Dynamics and Control of a Hexacopter Propelled by Three Seesaws

Standard drones propelled by four rotors are under-actuated systems. They use four control inputs to control four degrees of freedom independently. Hexacopters are driven by two more propellers, but since the direction of the total thrust remains normal to the drone's body, still only four degrees of freedom can be controlled independently. In this study, we describe a new hexacopter type consisting of three seesaws. Each seesaw is driven by two propellers, allowing rotation of the seesaw relative to the drone's body. Then, we develop the drone's unique control system and demonstrate its ability to maneuver with six controlled degrees of freedom while propelled by six motors only.