UAV Orientation Estimation via Magnetometer-Informed PDE Modeling

A standalone Python implementation of a rotation matrix evolution framework on the SO(3) manifold for estimating UAV orientation using real-time magnetometer data. This work was carried out independently as part of my contribution to the UAV Tracking & Communication Lab in 2025.

Overview

This project implements a mathematically rigorous model for estimating the 3D orientation of a UAV using data from a 3-axis magnetometer (MLX90392). The model reframes orientation estimation as a partial differential equation (PDE)-driven process on SO(3), allowing for extensibility into optimization, stochastic analysis, and geometric control.

My Contribution

This repository contains only my individual contributions and experiments, completed during my time at the UAV Tracking & Communication Lab. All work here:

• Was developed independently

• Does not contain any proprietary or team-sensitive code or data

• Serves as a personal research artifact demonstrating:

  • Applied Lie Group Theory
  • PDE-constrained estimation
  • Serial data parsing and sensor modeling
  • Orientation tracking algorithms

Getting Started

Prerequisites

• Python 3.8+
• ESP32 S2 Lolin Mini connected to an MLX90392 magnetometer
• Required packages:

pip install numpy pandas scipy pyserial

Usage

To run with live data:

1. Upload Arduino code to stream MLX90392 data over Serial
2. Edit main.py to set the correct COM port
3. Run:

python main.py

To run simulation from stored magnetometer data:

1. Place your magnetometer CSV log as raw.csv in the root folder
2. Run:

python simulator.py

About the Original Lab Work

This project emerged as part of my work at the UAV Tracking & Communication Lab (2025). The version here isolates and refactors that research for broader scientific and technical exploration, particularly in the context of PDE-based estimation and SO(3) manifold modeling.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.

Citation

@misc{srekhi2025uavpde,
  author       = {Simar Rekhi},
  title        = {UAV Orientation Estimation via Magnetometer-Informed PDE Modeling},
  year         = {2025},
  note         = {Standalone contribution at UAV Tracking & Communication Lab},
  howpublished = {\url{https://github.com/simar-rekhi/uav-field-modeling}}
}