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This paper presents a lifting-wing multirotor UAV that allows long-range flight. The UAV features a lifting wing in a special mounting angle that works together with rotors to supply lift when it flies forward, achieving a reduction in…
Inspection for structural properties (surface stiffness and coefficient of restitution) is crucial for understanding and performing aerial manipulations in unknown environments, with little to no prior knowledge on their state.…
The PrandtlPlane aircraft has been recently considered as a possible candidate to foster the ambition of a greener aviation. Despite the relevant amount of research carried out in the last years, several aspects of this novel configuration…
To enable autonomous wind estimation for energy-efficient flight in small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), this study proposes a method that estimates flight states and wind using only the low-cost essential onboard sensors required for…
State estimation and control is a well-studied problem in conventional aerial vehicles such as multi-rotors. But multi-rotors, while versatile, are not suitable for all applications. Due to turbulent airflow from ground effects,…
Aerial manipulation (AM) expands UAV capabilities beyond passive observation to contact-based operations at high altitudes and in otherwise inaccessible environments. Although recent advances show promise, most AM systems are developed in…
Birds exhibit a variety of flight styles, primarily classified as flapping, which is characterized by rapid up-and-down wing movements, and soaring, which involves gliding with wings outstretched. Each species usually performs specific…
Autonomous landing on sloped terrain poses significant challenges for small, lightweight spacecraft, such as rotorcraft and landers. These vehicles have limited processing capability and payload capacity, which makes advanced deep learning…
Aeroelastic structures, from insect wings to wind turbine blades, experience transient unsteady aerodynamic loads that are coupled to their motion. Effective real-time control of flexible structures relies on accurate and efficient…
The Gravity Assisted Maneuver has been applied in lots of space missions, to change the spacecraft heliocentric velocity vector and the geometry of the orbit, after the close approach to a celestial body, saving propellant consumption. It…
Aerial robots the size of a honeybee (~100 mg) have advantages over larger robots because of their small size, low mass and low materials cost. Previous iterations have demonstrated controlled flight but were difficult to fabricate because…
This study offers an interdisciplinary approach to movement technique analysis, designed to deal with intensive interaction between an environment and a trainee. The free-fall stage of skydiving is investigated, when aerial maneuvers are…
Drones, like most airborne aerial vehicles, face inherent disadvantages in achieving agile flight due to their limited thrust capabilities. These physical constraints cannot be fully addressed through advancements in control algorithms…
We investigate how localized inhomogeneity affects the geometry and stability of migratory bird formations. We use a lifting-line model with a horseshoe-vortex representation to describe the longitudinal dynamics of aerodynamic…
The influence of out-of-plane and in-plane contact vibrations and temperature on the friction force acting on a sharp tip elastically pulled on a crystal surface is studied using a generalized Prandtl- Tomlinson model. The average friction…
Here we present the design of an insect-scale microrobot that generates lift by spinning its wings. This is in contrast to most other microrobot designs at this size scale which rely on flapping wings to produce lift. The robot has a wing…
Advanced mobility concepts such as Urban Air Mobility are emerging in full swing. In that concept, a safe and efficient aviation transportation system will use highly automated aircraft that will transport passengers or cargo at low…
We experimentally study the aeroelastic instability boundaries and three-dimensional vortex dynamics of pitching swept wings, with the sweep angle ranging from 0 to 25 degrees. The structural dynamics of the wings are simulated using a…
Insect flight motors are extraordinary natural structures that operate efficiently at high frequencies. Structural resonance is thought to play a role in ensuring efficient motor operation, but the details of this role are elusive. While…
This study uses numerical simulations to analyze a flat-plate with air films generated via parallel and tandem injections under freestream conditions of Ma=15 at an altitude of H=60km. Simulations are carried out using various mass flow…