Comparative Analysis of Energy Efficiency and Position Stability of Sub-250 g Quadcopter and Bicopter with Similar Mass Under Varying Conditions
This paper investigates the energy efficiency and positional stability of two types of ultralight unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs)—bicopter and quadcopter—both with mass below 250 g, under varying flight conditions. The study is motivated by increasing interest in low-weight drones due to their regul...
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MDPI AG
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Energies |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/18/14/3728 |
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| author | Artur Kierzkowski Mateusz Woźniak Paweł Bury |
| author_facet | Artur Kierzkowski Mateusz Woźniak Paweł Bury |
| author_sort | Artur Kierzkowski |
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| description | This paper investigates the energy efficiency and positional stability of two types of ultralight unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs)—bicopter and quadcopter—both with mass below 250 g, under varying flight conditions. The study is motivated by increasing interest in low-weight drones due to their regulatory flexibility and application potential in constrained environments. A comparative methodology was adopted, involving the construction of both UAV types using identical components where possible, including motors, sensors, and power supply, differing only in propulsion configuration. Experimental tests were conducted in wind-free and wind-induced environments to assess power consumption and stability. The data were collected through onboard blackbox logging, and positional deviation was tracked via video analysis. Results show that while the quadcopter consistently demonstrated lower energy consumption (by 6–22%) and higher positional stability, the bicopter offered advantages in simplicity of frame design and reduced component count. However, the bicopter required extensive manual tuning of PID parameters due to the inherent instability introduced by servo-based control. The findings highlight the potential of bicopters in constrained applications, though they emphasize the need for precise control strategies and high-performance servos. The study fills a gap in empirical analysis of energy consumption in lightweight bicopter UAVs. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-2247c2fe4ac54d89b85c55ac494ec2d0 |
| institution | Matheson Library |
| issn | 1996-1073 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Energies |
| spelling | doaj-art-2247c2fe4ac54d89b85c55ac494ec2d02025-07-25T13:21:22ZengMDPI AGEnergies1996-10732025-07-011814372810.3390/en18143728Comparative Analysis of Energy Efficiency and Position Stability of Sub-250 g Quadcopter and Bicopter with Similar Mass Under Varying ConditionsArtur Kierzkowski0Mateusz Woźniak1Paweł Bury2Department of Technical Systems Operation and Maintenance, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, 27 Wybrzeże Wyspiańskiego Str., 50-370 Wroclaw, PolandDepartment of Technical Systems Operation and Maintenance, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, 27 Wybrzeże Wyspiańskiego Str., 50-370 Wroclaw, PolandDepartment of Technical Systems Operation and Maintenance, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, 27 Wybrzeże Wyspiańskiego Str., 50-370 Wroclaw, PolandThis paper investigates the energy efficiency and positional stability of two types of ultralight unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs)—bicopter and quadcopter—both with mass below 250 g, under varying flight conditions. The study is motivated by increasing interest in low-weight drones due to their regulatory flexibility and application potential in constrained environments. A comparative methodology was adopted, involving the construction of both UAV types using identical components where possible, including motors, sensors, and power supply, differing only in propulsion configuration. Experimental tests were conducted in wind-free and wind-induced environments to assess power consumption and stability. The data were collected through onboard blackbox logging, and positional deviation was tracked via video analysis. Results show that while the quadcopter consistently demonstrated lower energy consumption (by 6–22%) and higher positional stability, the bicopter offered advantages in simplicity of frame design and reduced component count. However, the bicopter required extensive manual tuning of PID parameters due to the inherent instability introduced by servo-based control. The findings highlight the potential of bicopters in constrained applications, though they emphasize the need for precise control strategies and high-performance servos. The study fills a gap in empirical analysis of energy consumption in lightweight bicopter UAVs.https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/18/14/3728BI copterquadcoptertilting-rotorenergy consumption |
| spellingShingle | Artur Kierzkowski Mateusz Woźniak Paweł Bury Comparative Analysis of Energy Efficiency and Position Stability of Sub-250 g Quadcopter and Bicopter with Similar Mass Under Varying Conditions Energies BI copter quadcopter tilting-rotor energy consumption |
| title | Comparative Analysis of Energy Efficiency and Position Stability of Sub-250 g Quadcopter and Bicopter with Similar Mass Under Varying Conditions |
| title_full | Comparative Analysis of Energy Efficiency and Position Stability of Sub-250 g Quadcopter and Bicopter with Similar Mass Under Varying Conditions |
| title_fullStr | Comparative Analysis of Energy Efficiency and Position Stability of Sub-250 g Quadcopter and Bicopter with Similar Mass Under Varying Conditions |
| title_full_unstemmed | Comparative Analysis of Energy Efficiency and Position Stability of Sub-250 g Quadcopter and Bicopter with Similar Mass Under Varying Conditions |
| title_short | Comparative Analysis of Energy Efficiency and Position Stability of Sub-250 g Quadcopter and Bicopter with Similar Mass Under Varying Conditions |
| title_sort | comparative analysis of energy efficiency and position stability of sub 250 g quadcopter and bicopter with similar mass under varying conditions |
| topic | BI copter quadcopter tilting-rotor energy consumption |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/18/14/3728 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT arturkierzkowski comparativeanalysisofenergyefficiencyandpositionstabilityofsub250gquadcopterandbicopterwithsimilarmassundervaryingconditions AT mateuszwozniak comparativeanalysisofenergyefficiencyandpositionstabilityofsub250gquadcopterandbicopterwithsimilarmassundervaryingconditions AT pawełbury comparativeanalysisofenergyefficiencyandpositionstabilityofsub250gquadcopterandbicopterwithsimilarmassundervaryingconditions |