Lightweight Foldable Robotic Arm for Drones

Abstract

In this project, a robotic arm with minimum actuation is designed and analyzed. This design is part of an advanced grasping system for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and includes a foldable arm, case, novel gripper, and vision system. In this paper, the focus is only on the robotic arm and the case of this system. This system consists of a foldable robotic arm mechanism and a case for keeping the arm inside of it during flight. To minimize the weight of the system, the mechanism includes an arm, gripper, and cage, only using one actuator for all motions. A SolidWorks model of this design was developed, motion analysis in SolidWorks was studied, and a prototype of this design was built and tested. This design can be scaled and attached to most UAVs of various sizes.