Control Algorithm Design for Transformable Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV)

Abstract

The transformable Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is a robot made in the Center for Distributed robotics at the University of Minnesota which can transform between a fixed wing and a quad-rotor state making it highly adjustable and usable. Its quad-rotor state can be used to fly the vehicle using energy stored in the batteries. Once the stored energy is close to being depleted, it can transition into its fixed wing state that can harness the solar energy. However, because the solar aerial robot is unmanned, it requires a control algorithm in the autopilot firmware to change the geometry during the flight. The control algorithm will be used to program the autopilot firmware to make the vehicle fly. This project’s goal is developing these control algorithms and test them on the transformable solar unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).