Fuzzy Control for Helicopter Aviation International Master Student in Mechatronics:

Helicopter aviation is a difficult task that requires simultaneous manipulation of several controls in order to achieve a desired movement. Development of knowledge and skills are required for a person to be able to safely and efficiently navigate a helicopter. Therefore, the question was raised on whether there is a possibility to develop a robust agent that will act as an intermediate between the user and the helicopter conventional controls, which will enable even inexperienced users to fly a helicopter. Fuzzy Logic control is found suitable for this application, as it provides possibility to model human experience and skills. The helicopter fuzzy logic controller that was developed is capable to control the vertical displacement and orientation of a developed mathematical helicopter model. A Graphic User’s Interface (GUI) has also been implemented to provide ability to the user to interactively change the parameters of the simulation, and perform different experiments and simulations. The GUI is also used to convey information back to the user by graphical representations or numerical displays. The whole system, mathematical helicopter model, fuzzy logic controller and GUI were developed using MatLab and its tools (Simulink, Fuzzy Logic Toolbox, and GUI Toolbox). The performance of the controller was found satisfactory as both the desired altitude and the heading are achieved and maintained. This first step has set the basis for further study and development of a fully autonomous aerial vehicle. Fuzzy Control for Helicopter Aviation