A Comparative Study Between a Classical and Optimal Controller for a Quadrotor

This paper presents a comparison between the Proportional Integral Derivative (PID), a classical controller, and Linear Quadratic Regulator (LQR), an optimal controller, acting on a quadrotor model to control its translational and rotational movements. The complicated dynamic model of a quadrotor based on Newtonian and Euler's laws and fundamental physics principles is simplified to derive a linear mathematical model. The derivation gives the equations that govern a quadrotor's motion concerning the body frame and the inertial frame in the state-space form. This linearized model is utilized to develop the controllers. The performance of the PID control and the optimal regulator established on LQR is compared in various conditions subjected to the Quadrotor model.