Article
Automation & Control Systems
Huaiyuan Jia, Songnan Bai, Pakpong Chirarattananon
Summary: The development of small multirotor vehicles with higher actuation and adaptability has resulted from the need for physical interactions and aerial manipulation. This study proposes a modular vehicle consisting of flight-capable quadrotors with passively deformable rotor arms. The foldable arms with preloaded elastic components allow for passive reconfiguration through the manipulation of thrust. A docking mechanism enables multiple modules to combine during a mission without human intervention. Experimental results demonstrate the platform's ability to perform perching and handle heavier payloads through thrust vectoring or grip.
IEEE-ASME TRANSACTIONS ON MECHATRONICS
(2023)
Article
Robotics
Amir Jalali, Farrokh Janabi-Sharifi
Summary: This article introduces a new set of compliant aerial manipulators to address the rigidity-related issues faced by traditional aerial manipulation systems. The concept of aerial continuum manipulation system (ACMS) is proposed, along with several conceptual configurations and discussions on the functionalities of ACMSs for different applications. Through comparisons with conventional aerial manipulators and benchmark testing, the advantages of ACMSs are showcased and potential applications are suggested.
FRONTIERS IN ROBOTICS AND AI
(2022)
Article
Robotics
Kazuki Sugihara, Moju Zhao, Takuzumi Nishio, Tasuku Makabe, Kei Okada, Masayuki Inaba
Summary: This article presents an optimized construction method for a humanoid robot equipped with wheels and a flight unit, which enables rapid terrestrial locomotion and expands the locomotion domain to the air. The integrated control framework for aerial, legged, and wheeled locomotion modes is described, and the robot platform successfully achieves multimodal locomotion and aerial manipulation experiments.
IEEE ROBOTICS AND AUTOMATION LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Automation & Control Systems
Seyed Hamed Hashemi, Farrokh Janabi-Sharifi, Amir Jalali
Summary: This paper considers the control problem of aerial continuum manipulation systems (ACMSs) and introduces a new platform for ACMSs featuring a quadrotor equipped with a tendon-bent concentric tube continuum robot. The decoupled dynamic modeling is used to derive the proposed feedback control law. The control design process is divided into two loops: one controls the trajectory of the continuum robot's tip, while the other controls the position and velocity of the quadrotor, ensuring stability of the error dynamic origin. The stability of the closed-loop system is verified using the Lyapunov stability theorem, and simulations demonstrate the efficiency and advantages of the proposed controller.
Article
Automation & Control Systems
Markus Ryll, Davide Bicego, Mattia Giurato, Marco Lovera, Antonio Franchi
Summary: FAST-Hex is a micro aerial hexarotor platform that can adapt its configuration between under-actuated and fully actuated states. It features a lightweight mechanical structure and a flexible motion controller for efficient pose tracking. Through experimental validation, the control performance of FAST-Hex is demonstrated.
IEEE-ASME TRANSACTIONS ON MECHATRONICS
(2022)
Article
Automation & Control Systems
Nursultan Imanberdiyev, Sumil Sood, Dogan Kircali, Erdal Kayacan
Summary: In this paper, a lightweight and low inertia dual-arm manipulator with a center of gravity balancing mechanism is presented for aerial manipulation missions. The system is designed to be easily attached to different multirotors without major modifications, and features adjustable center of gravity, independent arm control, and extended operational capability. The proposed design is robust and demonstrates good stability and performance through finite element analysis and experimental flight tests.
Article
Robotics
Hitesh Bhardwaj, Xinyu Cai, Shane Kyi Hla Win, Shaohui Foong
Summary: This paper presents a novel single-wing aerial vehicle that can fly in both monocopter and bicopter modes and perform a mid-air transition between the two modes. The dynamics and control strategy for the aerial vehicle are described, and a prototype is constructed to verify the proposed concept and control strategy.
