Banking Turn of High-DOF Dynamic Morphing Wing Flight by Shifting Structure Response Using Optimization

TL;DR

This paper presents a control method for a bio-inspired bat robot that enables high-DOF dynamic wing morphing and banking maneuvers using optimization-based control in simulation.

Contribution

It introduces an optimization-based control approach for complex wing dynamics, enabling agile maneuvers in a bio-inspired robotic system.

Findings

Controller successfully tracks desired roll in simulation

Banking maneuver demonstrated feasibility

Optimization approach handles complex wing dynamics

Abstract

The 3D flight control of a flapping wing robot is a very challenging problem. The robot stabilizes and controls its pose through the aerodynamic forces acting on the wing membrane which has complex dynamics and it is difficult to develop a control method to interact with such a complex system. Bats, in particular, are capable of performing highly agile aerial maneuvers such as tight banking and bounding flight solely using their highly flexible wings. In this work, we develop a control method for a bio-inspired bat robot, the Aerobat, using small low-powered actuators to manipulate the flapping gait and the resulting aerodynamic forces. We implemented a controller based on collocation approach to track a desired roll and perform a banking maneuver to be used in a trajectory tracking controller. This controller is implemented in a simulation to show its performance and feasibility.