State-of-the-Art Intelligent Flight Control Systems in Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

We discuss state-of-the-art intelligent robotic aircraft with the special focus on evolutionary autopilots for small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Under the umbrella of adaptive autopilots, we highlight the pros and cons of the most widely implemented intelligent algorithms against the navigational and maneuvering capabilities of small UAVs. We present several cutting-edge applications of bioinspired flight control systems that have the capability of self-learning. We also highlight several research opportunities and challenges associated with each technique.Note to Practitioners-Soft computing methods have been widely implemented in numerous engineering applications. Recent advancements in computational technology have enabled the implementations of intelligent autopilots in real time. This paper aims to discuss many aspects of the developments and implementations of soft computing techniques in aerial robotics with the main focus on its flight control systems.