The Quad-Rotor Experimental Platform

This chapter is devoted to the development of a ground station for supervising the aerial vehicle, as well as the development of three quad-rotor experimental platforms. General details concerning the most common sensing technologies available on UAVs are given, as well as the architecture of this kind of experimental platforms. The quad-rotors conceived during the research activities are described in detail. A hierarchical control strategy is introduced, which allows stabilizing the quad-rotor during autonomous flights. The performances of the vehicles are validated in real-time experiments.