Developments in Control Authority for Flapping-Wing Micro-Aerial Vehicles

Abstract

Bio-inspired flight at the insect scale encourages aspirations of unmatched speed and agility. However, flapping-wing micro-aerial vehicles are subject to unique challenges in control, including constraints in computation, sensing, and actuation; extreme disturbances relative to the vehicles’ small size; and modeling complexity of the underactuated flapping-wing system. I introduce control and modeling strategies tailored to the unique qualities of flapping-wing flight, applying these methods in flight with the Harvard RoboBee, an 86 mg flapping-wing micro-aerial vehicle, with dramatic improvements to vehicle characterization and performance. Through this work, the RoboBee achieves full control authority for the first time, opening the door to aggressive maneuvers, full sensor utility, and robust flight; anticipating applications beyond the lab and within unconstrained environments.