The Spinning Blimp: Design and Control of a Novel Minimalist Aerial Vehicle Leveraging Rotational Dynamics and Locomotion

TL;DR

The Spinning Blimp addresses the need for energy-efficient, low-cost aerial vehicles by combining a buoyant helium balloon with a passive pendulum-like stabilization mechanism enabled by spinning wings. A simplified control stack leverages height control via $\omega_z$ and bang-bang switching for planar translation, supported by a Newtonian/Euler model with reduced dynamics that capture buoyancy, drag, and lift $k_{lift}\omega_z^2$. The work contributes a complete vehicle design, a tractable mathematical model with Lyapunov-based stability analyses, and four experimental demonstrations (hover endurance, triangle and Lissajous tracking, and random-walk exploration) illustrating long endurance, robust planar control, and safe indoor operation. With an approximate $20$ US$ for parts, the Spinning Blimp offers a practical platform for patrolling, localization, and environmental monitoring, and points toward scalable swarm applications through future work on rendezvous, formation, and flocking.

Abstract

This paper presents the Spinning Blimp, a novel lighter-than-air (LTA) aerial vehicle designed for low-energy stable flight. Utilizing an oblate spheroid helium balloon for buoyancy, the vehicle achieves minimal energy consumption while maintaining prolonged airborne states. The unique and low-cost design employs a passively arranged wing coupled with a propeller to induce a spinning behavior, providing inherent pendulum-like stabilization. We propose a control strategy that takes advantage of the continuous revolving nature of the spinning blimp to control translational motion. The cost-effectiveness of the vehicle makes it highly suitable for a variety of applications, such as patrolling, localization, air and turbulence monitoring, and domestic surveillance. Experimental evaluations affirm the design's efficacy and underscore its potential as a versatile and economically viable solution for aerial applications.

Figures (9)

• Figure 1: Spinning Blimp in action.
• Figure 2: Components: 1) chassis, 2) foam core wing rib, 3) cellophane, 4) hot glue stick, 5) balsa wood s, 6) IMU, 7) flight computer, 8) DC motor driver, 9) LiPo Battery, 10) DC brushed motor, 11) mylar balloon, and 12) elastic string.
• Figure 3: Electronics mounted on the Spinning Blimp.
• Figure 4: Diagram of coordinate reference frames in the world reference frame and body reference frame attached to the center of gravity (CG) of Spinning Blimp (left) and the relevant forces contributing to the dynamics of the system (right).
• Figure 5: Control Block Diagram for position control.