Robust Attitude Control of a 3-DoF Quadcopter Using Feedforward Linearization: A Comparative Study with PID Control

Attitude stabilization of quadcopter platforms remains challenging due to nonlinear rotational dynamics, external disturbances, and actuator limitations. This paper presents a comparative evaluation of a benchmark PID controller and two state-feedback linearization strategies for roll and pitch regulation of a 3-DoF quadcopter test-rig model. The first strategy performs partial cancellation, compensating only for nonlinear gravitational stiffness while retaining the intrinsic damping dynamics, whereas the second performs total cancellation of both linear and nonlinear terms to yield a double-integrator error model. For both cases, a state-feedback law is designed to meet transient-response specifications and ensure stable closed-loop behavior. Simulation results highlight a clear trade-off between response speed and robustness: The PID controller achieves the fastest transient response but demands significantly higher control effort and exhibits reduced robustness under disturbances. Partial cancellation provides improved stability margins and disturbance attenuation with low control effort, while total cancellation achieves a faster compromise but remains more sensitive to uncertainties. The results show that selecting the level of cancellation offers a practical design knob to balance speed, robustness, and actuator economy in laboratory quadcopter attitude control.