Trajectory Optimization for Multicopter UAV Lateral Flight

Trajectory optimization for multicopter UAV lateral flight demonstrated for flip maneuver during vertical and horizontal displacements. This code sets up and solves a nonlinear program (NLP) using the CasADi software toolbox. More details about the implementation formulation are given in the Time-optimal trajectory planning for multicopter lateral flight.pdf file, which provides a comparison of the proposed solution with the one shown in [1], by using the code provided in the Electronic Supplementary Material section in this link. This code is used to obtain training data in [2].

Setup for CasADi in Matlab for Windows

Download CasADi binaries from this link, unzip the files and place them in a directory of your choice. Then, in Matlab, run the following command depending on the file you downloaded.

addpath('<yourpath>/casadi-3.6.6)

In order to run this command each time Matlab starts, run

open startup.m

and paste addpath('<yourpath>/casadi-3.6.6) in the startup.m file.

Demonstration Video

The Youtube video in this link shows the results of each of the main files. The slides used for the video are shown in the Time-optimal trajectory planning for multicopter lateral flight_Presentation.pdf file.

Main Files

• Trajectory_Optimization_for_Multicopter.m : Sets up and solves the trajectory optimization problem NLP using the CasADi software toolbox considering the multicopter lateral flight dynamics shown in [1].
• Trajectory_Optimization_for_Multicopter_w_Rot_Dyn.m : Sets up and solves the trajectory optimization problem NLP using the CasADi software toolbox considering multicopter lateral flight dynamics that include rotational dynamics.

Support Files

• plot_optimal_states_and_inputs.m : Plots the optimal state and input trajectories over time, using the .mat files that can be obtained from the main files.
• Create_Multicopter_vertical_motion_animation.m : Creates an animation for the vertical displacement with a flip optimal maneuver, using the .mat files that can be obtained from the main files.
• Create_Multicopter_horizontal_motion_animation.m : Creates an animation for the horizontal displacement with a flip optimal maneuver, using the .mat files that can be obtained from the main files.

Citing work

• [1] Hehn, M., Ritz, R., & D’Andrea, R. (2012). Performance benchmarking of quadrotor systems using time-optimal control. Autonomous Robots, 33, 69-88.
• [2] Phelps, A., Paredes Salazar, J. A., & Goel, A. (2025). Data-driven Fuzzy Control for Time-Optimal Aggressive Trajectory Following. arXiv preprint arXiv:2504.06500.