Dynamic Modeling and Controller Design of a Novel Aerial Grasping Robot

Abstract

This paper presents dynamic modelling, controller design and simulation results of a novel aerial robot dedicated to manipulation and grasping of large-size objects. This robot can be described as a flying hand composed of four fingers, four quadrotors and a body structure. The four quadrotors are arranged so as to allow the full actuation of the body structure in SE(3). This permits the system to maintain its position and attitude while closing the fingers despite external disturbances. The opening/closing motion of each finger is actuated by the yaw rotation of one quadrotor and transmitted through a non-backdrivable worm-gear mechanism so that the hand can produce secured grasps. We design a model predictive controller to deal with unknown mass, inertia and center of mass. The effectiveness of the controller and its robustness against external disturbances and noise are validated through several simulations using ADAMS-SIMULINK co-simulation.