From Model to Prototype: Design and Motor-Flap Propulsion Control of a Twin-Wing Metamorphic UAV

2026-10-06

AI Summary

This study addresses the challenge that conventional fixed-wing control strategies struggle to accommodate dynamic configuration transitions during rotor hover mode for biplane morphing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Taking the MetaMorpher platform as the research subject and building upon flight dynamics modeling, this work proposes an innovative flap phase-synchronized propulsion strategy as a lightweight and decoupled alternative to direct motor control. By integrating numerical simulations with vertical dynamics experiments, a closed-loop validation pipeline spanning conceptual design, algorithm development, and physical prototyping is established. The results demonstrate that the proposed strategy achieves precise reference tracking and exhibits excellent steady-state consistency across varying configurations, successfully enabling stable hover control for morphing UAVs.

Abstract

This paper presents the design and control strategy for MetaMorpher, a metamorphic Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), capable of both spinning-wing hover and fixed flying-wing cruise flight. Since control of the cruise configuration is comparatively well established in the literature, this paper focuses on control of the MetaMorpher in hover mode, building on the flight dynamics model and conceptual design validated in previous work. The control algorithm is implemented using one of two phase-synchronized strategies: motor propulsion, which pulses motor thrust in synchrony with the vehicle's rotation, or flap propulsion, a novel strategy that pulses the deflection of the wing-mounted elevons. We evaluate both strategies in simulation through different flight experiments. Simulation results confirm the mathematical model and show stable reference tracking, demonstrating flap propulsion as a lightweight, decoupled alternative for hover control. Experimental testing validated the vertical-dynamics propulsion model against the physical prototype, demonstrating very good steady-state agreement across different configurations.

Problem

• metamorphic UAV
• hover control
• flap propulsion
• motor propulsion
• vertical dynamics

Innovation

• Metamorphic UAV
• Flap propulsion
• Hover control
• Phase-synchronized strategy
• Elevons