We describe the design and implementation of a modular vertical takeoff and landing vehicle, which can be assembled and flown in an unlimited number of arbitrary configurations. This vehicle is intended to be used as a testbed for evaluating distributed estimation and control algorithms. We present the custom hardware, dynamics model, method of state estimation, and a parameterized control strategy capable of controlling any flight-feasible configuration of the vehicle. In terms of the control strategy, we describe a method for optimizing its parameters in order to achieve the best possible performance subject to the system's physical constraints. We then show a straightforward method of mapping the configuration space of our vehicle to the control parameter space. Experimental results are included, demonstrating flight for a variety of configurations both indoors and outdoors.

Abstract-This paper introduces the Distributed Flight Array which is being developed at ETH Zurich. This multipropeller platform consists of autonomous single-propeller modules that are able to drive, dock with their peers, and fly in a coordinated fashion. These modules are organized as distributed computational units with minimal sensory input. This is a complex system that is rich in dynamics with much room to explore various strategies of distributed estimation and control. Several demonstrations in docking, driving, and flight have proven its feasibility.

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Abstract-This paper discusses distributed average consensus in the context of a distributed embedded system with multiple agents connected through a communication network. Adversities such as switching of network topologies, agents joining or leaving the network, and communication link creation or failure may arise in these systems. To address these difficulties, we propose an asynchronous implementation of a distributed average consensus algorithm that has the following properties: (1) unbiased average, (2) homogeneous implementation, (3) robustness to network adversities, (4) dynamic consensus, and (5) well-defined tuning parameters. We demonstrate an application of the implementation on a specific distributed embedded system, the Distributed Flight Array, where we solve two average consensus problems to estimate altitude and tilt of the vehicle from multiple distance measurements.

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