Computer Vision Group
Prof. Daniel Cremers
Autonomous Navigation for Flying Robots
Lecture 1.4:
Brief History on
Quadrotor Research
Jürgen Sturm
Technische Universität München
Fixed-Wing Airplanes
First motorized flight: 1903 (Wright brothers)
Generate lift through forward airspeed and the shape of the
wings
Attitude controlled by flaps
Jürgen Sturm
Autonomous Navigation for Flying Robots
2
http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/00652085/
CC-BY-SA CJ Kazilek http://askabiologist.asu.edu/how-do-birds-fly
Pressure exerted by slower-moving air
Pressure exerted by faster-moving air
Quadrotors
First successful flight: 1924
Vertical take-off and landing (VTOL)
Problems: stability, control
Jürgen Sturm
Autonomous Navigation for Flying Robots
3
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:De_Bothezat_Quadrotor.jpg
Helicopters
First successful flight: 1936
Swash plate adjusts pitch of propeller cyclically, controls
pitch and roll
Torque is compensated by tail rotor
Jürgen Sturm
Autonomous Navigation for Flying Robots
4
cc licensed ( BY ) flickr photo by Tony Hisgett:
http://flickr.com/photos/hisgett/349272553/
CC-BY-SA-3.0 Richard Wheeler (Zephyris)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:HelicopterSwashPlate_Flat.gif
CC-BY-SA-3.0 Bernd vdB
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Taumel_142_b.png
Micro-Aerial Vehicles (MAVs)
Attitude stabilization using MEMS sensors
Remote-controlled quadrotors
Renaissance in the early 2000’s
Jürgen Sturm
Autonomous Navigation for Flying Robots
5
