A Hybrid Controller Design for Human-Assistive Piloting of an Underactuated Blimp

TL;DR

This paper presents a hybrid control system for indoor underactuated blimps that seamlessly switches between manual commands and automatic stabilization, enhancing stability without perceptible delays.

Contribution

It introduces a preemptive hybrid controller with a switching mechanism that improves stability and responsiveness in human-assisted piloting of underactuated blimps.

Findings

The controller maintains stability within human perception delays.

Seamless switching enhances pilot control experience.

Automatic stabilization operates effectively in real-time.

Abstract

This paper introduces a novel solution to the manual control challenge for indoor blimps. The problem's complexity arises from the conflicting demands of executing human commands while maintaining stability through automatic control for underactuated robots. To tackle this challenge, we introduced an assisted piloting hybrid controller with a preemptive mechanism, that seamlessly switches between executing human commands and activating automatic stabilization control. Our algorithm ensures that the automatic stabilization controller operates within the time delay between human observation and perception, providing assistance to the driver in a way that remains imperceptible.