RotorPy: A Python-based Multirotor Simulator with Aerodynamics for Education and Research

Simulators play a critical role in aerial robotics both in and out of the classroom. We present RotorPy, a simulation environment written entirely in Python intentionally designed to be a lightweight and accessible tool for robotics students and researchers alike to probe concepts in estimation, planning, and control for aerial robots. RotorPy simulates the 6-DoF dynamics of a multirotor robot including aerodynamic wrenches, obstacles, actuator dynamics and saturation, realistic sensors, and wind models. This work describes the modeling choices for RotorPy, benchmark testing against real data, and a case study using the simulator to design and evaluate a model-based wind estimator.
Comment: Appearing as a contributed paper in "The Role of Robotics Simulators for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles" workshop at the 2023 International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA). See more at https://imrclab.github.io/workshop-uav-sims-icra2023/