Quadcopter Modeling in Virtual Reality for Dynamic Visualization

Abstract

This study presents an alternative approach to observe the works of the quadcopter control system through virtual reality display, in which real-time human-computer interactions are possible. By using Simulink software, the control systems are designed in form of three block diagrams with progressive complexity and programmed into a three-channel joystick. The first block diagram shows the translational movement according to the joystick behavior to move forward, backward, left, right, and throttle. The second block diagram is combined with the first diagram and added the rotational movement with maximum angle alteration of 57 degrees in each attitude movement. Continuous movement on circular trajectory was also analyzed to comprehend the correlation between the heading angle with the position vector. The third block diagram is the culmination of all diagrams and added the PID control to improve the stability in maneuver. The results show that the movement of quadcopter in virtual reality facilitate user to perceive the dynamic visualization of translational and rotational movement, thus it can also be of advantage for educational purpose. The integration of virtual reality and control system also reveal the vector position and generated angle, thus any possible error in the algorithm used can be precisely solved.