Estimation and Control of a Bio-Inspired Morphing Aircraft

An unmanned aerial vehicle has been developed with the ability to reconfigure its structure through morphing, to provide increased performance that will allow the aircraft to perform a bio-inspired perching maneuver similar to those performed by birds. Investigations into the accuracy and computational requirements of methods of estimation and control are needed to determine how various methods can be used for safe, reliable control of the aircraft. This paper discusses various estimation and control methods that could be used to allow the morphing aircraft to perform a desired maneuver. Simulations present some control examples of the aircraft following a set of trajectories, both for the nonlinear aircraft model and its linearized dynamics.