1A2-G06 Development of a Vertical Takeoff and Landing Aircraft with a Side Thruster(Aerial Robot and Mechatronics (2))

In this study, we develop a small VTOL aerial robot with a side thruster. The side thruster is a device for generating a lateral force independently. A tail-sitter UAV is the simplest aircraft which has a strong potential to serve search and rescue in the disaster area. However, when the tail-sitter UAV is translating in hovering, the height becomes unstable due to the tilt of the aircraft. By using the side thruster, the tail-sitter UAV can translate while holding the stable height during the hovering. This paper describes the evaluation of the performance of the side thruster, and fundamental experiment of hovering flight with the developed UAV using the side thruster.