Related papers: First free-flight flow visualisation of a flapping…
Autonomous flight of micro air vehicles (MAVs) in unknown, cluttered environments remains challenging for time-critical missions due to conservative maneuvering strategies. This article presents an integrated planning and control framework…
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,…
We introduce Phantom Twist, a type of single-propeller UAV designed to achieve low visibility through high-speed spinning and the exploitation of motion blur. We develop a two-stage automated design pipeline that optimizes the placement of…
Optical flow is a crucial component of the feature space for early visual processing of dynamic scenes especially in new applications such as self-driving vehicles, drones and autonomous robots. The dynamic vision sensors are well suited…
We introduce FalconWing, an ultra-light (150 g) indoor fixed-wing UAV platform for vision-based autonomy. Controlled indoor environment enables year-round repeatable UAV experiment but imposes strict weight and maneuverability limits on the…
Floating-base multi-link robots can change their shape during flight, making them well-suited for applications in confined environments such as autonomous inspection and search and rescue. However, trajectory planning for such systems…
Accurate velocity estimation is critical in mobile robotics, particularly for driver assistance systems and autonomous driving. Wheel odometry fused with Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) data is a widely used method for velocity estimation;…
Miniature Micro Aerial Vehicles (MAV) are very suitable for flying in indoor environments, but autonomous navigation is challenging due to their strict hardware limitations. This paper presents a highly efficient computer vision algorithm…
Accurate prediction of hypersonic flow fields over a compression ramp is critical for aerodynamic design but remains challenging due to the scarcity of experimental measurements such as velocity. This study systematically develops a data…
Aerial robotic arms aim to enable inspection and environment interaction in otherwise hard-to-reach areas from the air. However, many aerial manipulators feature bulky or heavy robot manipulators mounted to large, high-payload aerial…
Morphology of a robot design is important to its ability to achieve a stated goal and therefore applying machine learning approaches that incorporate morphology in the design space can provide scope for significant advantage. Our study is…
In this paper, we consider a scenario where an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) collects data from a set of sensors on a straight line. The UAV can either cruise or hover while communicating with the sensors. The objective is to minimize the…
Rigid link flapping mechanisms remain the most practical choice for flapping wing micro-aerial vehicles (MAVs) to carry useful payloads and onboard batteries for free flight due to their long-term durability and reliability. However, MAVs…
Avian-informed drones feature morphing wing and tail surfaces, enhancing agility and adaptability in flight. Despite their large potential, realising their full capabilities remains challenging due to the lack of generalized control…
Recently, there have been numerous advances in the development of biologically inspired lightweight Micro Aerial Vehicles (MAVs). While autonomous navigation is fairly straight-forward for large UAVs as expensive sensors and monitoring…
The mechanical complexity of flapping wings, their unsteady aerodynamic flow, and challenge of making measurements at the scale of a sub-gram flapping-wing flying insect robot (FIR) make its behavior hard to predict. Knowing the precise…
This work addresses the landing problem of an aerial vehicle, exemplified by a simple quadrotor, on a moving platform using image-based visual servo control. First, the mathematical model of the quadrotor aircraft is introduced, followed by…
Small, low-speed fixed-wing Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) operating autonomously, beyond-visual-line-of-sight (BVLOS) will inevitably encounter winds rising to levels near or exceeding the vehicles' nominal airspeed. In this paper, we…
Flapping wings are a bio-inspired method to produce lift and thrust in aerial robots, leading to quiet and efficient motion. The advantages of this technology are safety and maneuverability, and physical interaction with the environment,…
Due to limitations in available sensor technology, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) lack an active sensing capability to measure turbulence, gusts, or other unsteady aerodynamic phenomena. Conventional in situ anemometry techniques fail to…