Abstract

This paper proposes to design the ducted-fan singlecopter, a new kind of vertical take off and landing (VTOL) device with promising applications. As its most basic level, the singlecopter is a device features a single propeller that produces thrust and a set of four wings to control navigation and flight maneuvers. In recent years, a growing interest has been clearly shown in both academic researches and industry for aerial platforms, for the purpose of replacing men in dangerous or onerous situations. The singlecopter is a small ducted-fan VTOL unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), which has roughly the same dimensions as a soccer ball and can stay hover for up to 15 minutes in narrow structures such as hallways and tunnels. With its ducted-fan VTOL shape, singlecopter can land safely on the ground in any position and tumble around dangerous obstacles and debris. The flight controller hardware, controller software, as well as mechanical frame for the singlecopter was developed from the ground up. The final singlecopter system is able to maintain flight stability and follow the control of roll, pitch, yaw angle.