A Morphing Quadrotor with Transformable Arms: Modelling, Control and Simulation

A novel morphing quadrotor (MQ) that can adapt to variable task and environment is proposed in this paper. The MQ includes two deformable multi-link support arms that can alter its shape to cross narrow spaces, which increases the versatility of quadrotors. A dynamic model of the MQ is constructed by the Newton-Euler approach, which involves the dynamic of two morphing support arms that will not appear in the conventional multi-rotor UAVs with fixed geometry. Based on the dynamic model, a nonlinear controller is designed to address the attitude stability control of MQ during deformation. Ultimately, the stability of the proposed attitude controller is proved through the Lyapunov method, and numerical simulation tests are performed to validate the effectiveness of the developed MQ system.