Design of the autonomous micro helicopter muFly

In this paper, the design of two prototypes of the autonomous micro helicopter muFly is introduced. These prototypes have been built and flown in untethered test flights. The rotor configuration and steering principle selection of the prototypes are discussed according to the specifications, and the selection of a coaxial configuration with a swash plate steering of the lower rotor is justified based on dynamic simulation results. The two prototype designs are shown and discussed with special attention paid to their respective system integration issues, which are solved. Finally, the prototypes are compared and conclusions for future designs of autonomous micro helicopters are drawn.

Research highlights
► The coaxial rotor configuration suppresses undesired rotor cross-coupling.
► Swash plate steering leads to larger output amplitudes.
► A modular design easily violates the total mass restriction.
► A fully integrated design is the only way to have the required hardware onboard.