The SamarEye: A biologically inspired autonomous vehicle

Indoor flight is a new and challenging environment for unmanned aerial systems (UAS). To better explore this new flight regime, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) developed a novel biologically inspired rotorcraft called SamarEye to compete in the 2009 and 2010 International Aerial Robotics Competitions (IARC). ERAU´s approach to this competition was a unique aerodynamic configuration called a monocopter. During the 2009 competition, the first known autonomous flight of a monocopter was demonstrated. This paper discusses the many constraints of the monocopter platform and how they affected the design of the control system, electrical system, and the sensor suite.