IEEE ROBOTICS AND AUTOMATION LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Automation & Control Systems
Huazi Cao, Yongqi Li, Cunjia Liu, Shiyu Zhao
Summary: This paper discusses the tracking control problem of an aerial manipulator and proposes a novel control approach that includes extended state observers (ESOs), ESO-based flight controllers, and a cooperative trajectory planner. Compared to existing approaches, the proposed method requires less measurement information and can estimate the coupling effect with less knowledge about the system model. Experimental results show that the proposed approach achieves an average tracking error of 1 cm, outperforming the PX4 baseline controller's 10 cm performance.
IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON AUTOMATION SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
(2023)
Article
Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence
Andre Coelho, Yuri Sarkisov, Xuwei Wu, Hrishik Mishra, Harsimran Singh, Alexander Dietrich, Antonio Franchi, Konstantin Kondak, Christian Ott
Summary: This paper introduces a passivity-based control framework for multi-task time-delayed bilateral teleoperation and shared control of kinematically-redundant robots. The proposed method allows tasks to be commanded by a remote operator through a haptic device while others are autonomously performed, with the operator being able to switch among tasks without compromising system stability. The efficacy of the approach is demonstrated through its application to the DLR Suspended Aerial Manipulator (SAM) in a real telemanipulation scenario with variable time delay, jitter, and package loss.
JOURNAL OF INTELLIGENT & ROBOTIC SYSTEMS
(2021)
Article
Robotics
Pham H. Nguyen, Karishma Patnaik, Shatadal Mishra, Panagiotis Polygerinos, Wenlong Zhang
Summary: Current aerial robots have limited interaction capabilities in unstructured environments compared to their biological counterparts. This includes problems with collision tolerance, landing or perching on objects with unknown properties, and the added weight of external mechanical impact protection which reduces agility and flight time. In this work, a lightweight, inflatable, soft-bodied aerial robot (SoBAR) is proposed, which can vary its body stiffness to achieve intrinsic collision resilience. SoBAR demonstrates its ability to endure and recover from collisions in different directions, and also improves perching success rates. Additionally, a hybrid fabric-based bistable (HFB) grasper is used to perform contact-reactive grasping using impact energies. The collision resilience, impact absorption, and manipulation capabilities of SoBAR with the HFB grasper are thoroughly studied and compared to conventional aerial robots.
Article
Robotics
Diego S. D'Antonio, Gustavo A. Cardona, David Saldana
Summary: In this study, a catenary robot capable of transporting hook-shaped objects in the environment is designed and controlled using two quadrotors attached to the two ends of a cable. The results demonstrate that the method can be successfully validated in simulations and real robot experiments, and can be executed quickly in real-time.
IEEE ROBOTICS AND AUTOMATION LETTERS
(2021)
Article
Robotics
So Kuroki, Tatsuya Matsushima, Jumpei Arima, Hiroki Furuta, Yutaka Matsuo, Shixiang Shane Gu, Yujin Tang
Summary: In this work, the authors propose a multi-robot push manipulation system that achieves better performance than baselines by incorporating a planner derived from a differentiable soft-body physics simulator into an attention-based neural network. The system demonstrates the ability to generalize to new configurations and adapt to environmental changes.
IEEE ROBOTICS AND AUTOMATION LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Automation & Control Systems
Zhengyang Li, Zhenjing Li, Lap Mou Tam, Qingsong Xu
Summary: This article introduces a versatile quadruped climbing robot (QCR) with multidegree-of-freedom legs and adhesive vacuum suckers. The robot is capable of climbing, omnidirectional locomotion, large obstacle overcoming, and manipulation. The kinematic and quasi-static climbing models have been derived and the robot's performance has been verified through experiments.
IEEE-ASME TRANSACTIONS ON MECHATRONICS
(2023)
Article
Automation & Control Systems
Huixu Dong, Jiadong Zhou, Chen Qiu, Dilip K. Prasad, I-Ming Chen
Summary: In this study, a novel approach is proposed to train a robot for ellipse detection by constructing synthetic images based on three-dimensional point-cloud models. An end-to-end deep neural network is built using synthetic data to perform ellipse detection, achieving superior performance compared to state-of-the-art detectors on synthetic and public datasets. The proposed method is evaluated through a series of robotic manipulations in real application scenarios, demonstrating a high success rate despite being trained on synthetic data.
