A Versatile Aerial Manipulator Design and Realization of UAV Take-Off from a Rocking Unstable Surface

Abstract

UAVs are one of the fastest types of robots that can be deployed in a remote environment. Unfortunately, they have a limited flight time and therefore may need to stop occasionally in an unknown, uncontrolled area. However, conventional UAVs require flat and stationary surfaces for a safe landing and take-off. Some studies on adaptive landing approach for UAVs can be found in the past, but adaptive take-off from non-flat surfaces has not been discussed for the most part, yet. In this work, we discuss the problems associated with a conventional UAV take-off from non-flat surfaces and provide a novel approach for UAV take-off from a sloped or rocking surface. We also discuss the design of a novel multitasking three-arm aerial manipulator system with parallel link mechanism and achieve the above-mentioned task. With experiments, we show that the system can provide stability for a UAV landing on a rocking surface that allows for a safe take-off.