Dynamics and Control of Autonomous Flight

This book provides a solid foundation to the exciting world of aerial autonomy, with a focus on their rigid-body dynamics, sensing and state estimation, and low-level stabilization. It discusses low-speed, propeller-driven flight typical of Uncrewed Aerial Systems. A tensor approach to 3D modelling allows for a very general modelling approach, which is then also translated into easy-to-use equations (e.g., for coding a state estimator). Stability theory and simple control approaches are developed from first principles, and again applied to, and illustrated with, examples in flight. Concepts central to the practising aerospace engineer, such as rotation formalisms (rotation matrix, quaternions) and the dynamics of rotation are treated in depth. The book is aimed at those interested in aerial autonomy or robotics and requires only fundamental mathematical background in linear algebra and differential equations. Problems are provided throughout the text to evaluate knowledge.

List of contents

Fundamentals of flight.- Three-dimensional geometry.- Kinematics.- Dynamics of rigid bodies.- Sensing and estimation.- Quadcopter dynamics.- Control and stabilization.- Advanced topics.

Product details

• Authors: Mark Mueller
• Publisher: Springer, Berlin
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Release: 06.09.2025
• EAN: 9783031918704
• ISBN: 978-3-0-3191870-4
• No. of pages: 130
• Illustrations: Approx. 130 p.
• Series: Mathematical Engineering
• Subjects: Natural sciences, medicine, IT, technology > Technology > Mechanical engineering, production engineering; Regelungstechnik, Mathematik für Ingenieure, Luft- und Raumfahrttechnik, Astronautik (Raumfahrttechnik), Flight, Control and Systems Theory, Mechanical Engineering, Engineering mathematics, Aerospace Technology and Astronautics, Dynamics of Autonomous Flight, Autonomous Flight, Control of Autonomous Flight