Wind-Aware Aerial Deployment and Control Strategy for Precision Landing of Single-Actuator Autorotating Wing

Abstract

The Samara Autorotating Wing (SAW) is a bioinspired autorotating glider capable of both controlled autorotation and diving modes. This work presents control and deployment strategies that enable precision landing of the platform from low altitude. The proposed control approach leverages cyclic control and a dive maneuver to improve landing accuracy. The deployment strategy is developed by updating parameters in a simulated model to reflect real-world performance under varying wind conditions, and then using the model to predict feasible release regions for specified wind direction, speed, and altitude. A total of 56 deployments were conducted from 60 m altitude in both low-wind (< 5 ms−1) and high-wind (> 5 ms−1) conditions representative of the local climate. The platform achieved landings within 10 m of the target in 89% of low wind trials and 57% of high-wind trials. These results highlight the potential of SAW platform for applications requiring high precision remote sensor deployment.