Generalized Design, Modeling and Control Methodology for a Snake-like Aerial Robot

Area of Science:

• Robotics
• Aerospace Engineering
• Control Systems

Background:

• Snake-like robots have advanced significantly, with recent developments focusing on aerial capabilities beyond traditional bio-inspiration.
• Aerial snake-like robots offer potential for complex maneuvering and manipulation, crucial for industrial surveillance and disaster rescue operations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce a novel modular aerial robot designed for high maneuverability, functioning as a snake-like robot in flight.
• To develop generalized modeling and control methods for enabling advanced aerial manipulation capabilities.

Main Methods:

• Proposed a unique thrust vectoring apparatus with dual rotors to generate three-dimensional thrust forces.
• Developed a generalized modeling method using dynamics approximation for allocating wrench to thrust forces and vectoring angles.
• Created a generalized control framework capable of managing both under-actuated and fully actuated robot models.

Main Results:

• Demonstrated the flight stability of the proposed snake-like aerial robot through experimental results on two distinct platforms.
• Validated the effectiveness of the generalized modeling and control methods for achieving high maneuverability.

Conclusions:

• The developed modular snake-like aerial robot exhibits high maneuverability in flight.
• The proposed generalized modeling and control methods provide a robust foundation for future snake-like aerial robot development and applications in mid-air maneuvering and manipulation.