The Flying Machine Arena as of 2010 (Final Version)

Video overview of the ETH Flying Machine Arena (FMA) as of 2010. The FMA is an indoor 1000-cubic meter volume dedicated for research in autonomous systems and aerial robotics. It's located in Zurich, Switzerland.

http://www.FlyingMachineArena.org

video: Sergei Lupashin and Angela Schöllig

FMA: Sergei Lupashin, Angela Schöllig, Markus Hehn, Raffaello D'Andrea

• Category

  Science & Technology

[Chris Townsend]

i see how it pitches and rolls but how dose it yaw/spin?

[PianoManX2]

Can I intern here?

[Dareeude]

As you know, the quad-copter has 4 propellers. 2 of them goes clockwise and the other 2 goes counter-clockwise. Thus when you take som power off the clockwise propellers and add that missing thrust to the other pair, it will turn counter-clockwise, because of the superior momentum created by the counter-clockwise pair. That's basicly it, search for tri/quad-copter on google to learn more.

[premiermc]

ready for skynet ;)

[GTXAbunada]

Well theoretically speaking, it should not able to; However, due to the design of the propeller, they don't only blow air upwards/downwards, but they also blow marginally less air horizontally parallel to the propeller. You configure the propellers and rotation direction so that the yaw moments balance out so that it doe not spin when you don't want it to. Then you vary the speed of the propellers to vary the air blowing to the side and thus spin.

[Hamster1147]

The blades rotate in opposite directions. When you want to spin you speed up one set and slow down the other to cause a gyro effect.

[fashnek]

It's the Balancing Cube. You can watch another video about it.

[Chris Townsend]

ha, thanks. actually i own one now :)

[rellits000]

rotors go slower/faster on diagonal sides

[LdB76]

Is the last one 3D printed ?

[rasmasyean]

I'm not quite sure I get the point of this research? Is it to try to design different types of quadracopters to see how they aerodynamically behave. Because I don't relly see how this is "practically" autonomous. There will never be cameras all arround the vehicle to detect those "balls" in order to send wireless flight control data to it.