method achieves navigation without explicit path planning, and collision avoidance is realized through AI-based monocular depth estimation from RGB images. Unlike approaches that rely on stereo cameras or external workstations, our framework runs fully onboard a Jetson platform, ensuring a self-contained and deployable system. Experimental results validate that the UA V can navigate across multiple AprilT ags and avoid obstacles effectively in GPS-denied environments. I. INTRODUCTION Most UA V applications depend on position estimation provided by global positioning systems (GPS). However, GPS is often unavailable in indoor, mountainous, or forest environments, motivating the use of computer vision for UA V navigation. This paper focuses on image-based visual servoing (IBVS) with an onboard RGB camera.