IEEE-ASME TRANSACTIONS ON MECHATRONICS
(2023)
Article
Robotics
Nathan Bucki, Jerry Tang, Mark W. Mueller
Summary: This article presents a novel quadcopter that can change shape during flight, allowing for four different configurations without the need for additional actuators. The morphing is achieved through rotating hinges, and control constraints prevent unexpected folding or unfolding, allowing the use of existing controllers and trajectory algorithms with minimal added complexity. Experimental results show that the limitations have negligible effect on trajectory tracking performance and the ability to change configurations enables the vehicle to perform various tasks.
IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON ROBOTICS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Alejandro Suarez, Manuel Perez, Guillermo Heredia, Anibal Ollero
Summary: This paper presents an aerial manipulation robot consisting of a hexa-rotor equipped with a 2-DOF Cartesian base that integrates a gripper and a linear force sensor, improving positioning accuracy and energy efficiency. Experimental results demonstrate the robot's performance in object grasping, force control, and force monitoring.
APPLIED SCIENCES-BASEL
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Diego Benjumea, Alfonso Alcantara, Agustin Ramos, Arturo Torres-Gonzalez, Pedro Sanchez-Cuevas, Jesus Capitan, Guillermo Heredia, Anibal Ollero
Summary: This paper presents a UAV localization system designed for infrastructure inspection, combining multiple stereo cameras with a robotic total station to provide full-state estimation. The system can align and fuse all sensor measurements in real-time, meeting the challenging flight requirements of UAVs in infrastructure inspection scenarios.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Jonathan Cacace, Santos M. Orozco-Soto, Alejandro Suarez, Alvaro Caballero, Matko Orsag, Stjepan Bogdan, Goran Vasiljevic, Emad Ebeid, Jose Alberto Acosta Rodriguez, Anibal Ollero
Summary: This paper describes the goals of the AERIAL-CORE project for developing aerial robots to assist human operators in power lines inspection and maintenance, presenting the preliminary designs and experimental results obtained in the first year of the project.
APPLIED SCIENCES-BASEL
(2021)
Article
Robotics
Anibal Ollero, Marco Tognon, Alejandro Suarez, Dongjun Lee, Antonio Franchi
Summary: This article primarily analyzes the evolution and current trends in aerial robotic manipulation, covering different types of aircraft equipped with various robotic manipulators, including cooperative manipulation and multibody design, and finally presenting the vision of future new generation aerial robotic manipulators.
IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON ROBOTICS
(2022)
Editorial Material
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Alejandro Suarez, Jonathan Cacace, Matko Orsag
APPLIED SCIENCES-BASEL
(2022)
Article
Robotics
Diego Gayango, Rafael Salmoral, Honorio Romero, Jose Manuel Carmona, Alejandro Suarez, Anibal Ollero
Summary: This letter focuses on evaluating and comparing the flapping and fixed wing flight modes on a hybrid platform for autonomous inspection operations outdoors. The platform combines the range and endurance of fixed-wing UAVs with the maneuverability and safety of flapping wing during hand launch and capture. A unified model of the platform is derived for both configurations using the Lagrange formulation to express the dynamics and aerodynamic forces. The proposed control scheme exploits the similarities in tail actuation and thrust generation to facilitate adoption on conventional autopilots. Benchmark tests and metrics are defined to evaluate and compare the performance of both modes, including energy efficiency, trajectory tracking, hand launch and capture, and accuracy in visual inspection. Experimental results validate the prototype and demonstrate the higher energy efficiency of the flapping wing mode compared to the fixed wing.
IEEE ROBOTICS AND AUTOMATION LETTERS
(2023)
Proceedings Paper
Robotics
Alejandro Suarez, Anibal Ollero
Summary: This paper presents a comparative study of three operation modes for an aerial manipulation robot, focusing on the lightweight and compliant dual arm manipulators. It also discusses the dynamics and control of the aerial manipulator in different modes.
