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This paper introduces an innovative keypoint-based object detection framework specifically designed for real-time solar farm inspections with UAVs. Moving away from conventional bounding box or segmentation methods, our technique focuses on detecting the vertices of solar panels, which provides a richer granularity than traditional approaches. Drawing inspiration from CenterNet, our architecture is optimized for embedded platforms like the NVIDIA AGX Jetson Orin, achieving close to 60 FPS at a resolution of 1024 \u00d71376 pixels, thus outperforming the camera\u2019s operational frequency. Such a real-time capability is essential for efficient robotic operations in time-critical industrial asset inspection environments. The design of our model emphasizes reduced computational demand, positioning it as a practical solution for real-world deployment. Additionally, the integration of active learning strategies promises a considerable reduction in annotation efforts and strengthens the model\u2019s operational feasibility. In summary, our research emphasizes the advantages of keypoint-based object detection, offering a practical and effective approach for real-time solar farm inspections with UAVs.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/s24030777","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,1,25]],"date-time":"2024-01-25T08:44:07Z","timestamp":1706172247000},"page":"777","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":20,"title":["Real-Time Object Detection for Autonomous Solar Farm Inspection via UAVs"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"24","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0305-7806","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Javier","family":"Rodriguez-Vazquez","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Computer Vision and Aerial Robotics Group, Universidad Polit\u00e9cnica de Madrid (CVAR-UPM), 28040 Madrid, Spain"},{"name":"Centre for Automation and Robotics C.A.R. (UPM-CSIC), Calle Jose Gutierrez Abascal 2, 28006 Madrid, Spain"},{"name":"Department of Artificial Intelligence, Universidad Polit\u00e9cnica de Madrid (UPM), 28031 Madrid, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6839-0709","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"In\u00e9s","family":"Prieto-Centeno","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Computer Vision and Aerial Robotics Group, Universidad Polit\u00e9cnica de Madrid (CVAR-UPM), 28040 Madrid, Spain"},{"name":"Centre for Automation and Robotics C.A.R. (UPM-CSIC), Calle Jose Gutierrez Abascal 2, 28006 Madrid, Spain"},{"name":"Department of Artificial Intelligence, Universidad Polit\u00e9cnica de Madrid (UPM), 28031 Madrid, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3822-075X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Miguel","family":"Fernandez-Cortizas","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Computer Vision and Aerial Robotics Group, Universidad Polit\u00e9cnica de Madrid (CVAR-UPM), 28040 Madrid, Spain"},{"name":"Centre for Automation and Robotics C.A.R. 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