Innovative and Frugal Design of a Modular and Reconfigurable System of UAVs

The growing demand for agile and adaptive aerial systems has led to significant advances in model-building technologies, with increasing interest in modular and reconfigurable Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). This project investigates the prototyping of a system of UAVs (here of the quadcopter type) capable of assembling and disassembling in mid-flight to form larger structures or navigate in narrow environments. In contrast to existing approaches that slightly adapt a structure to make the UAV modular, we propose an innovative and frugal design of the frame from scratch that integrates, in particular, original (cone-shaped) attachment devices which can allow certain degrees of freedom with neighbors, propeller protections for safety with the surrounding environment, and other design tricks. The study presents a comprehensive approach encompassing mechanical design, 3D prototyping, and first-flight control to meet the challenges associated with modular and reconfigurable aerial systems.

Conference paper

Accepted in the 26th French Congress of Mechanics, special session on Mechatronics and Robotics