Koziol, Scott M.2016-01-142016-01-142015-122015-11-10December 2http://hdl.handle.net/2104/9555Industrial robotics, military, surveying, and delivery applications have laid a foundation for research into full autonomy of machines, including Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV). This thesis supports this research by surveying the methods used to guide UAVs, and developing a new method by combining potential fields, typically used for obstacle avoidance, and proportional navigation, a popular missile guidance algorithm. The new algorithm modifies the old algorithms to allow a UAV to track an optimal path to, and rendezvous with, a moving target while avoiding obstacles in its path. A model for a quad rotor style UAV is developed and controlled using feedback linearization. A simulator is built for deploying a number of environments and taking performance measurements. Aspects of the hardware implementation are introduced.application/pdfenPotential fields. Proportional navigation. Guidance. Control. Unmanned aerial vehicle. Quad rotor. UAV. Path planning. Autonomous. Autonomy. Velocity control.ThesisWorldwide access.2016-01-14