Robotic aircraft refueling: a concept demonstration

Abstract

A testbed has been developed to support experimental evaluation of the enabling technologies necessary for autonomous refueling. The goal of the refueling research project was to demonstrate the component technologies for a robotic-refueling concept. The project was divided into two areas: visual servoing and compliant control. The research accomplishments that lead to a successful concept demonstration are described. The refueling testbed is outlined. Visual servoing research is reviewed. Implementation and analysis of compliant control of the nozzle is presented. Research directions are discussed. Initial evaluations have successfully demonstrated algorithms for port detection, visual servoing, and compliant control of nozzle motion and insertion.< <ETX xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">&gt;</ETX>