Design, development and testing of a Hybrid Fixed-Flapping wing UAV

In this work we present a novel Hybrid Fixed-Flapping Wing UAV. It consists of an ornithopter equipped with an additional propeller that allows it to fly in fixed and flapping wing modes separately. The UAV has been designed to have adequate performance on the envelope zone of each mode. The paper includes the analysis of the flight envelope and the computation of the optimum switching zone. The result is an unique 800g UAV with an extended operational range. Combined performances are, higher velocity and lower maneuverability in fixed-wing mode and efficient flight at low velocity offering good maneuverability in flapping-wing mode. Additionally, a novel active roll wing deformation system and a removable bumper-skid protection module have been designed and implemented. An experimental demonstration of the visual inspection system, as a preliminary test for the application to high-voltage power lines inspection is presented. Indoor flights for a preliminary power consumption evaluation and outdoor flights to demonstrate the efficient in-flight switching capability are presented.