FU-MPC: Frontier- and Uncertainty-Aware Model Predictive Control for Efficient and Accurate UAV Exploration with Motorized LiDAR

Researchers introduced FU-MPC, a hierarchical UAV exploration framework that uses a motorized LiDAR as an active control input.

A global planner orders frontier viewpoints, while a local MPC controller optimizes LiDAR rotation along the flight path.

The controller balances exploration utility with localization uncertainty to improve mapping and navigation in unknown spaces.

Experiments showed faster exploration and more robust localization than fixed-scan and uncertainty-only baselines.