Description:

eVTOL aircraft represent an emerging technology with applications in urban air mobility and future transportation systems. Research is currently underway in the MS.G to mechanically design and prototype a small-scale eVTOL platform. This research will build on this by developing and validating control algorithms for the three critical phases of eVTOL operation: hover, transition, and forward flight. Utilising a motion capture system for high-precision experimental validation, the project will implement and evaluate control strategies that ensure stable flight across these challenging flight regimes.

Objectives

• Model and simulate the eVTOL in its various flight configurations
• Design robust control systems for stabilising the aircraft during hover operations
• Develop transition controllers to manage the complex aerodynamics when shifting between vertical and horizontal flight
• Implement efficient control strategies for forward flight configurations
• Create a comprehensive control architecture that smoothly integrates all flight phases
• Validate controller performance using a motion capture system in laboratory conditions
• Analyse energy consumption and flight efficiency across different flight regimes

Key skills/interests:

Mathematical modelling, control design, trajectory generation.

Expected outputs:

1x MSc (Eng), 1x Journal/Conference paper in a leading publication.

Supervisors:

Arnold Pretorius (MechatronicSystems.Group, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering)

Eligibility:

• Full-time student working on campus
• Undergraduate GPA of at least 70%