Dielectric elastomer bender actuator applied to modular robotics

Abstract

We propose a new method to control a multi-rotor aerial vehicle. We show that the system dynamics are differentially flat. We utilize the differential flatness of the system to provide a feed forward input. The system model derived allows for arbitrary changes in yaw and is not limited to small roll and pitch angles. We demonstrate in hardware the ability to follow a highly maneuverable path while tracking a time-varying heading command.