• Journal of the Korean Society of Manufacturing Process Engineers
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.109-117
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• 2018

The experimental results are presented of an autonomous flight algorithm of a foldable quadcopter with airdrop launching functions. A foldable wing structure enabled the quadcopter to be inserted into a rocket container with limited space. The foldable quadcopter was then separated from the rocket in the air. The flight pattern was tracked using a global positioning system (GPS) with various sensors, including an inertial measurement unit (IMU) module until a designated target position was reached. Extensive field tests were conducted through an international rocket competition, ARLISS 2017, which was held in Black Rock Desert, Nevada, USA. The flight trajectory record of the experiments is stored in electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM) embedded in the main control unit. The flight record confirmed that the quadcopter successfully separated from the rocket, executed flight toward the target for a certain length of time, and stably landed on the ground.