@conference {96, title = {Omni-Plus-Seven (O 7 + ): An Omnidirectional Aerial Prototype with Minimal Uni-directional Thrusters}, booktitle = {2020 International Conference on Unmanned Aircraft Systems (ICUAS)}, year = {2020}, month = {2020/09}, publisher = {IEEE}, organization = {IEEE}, address = {Athens, Greece}, abstract = {

The aim of this paper is to present the design of a novel omnidirectional Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) with seven uni-directional thrusters, O 7 +. The paper formally defines the O + design for a generic number of propellers and presents its necessary conditions; then it illustrates a method to optimize the placement and orientation of the platform{\textquoteright}s propellers to achieve a balanced O + design. The paper then details the choice of the parameters of the O 7 + UAV, and highlights the required mechanical and electrical components. The resultant platform is tested in simulation, before being implemented as a prototype. The prototype is firstly static-bench tested to match its nominal and physical models, followed by hovering tests in multiple orientations. The presented prototype shows the ability to fly horizontally, upside down and at a tilted angle.

}, author = {Mahmoud Hamandi and Kapil Sawant and Marco Tognon and Antonio Franchi} }