Autopilot for Hawk-like Robot: Modeling and Trajectory Tracking Control of an Underactuated Ornithopter

Abstract

This paper studies the modeling problems of a whole ornithopter in the Webots simulator. We introduce the quasi-steady aerodynamics and flapping mechanisms into the simulator. Then a trajectory-tracking project is carried out. With ROS2 integration, we have succeeded in designing a practical autopilot for flapping wing aerial vehicle research. The experimental results show that the ornithopter can not only reach steady flight with moderate thrust and attitude but also track the positional trajectory as expected.