Wire-suspended device control based on wireless communication with multirotor for long reach-aerial manipulation

Abstract

In this study, we propose a long-reach aerial manipulation system with a wire-suspended device that allows the airframe to maintain its position at the desired distance away from the target. We implemented a feedback communication between the multirotor and wire-suspended device to maintain the position of the wire-suspended device directly below the multirotor while maintaining a constant distance from the target. The multirotor communicates its velocity and relative position to the wire-suspended device to control the ducted fans, whereas the wire-suspended device transmits the attitude and distance from the ground to the multirotor to control the winch. The designed controller for the ducted fans allows the wire-suspended device to behave like a long rigid robotic arm. The performance of the designed controller was verified by navigating the multirotor over stepped surfaces while the wire-suspended device was being lowered.