Fuzzy Control for a Kite-Based Tethered Flying Robot

Information from the sky is important for rescue activity in large-scale disaster or dangerous areas. Observation system using a balloon or an airplane has been studied as an information gathering system from the sky. A balloon observation system needs helium gas and relatively long time to be ready. An airplane observation system can be prepared in a short time and its mobility is good. However, a long time flight is difficult because of limited amount of fuel. We have proposed and developed a kite-based observation system that complements activities of balloon and airplane observation systems by short preparation time and long time flight[1]. This research aims at construction of the autonomous flight information gathering system using a tethered flying unit that consists of the kite and the ground tether line control unit with a winding machine. This paper proposes fuzzy controllers for the kite type tethered flying robot inspired by how to fly a kite by a human.