Towards Model Predictive Control for Acrobatic Quadrotor Flights

Acrobatic maneuvers of quadrotors present unique challenges concerning trajectorygeneration, control, and execution. Specifically, the flip maneuver requires dynamically feasible trajectories and precise control. Various factors, including rotor dynamics, thrust allocation, and control strategies, influence the successful execution of flips. This research introduces an approach for tracking optimal trajectories to execute flip maneuvers while ensuring system stability autonomously. Model Predictive Control (MPC) designs the controller, enabling the quadrotor to plan and execute optimal trajectories in real-time, accounting for dynamic constraints and environmental factors. The utilization of predictive models enables the quadrotor to anticipate and adapt to changes during aggressive maneuvers. Simulation-based evaluations were conducted in the ROS and Gazebo environments. These evaluations provide valuable insights into the quadrotor’s behavior, response time, and tracking accuracy. Additionally, real-time flight experiments utilizing state- of-the-art flight controllers, such as the PixHawk 4, and companion computers, like the Hardkernel Odroid, validate the effectiveness of the proposed control algorithms in practical scenarios. The conducted experiments also demonstrate the successful execution of the proposed approach. This research’s outcomes contribute to quadrotor technology’s advancement, particularly in acrobatic maneuverability. This opens up possibilities for executing maneuvers with precise timing, such as slingshot probe releases during flips. Moreover, this research demonstrates the efficacy of MPC controllers in achieving autonomous probe throws within no-fly zone environments while maintaining an accurate desired range. Field application of this research includes probe deployment into volcanic plumes or challenging-to-access rocky fault scarps, and imaging of sites of interest. along flight paths through rolling or pitching maneuvers of the quadrotor, to use sensorsuch as cameras or spectrometers on the quadrotor belly.