Control of an aerial robot with multi-link arm for assembly tasks

Abstract

This paper deals with aerial manipulators consisting of an unmanned aerial vehicle equipped with a robotic multi-link arm. The paper presents methods for the control of the aerial platform taking into account the motion of the arm. It shows how a Variable Parameter Integral Backstepping controller outperforms the results obtained by using PID controllers. The paper presents a quadrotor with a new arm designed for assembly tasks and the implementation of the proposed control methods. Simulations and outdoor experiments confirm the validity of the proposed approach.