Runway-less take-off and landing for fixed wing UAVs

This PhD will explore new paradigms in precision point-landing and launch of fixed wing unmanned aircraft, through employing controlled robotic UAV energy absorption and deceleration devices.

Fixed wing (FW) aircraft have significant advantages over multirotor aircraft in terms of flight endurance, payload capacity and energy efficiency. But, they require runways that make their use impossible for urban UAV applications. The aim is to research and develop runway-less take-off and landing methods for fixed wing UAVs and therefore transforming applications such as parcel shipping, infrastructure inspection and surveillance.

Hybrid FW VTOL solutions have been proposed however the additional weight, complexity and efficiency penalties negatively impact the desirable capabilities of FW UAVs.

This research requires a high level of flight autonomy which links our research project "UKRI Trustworthy Autonomous Systems Verifiability Node" focused on providing a focal point for verification research in the area of autonomous systems, linking to national and international initiatives. The TAS Node aims to ensure developers can design trustworthy autonomous systems for dynamic environments and provide evidence of their trustworthiness.

Objectives: A) Perform analysis, high fidelity optimization and simulation of a UAV robotic deceleration system.

B) Devise, analyse, physically model and evaluate (at scale) energy dissipation systems that minimize undesirable inertial, frictional and stiction effects.

C) Devise, analyse, physically model and evaluate (at scale) launch systems that can be paired with the energy dissipation system.

D) Undertake full-scale simulation of active deceleration system during a UAS landing, incorporating a real world validated actuator model. E) Conduct validation experimental flight tests for the developed methods.

Success Measures: Physically demonstrate our controlled energy absorption system exerting ~5g deceleration, at 1:4 scale (at 25% energy) [~5kg, 16 m/s vel., 1.5m distance, ~650J energy].

In high fidelity simulation, demonstrate peak deceleration ~5g over 1 wingspan incorporating a realistic, validated physical actuator model based on 1:4 scale experimental platform