Design and Analysis of a Multiple Tentacle System for Mobile Manipulation in Micro Aerial Vehicles

Abstract

In this paper authors present a novel mechanical design for tentacle system for mobile manipulation in small MAVs (micro aerial vehicles) and its kinematic analysis of a single DOF (degree of freedom) tentacle system to be used for various possible operations. The main objective of this paper is to introduce a simple but effective tentacle design for MAVs and its kinematic analysis. The tentacle system is cable-driven, using two servos, 3D printed, and 9.5 cm long and weighs 0.1 kg [1]. Recent advancements in mobile manipulation facilitate aerial robots to perform various tasks that flying-only vehicles can't do. Conventional mobile manipulation systems are designed to have dexterous light-weighted manipulators installed in the body of aerial vehicles to enable interactions with the environment including welding, object pickup and release, and even cooperative task assignment. One of greatest challenges in mobile manipulation is additionally attached of manipulators in the limited payload of aerial vehicles. However, most of the dexterous mobile manipulators still add enormous payloads to the aerial vehicles. In this paper, a tentacle based mobile manipulator has been developed, analyzed in its kinematics, tested for operations, and discussed for future applications.