Ebook: Flight dynamics and system identification for modern feedback control: Avian-inspired robots

Unmanned air vehicles are becoming increasingly popular alternatives for private applications, such as fire fighting, search and rescue, atmospheric data collection and crop surveys. Among these vehicles are avian inspired, flapping wing designs that are both safe to operate near humans and can carry payloads while achieving maneuverability and agility in low speed flight. Conventional methods and tools fall do not offer the desired performance metrics and requirements of such craft. These distinguished authors provide an in depth study of the difficulties associated with achieving controlled performance in flapping wing, avian inspired flight, and offer a new model paradigm using analytical and experimental methods, with which a controls designer may then apply familiar tools. This title consists of eight chapters and covers flapping-wing aircraft and flight dynamics, before looking at nonlinear, multibody modelling as well as flight testing and instrumentation. Later chapters examine system identification from flight test data, feedback control and linearization.