Indoor vision-controlled helicopter

I demonstrate a simple PD controller on my vision-based helicopter control system.

A ring of IR lights shine on three reflectors on the target. The computer tracks them and computes the helicopter's pose and position 120 x's a second. You can see the spots on the black window in the computer screen, and the estimated pose as the white heli on the blue screen (hard to see compressed). The computer then sends radio control signals and flies the heli.

Here, it is trying to hover. The simple controller causes a lot of oscillation because the dynamics are "non-minimum phase." This means that it goes in the opposite direction from its command for a split second, then goes the way you told it. Motorcycles do the same thing.

The simple controller is pretty confused, but it still works. I am working on better control algorithms that should fly it more smoothly.