Organizational Unit:
Aerospace Design Group
Aerospace Design Group
2006-07
,
Johnson, Eric N.
,
Turbe, Michael A.
Small ducted fan autonomous vehicles have potential for several applications, especially
for missions in urban environments. This paper discusses the use of dynamic inversion with
neural network adaptation to provide an adaptive controller for the GTSpy, a small ducted
fan autonomous vehicle based on the Micro Autonomous Systems' Helispy. This approach
allows utilization of the entire low speed flight envelope with a relatively poorly understood
vehicle. A simulator model is constructed from a force and moment analysis of the vehicle,
allowing for a validation of the controller in preparation for flight testing. Data from flight
testing of the system is provided.