Build and control a novel hybrid flying-moving robot

• Main Author: Xu, Xinhang
• Other Authors: Xie Lihua
• Format: Thesis-Master by Coursework
• Language: English
• Published: Nanyang Technological University 2023
• Subjects: Engineering::Electrical and electronic engineering::Control and instrumentation::Robotics
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/168428
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

In this dissertation, the dynamic model and control of DoubleBee, a novel hybrid flying-moving vehicle consisting of two propellers mounted on tilting servo motors and two motor-driven wheels, are presented. DoubleBee exploits the high energy efficiency of a bicopter configuration in aerial mode, and enjoys the low power consumption of a two-wheel self-balancing robot on the ground. Furthermore, the propeller thrusts act as additional control inputs on the ground, enabling a novel decoupled control scheme where the attitude of the robot is controlled using thrusts and the translational motion is realized using wheels. A prototype of DoubleBee is constructed using commercially available components. The power efficiency and the control performance of the robot are verified through comprehensive experiments. Challenging tasks in indoor and outdoor environments demonstrate the capability of DoubleBee to traverse unstructured environments, fly over and move under barriers, and climb steep and rough terrains.