Abstract Hominin fossilised trackways are commonly used to reconstruct locomotory behaviour and to characterise track-maker biometrics. They are the most direct representation of hominin locomotion available, yet the fossil sites are susceptible to extreme cases of erosion and weathering, often resulting in the destruction of the fossil beds, as was the case at two prehistoric footprint sites: Formby Point and Happisburgh, UK. Footprints can also be found in easily deformable sediments where the excavator can unintentionally trample and destroy the prints, as occurred at Formby Point, UK. There is the need for non-destructive methods to be identified that can rapidly record the fossil area before further damage can occur to the fossil beds. Because current methods of 3D data capture (laser scanning or photogrammetry) can be invasive (i.e., the excavator is often required to trample the sediment layer during data capture), non-invasive methods need to be explored to circumvent issues in advertently destroying fossil material. In this project, a series of experiments using non-invasive methods tested the applicability of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) technology combined with photogrammetry to rapidly and accurately record footprints before further damage to the fossil interface occurred. Various flight paths, UAVs, cameras and capture types (video versus camera stills) were incorporated to test the accuracy in minute depth reconstruction and subsequent 3D mesh creation of small, intricate detail. Shape and size, the consequence of poorly reconstructed depth dimensionality of surfaces, were found to be affected by flight path and by the height of the UAV, indicating that the most optimal method of recording tracks is to use a handheld DSLR camera following a circular or rastered flight path. Despite attempts to utilise UAV technology, inaccurate reconstructions of footprint topography were produced. Although UAV technology produced unreliable reconstructions, UAVs remain a technological solution when sites may be at immediate risk of destruction, as was the case at Happisburgh, UK. The deployment of UAV technology will permit the digital preservation of fossil material which would otherwise be lost.

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非侵入性方法：无人机技术在记录化石足迹中的适用性

摘要人化石化的航迹通常用于重建机车行为并表征航迹制造者的生物特征。它们是现有人类运动的最直接代表，但化石位点易受极端侵蚀和风化的影响，常常导致化石层的破坏，就像史前两个足迹区一样：福比比角和哈皮斯堡，英国。在容易变形的沉积物中也可以发现脚印，在这种情况下，挖掘机可能会无意间践踏并破坏脚印，例如在英国Formby Point发生的情况。需要鉴定出能够快速记录化石面积的非破坏性方法，然后才能对化石层进行进一步破坏。由于当前的3D数据捕获方法（激光扫描或摄影测量）可能具有侵入性（即，通常在数据采集过程中需要挖掘机踩踏沉积物层），需要探索非侵入性方法来规避意外破坏化石材料的问题。在该项目中，一系列使用非侵入性方法的实验测试了无人机技术与摄影测量技术相结合的适用性，以便在对化石界面造成进一步破坏之前迅速而准确地记录足迹。结合了各种飞行路径，无人机，摄像机和捕获类型（视频还是摄像机静止图像），以测试分钟深度重建以及随后的3D网格创建细微，复杂细节的准确性。发现形状和大小是表面深度尺寸重建不佳的结果，受飞行路径和无人机高度的影响，表示记录轨迹的最佳方法是沿着圆形或栅格飞行路径使用手持式DSLR相机。尽管尝试利用无人机技术，但仍产生了不正确的覆盖区地形重建。尽管无人机技术产生了不可靠的重建结果，但当场地可能面临直接破坏的危险时，无人机仍是一种技术解决方案，例如在英国Happisburgh。无人机技术的部署将允许对化石材料进行数字保存，否则这些化石材料将会丢失。当站点可能面临直接销毁的风险时，无人飞行器仍然是一种技术解决方案，例如在英国Happisburgh。无人机技术的部署将允许对化石材料进行数字保存，否则这些化石材料将会丢失。当站点可能面临直接销毁的风险时，无人机仍然是一种技术解决方案，就像英国Happisburgh的情况一样。无人机技术的部署将允许对化石材料进行数字保存，否则这些化石材料将会丢失。