Collision-Aware Formation Control of Nano-Quadrotors: Theory and Experiments

The deployment of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) has experienced substantial growth across a wide range of real-world applications, including surveillance, military operations, and transportation services. This study addresses the formation control problem in multi-nano-quadrotor systems with a focus on collision avoidance. A theoretical framework is developed using a finite cut-off potential function to prevent collisions both within the formation and with external obstacles. The proposed control algorithm enables nano-quadrotors to asymptotically achieve a desired time-varying formation. The method is implemented and experimentally validated using Crazyflie nano-quadrotors in various indoor scenarios. The results demonstrate the effectiveness of the algorithm in formation tracking and collision avoidance, confirming its practical applicability to real-world UAV operations.