A Self-Rotating Tri-Rotor UAV for Field of View Expansion and Autonomous Flight

Abstract

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) perception relies on onboard sensors like cameras and LiDAR, which are limited by the narrow field of view (FoV). We present Self-Perception INertial Navigation Enabled Rotorcraft (SPINNER), a self-rotating tri-rotor UAV for the FoV expansion and autonomous flight. Without adding extra sensors or energy consumption, SPINNER significantly expands the FoV of onboard camera and LiDAR sensors through continuous spin motion, thereby enhancing environmental perception efficiency. SPINNER achieves full 3-dimensional position and roll--pitch attitude control using only three brushless motors, while adjusting the rotation speed via anti-torque plates design. To address the strong coupling, severe nonlinearity, and complex disturbances induced by spinning flight, we develop a disturbance compensation control framework that combines nonlinear model predictive control (MPC) with incremental nonlinear dynamic inversion. Experimental results demonstrate that SPINNER maintains robust flight under wind disturbances up to 4.8 \,m/s and achieves high-precision trajectory tracking at a maximum speed of 2.0\,m/s. Moreover, tests in parking garages and forests show that the rotational perception mechanism substantially improves FoV coverage and enhances perception capability of SPINNER.

Figures (8)

• Figure 1: Autonomous waypoint navigation of SPINNER in a forested environment. (A) SPINNER is equipped with three rotors and motors, a first-person view (FPV) camera, and a tilted LiDAR (Mid 360). (B) Through self-rotation, the vertical FoV is extended from $59^\circ$ to $139^\circ$. (C) The FPV camera captures a wider visual scene due to the UAV's self-rotation. (D)–(E) The real flight process and the corresponding 3D point cloud map in the forest. The flight trajectory is shown as a red path. The video is available at https://hari-robotics.github.io/SPINNER-ICRA-2026/.
• Figure 2: Overview of the UAV platform and components.
• Figure 3: The developed software system in real-world experiment.
• Figure 4: Yaw rate response of the UAV with different plate configurations. (A) Snapshot of a real flight experiment with SPINNER equipped with a drag plate. (B) Schematic of plate configurations with a fixed length of 77 mm and widths of 20 mm, 30 mm, and 40 mm, respectively. (C) Experimental results showing the yaw rate responses for the three plate sizes.
• Figure 5: Trajectory tracking in an indoor environment. (A) Overlaid snapshots of SPINNER autonomously following a lemniscate trajectory. (B) Trajectory tracking performance at a maximum velocity of $2.0\,\mathrm{m/s}$. (C) Time histories of thrust and state responses under the proposed control system.