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Article

ProVANT Simulator: A Virtual Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Platform for Control System Development

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Graduate Program in Electrical Engineering, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte 31270-901, MG, Brazil
2
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Universidade de São Paulo, São Carlos 13566-590, SP, Brazil
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Department of Mechatronics Engineering, Centro Federal de Educação Tecnológica, Divinópolis 35503-822, MG, Brazil
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Department of Management, Information and Production Engineering, University of Bergamo, 24129 Dalmine, BG, Italy
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Department of Automation and Systems Engineering, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis 88035-972, SC, Brazil
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Department of Aerospace Engineering and Fluid Mechanics, Universidad de Sevilla, 41092 Sevilla, Andalucía, Spain
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Department of Electronics Engineering, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte 31270-901, MG, Brazil
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Aerospace 2025, 12(9), 762; https://doi.org/10.3390/aerospace12090762 (registering DOI)
Submission received: 1 July 2025 / Revised: 15 August 2025 / Accepted: 18 August 2025 / Published: 25 August 2025

Abstract

This paper introduces the ProVANT Simulator, a comprehensive environment for developing and validating control algorithms for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). Built on the Gazebo physics engine and integrated with the Robot Operating System (ROS), it enables reliable Software-in-the-Loop (SIL) and Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) testing. Addressing key challenges such as modeling complex multi-body dynamics, simulating disturbances, and supporting real-time implementation, the framework features a modular architecture, an intuitive graphical interface, and versatile capabilities for modeling, control, and hardware validation. Case studies demonstrate its effectiveness across various UAV configurations, including quadrotors, tilt-rotors, and unmanned aerial manipulators, highlighting its applications in aggressive maneuvers, load transportation, and trajectory tracking under disturbances. Serving both academic research and industrial development, the ProVANT Simulator reduces prototyping costs, development time, and associated risks.
Keywords: unmanned aerial vehicles; real-time control validation; flight dynamics and control; software-in-the-loop validation; hardware-in-the-loop validation unmanned aerial vehicles; real-time control validation; flight dynamics and control; software-in-the-loop validation; hardware-in-the-loop validation

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MDPI and ACS Style

Morais, J.E.; Cardoso, D.N.; Rego, B.S.; Andrade, R.; Nascimento, I.B.P.; Pereira, J.C.; Campos, J.M.; Santiago, D.F.; Santos, M.A.; Becker, L.B.; et al. ProVANT Simulator: A Virtual Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Platform for Control System Development. Aerospace 2025, 12, 762. https://doi.org/10.3390/aerospace12090762

AMA Style

Morais JE, Cardoso DN, Rego BS, Andrade R, Nascimento IBP, Pereira JC, Campos JM, Santiago DF, Santos MA, Becker LB, et al. ProVANT Simulator: A Virtual Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Platform for Control System Development. Aerospace. 2025; 12(9):762. https://doi.org/10.3390/aerospace12090762

Chicago/Turabian Style

Morais, Junio E., Daniel N. Cardoso, Brenner S. Rego, Richard Andrade, Iuro B. P. Nascimento, Jean C. Pereira, Jonatan M. Campos, Davi F. Santiago, Marcelo A. Santos, Leandro B. Becker, and et al. 2025. "ProVANT Simulator: A Virtual Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Platform for Control System Development" Aerospace 12, no. 9: 762. https://doi.org/10.3390/aerospace12090762

APA Style

Morais, J. E., Cardoso, D. N., Rego, B. S., Andrade, R., Nascimento, I. B. P., Pereira, J. C., Campos, J. M., Santiago, D. F., Santos, M. A., Becker, L. B., Esteban, S., & Raffo, G. V. (2025). ProVANT Simulator: A Virtual Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Platform for Control System Development. Aerospace, 12(9), 762. https://doi.org/10.3390/aerospace12090762

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