Altitude Control of Small Helicopters using a Prototype Test Bed

In this paper we present an experimental test bed for the development and evaluation of control systems for unmanned helicopters. The test bed consists of a small unmanned helicopter, mounted on a flying stand that permits all possible movements but prevents the helicopter from damaging or crashing. A fuzzy controller is developed in MATLAB and tested in the helicopter using the test bed. The controller is able to perform hovering and altitude control. Experimental results are presented for various test cases.