ROBOT2022: FIFTH IBERIAN ROBOTICS CONFERENCE: ADVANCES IN ROBOTICS, VOL 1
(2023)
Proceedings Paper
Robotics
Daniel Feliu-Talegon, Saeed Rafee Nekoo, Alejandro Suarez, Jose Angel Acosta, Anibal Ollero
Summary: This work focuses on studying the stability problem of flapping-wing flying robots (FWFRs) before take-off while the robot is on a branch. The claw of the FWFR grasps the branch with enough friction, but opens itself before take-off, leading to a change in the mechanical model. The research explores a new methodology to improve the stabilization performance before take-off by controlling an under-actuated lightweight manipulator.
ROBOT2022: FIFTH IBERIAN ROBOTICS CONFERENCE: ADVANCES IN ROBOTICS, VOL 2
(2023)
Proceedings Paper
Engineering, Aerospace
Alejandro Suarez, Rafael Salmoral, Ambar Garofano-Soldado, Guillermo Heredia, Anibal Ollero
Summary: This paper proposes the use of aerial manipulation robots for the inspection and maintenance of power lines in order to decrease performance time. Two use cases are considered, including delivering devices to a device installation robot and delivering tools to human operators quickly and safely. Experimental results validate the proposed application.
2022 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYSTEMS (ICUAS)
(2022)
Proceedings Paper
Automation & Control Systems
Alejandro Suarez, Honorio Romero, Rafael Salmoral, Jose Alberto Acosta, Jesus Zambrano, Anibal Ollero
Summary: This paper introduces an aerial manipulation robot designed for installing bird diverters on power lines, specifically for a model widely used in the Spanish power grid. The risks involved in the operation are analyzed, and the validation process of the robot is described, from indoor testing to outdoor scenarios and flight tests on a power line.
1ST AIRPHARO WORKSHOP ON AERIAL ROBOTIC SYSTEMS PHYSICALLY INTERACTING WITH THE ENVIRONMENT (AIRPHARO 2021)
(2021)
Proceedings Paper
Automation & Control Systems
Inmaculada Armengol, Alejandro Suarez, Guillermo Heredia, Anibal Ollero
Summary: This paper presents the design of a lightweight gripper for the installation of bird diverters, which can be operated by an aerial manipulator. The gripper design includes a claw-type compliant mechanism and an anthropomorphic dual arm system, tested for installation using a teleoperation system.
1ST AIRPHARO WORKSHOP ON AERIAL ROBOTIC SYSTEMS PHYSICALLY INTERACTING WITH THE ENVIRONMENT (AIRPHARO 2021)
(2021)
Proceedings Paper
Automation & Control Systems
Ivan Diez-de-los-Rios, Alejandro Suarez, Ernesto Sanchez-Laulhe, Inmaculada Armengol, Anibal Ollero
Summary: This paper presents a novel flapping wing aerial robot design with servo actuators, aiming for search, rescue, and assistance missions. The proposed modular and reconfigurable design consists of Servo-Flapping Engine modules and a tail servo covered with light nylon cloth. The design is validated through outdoor gliding and flapping tests.
2021 IEEE INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON SAFETY, SECURITY, AND RESCUE ROBOTICS (SSRR)
(2021)
Article
Computer Science, Information Systems
Alejandro Suarez, Rafael Salmoral, Pedro J. Zarco-Perinan, Anibal Ollero
Summary: The use of aerial manipulators for power grid inspection and maintenance requires safe interaction with high voltage power lines. This paper presents experimental results on a real 15 kV power line, investigating different manipulator configurations and the electromagnetic effects associated with interaction with power lines. Comparing the effectiveness of shielding and insulation for aerial manipulators is also discussed.
Article
Robotics
Alejandro Suarez, Victor M. Vega, Manuel Fernandez, Guillermo Heredia, Anibal Ollero
IEEE ROBOTICS AND AUTOMATION LETTERS
(2020)
