Robust Co-design Optimisation for Agile Fixed-Wing UAVs

Fuente: arXiv
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Hauptverfasser: Buda, Adrian Andrei, Chen, Xavier, Botteghi, Nicolò, Fasel, Urban
Format: Preprint
Veröffentlicht: 2026
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author Buda, Adrian Andrei
Chen, Xavier
Botteghi, Nicolò
Fasel, Urban
author_facet Buda, Adrian Andrei
Chen, Xavier
Botteghi, Nicolò
Fasel, Urban
contents Co-design optimisation of autonomous systems has emerged as a powerful alternative to sequential approaches by jointly optimising physical design and control strategies. However, existing frameworks often neglect the robustness required for autonomous systems navigating unstructured, real-world environments. For agile Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) operating at the edge of the flight envelope, this lack of robustness yields designs that are sensitive to perturbations and model mismatch. To address this, we propose a robust co-design framework for agile fixed-wing UAVs that integrates parametric uncertainty and wind disturbances directly into the concurrent optimisation process. Our bi-level approach optimises physical design in a high-level loop while discovering nominal solutions via a constrained trajectory planner and evaluating performance across a stochastic Monte Carlo ensemble using feedback LQR control. Validated across three agile flight missions, our strategy consistently outperforms deterministic baselines. The results demonstrate that our robust co-design strategy inherently tailors aerodynamic features, such as wing placement and aspect ratio, to achieve an optimal trade-off between mission performance and disturbance rejection.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2603_11130
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Robust Co-design Optimisation for Agile Fixed-Wing UAVs
Buda, Adrian Andrei
Chen, Xavier
Botteghi, Nicolò
Fasel, Urban
Robotics
Co-design optimisation of autonomous systems has emerged as a powerful alternative to sequential approaches by jointly optimising physical design and control strategies. However, existing frameworks often neglect the robustness required for autonomous systems navigating unstructured, real-world environments. For agile Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) operating at the edge of the flight envelope, this lack of robustness yields designs that are sensitive to perturbations and model mismatch. To address this, we propose a robust co-design framework for agile fixed-wing UAVs that integrates parametric uncertainty and wind disturbances directly into the concurrent optimisation process. Our bi-level approach optimises physical design in a high-level loop while discovering nominal solutions via a constrained trajectory planner and evaluating performance across a stochastic Monte Carlo ensemble using feedback LQR control. Validated across three agile flight missions, our strategy consistently outperforms deterministic baselines. The results demonstrate that our robust co-design strategy inherently tailors aerodynamic features, such as wing placement and aspect ratio, to achieve an optimal trade-off between mission performance and disturbance rejection.
title Robust Co-design Optimisation for Agile Fixed-Wing UAVs
topic Robotics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.11130