Dynamic interaction between robot and UAV in aerial manipulation

Aerial manipulation is an emerging field of research, and important applications can be envisaged, such as inspection and maintenance, search and rescue, structure assembly, and logistics. The manipulator transfers forces and torques to the UAV, which affect the UAV position and attitude. This may cause failure or loss of precision in pick and place and assembly operations. In this paper, first, the effect of simple impulsive force and torque disturbances on UAV dynamics is studied. Then, a coupled dynamic model of the UAV and a 1-DOF (Degree of Freedom) manipulator is developed and compared to a simplified decoupled model. Finally, a decoupled dynamic model is proposed for a 3-DOFs manipulator, and the simulation results for a real pick and place operation are presented and discussed. It is evidenced that, in all of the considered scenarios, a lateral displacement of the system is generated during the manipulation in hovering flight, which could jeopardize the manipulator precision.