Adaptive Parameter Estimation for Aerial Manipulation

Abstract

This paper proposes a model reference adaptive controller for aerial robots equipped with manipulators for grasping and transporting objects of unknown mass. Through a Lyapunov argument, this estimation and control algorithm is shown to be asymptotically stable when tracking a desired reference trajectory. The adaptive controller is then demonstrated on a quadrotor with a changing total mass, showing that it can track a reference trajectory with sufficient accuracy to pick up a payload and maintain flight stability, despite the sudden change in vehicle parameters induced by the payload. This new adaptive controller is slower to respond to changes in vehicle mass than control strategies that use more conventional mass estimation methods, but it is subject to less noise since it does not make use of accelerometer data, resulting in a smoother control trajectory.