@conference {2020j-HamSawTogFra, title = {Omni-Plus-Seven (O7+): An Omnidirectional Aerial Prototype with a Minimal Number of Uni-directional Thrusters}, booktitle = {2020 Int. Conf. on Unmanned Aircraft Systems}, year = {2020}, month = {07/2020}, address = {Athens, Greece}, abstract = {The aim of this paper is to present the design of a novel omnidirectional Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) with seven uni-directional thrusters, called O+7. The paper formally defines the O+ design for a generic number of propellers and presents its necessary conditions; then it illustrates a method to optimize the placement and orientation of the platform{\textquoteright}s propellers to achieve a balanced O+ design. The paper then details the choice of the parameters of the O7+ UAV, and highlights the required mechanical and electrical components. The resultant platform is tested in simulation, before being implemented as a prototype. The prototype is firstly static-bench tested to match its nominal and physical models, followed by hovering tests in multiple orientations. The presented prototype shows the ability to fly horizontally, upside down and at a tilted angle.}, attachments = {https://homepages.laas.fr/afranchi/robotics/sites/default/files/2020j-HamSawTogFra.pdf , https://homepages.laas.fr/afranchi/robotics/sites/default/files/2020j-HamSawTogFra.mp4}, author = {Mahmoud Hamandi and Kapil Sawant and Marco Tognon and Antonio Franchi} }