Neural 3D Object Reconstruction with Small-Scale Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

Abstract

Miniaturized Uncrewed Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) can access indoor and hard-to-reach spaces, but severe constraints on payload and autonomy have limited their use in demanding tasks such as high-quality 3D reconstruction. We introduce a novel system architecture that enables autonomous, high-fidelity 3D scanning of static objects with sub-100 gram UAVs. Our core innovation lies in a closed-loop active viewpoint selection framework specifically tailored for ultra-constrained micro-platforms, advancing beyond standard static or offline active reconstruction methods. The framework establishes a dual-reconstruction pipeline that creates a real-time (RT) feedback loop between data capture and flight control. A near-RT process uses Structure-from-Motion (SfM) to generate an instantaneous point-cloud of the object. A systematic trajectory adaptation algorithm analyzes the model quality on the fly and dynamically adapts the UAV's trajectory based on parameterized spatial partitioning to intelligently capture new images of poorly covered areas, ensuring comprehensive acquisition. For the final, high-fidelity output, a non-RT pipeline employs a Neural Radiance Fields (NeRF)-based Neural 3D Reconstruction (N3DR) approach, fusing SfM-derived camera poses with precise external location data, evaluated across both radio-based Ultra Wideband (UWB) and visual motion-capture setups, to correct sensor noise and achieve superior accuracy. We implemented and validated this architecture using Crazyflie 2.1 UAVs. Our experiments, conducted in both single- and multi-UAV configurations show that algorithmic dynamic trajectory adaptation consistently improves reconstruction quality over static flight paths. This work demonstrates a scalable and autonomous solution that unlocks the potential of miniaturized UAVs for fine-grained 3D reconstruction, a capability previously reserved for much larger platforms.