Classification of Aerial Manipulation Systems and Algorithms for Controlling the Movement of Onboard Manipulator

Instrumentation of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) with devices for physical interaction with ground-based objects is a popular scientific branch in the domain of robotics. Physical interaction of an onboard aerial manipulation system with objects complicates the UAV stabilization process, what, in turn, impairs the positioning of UAV and reduces navigational accuracy of the moving end of the mechanism. In this paper, the problem of the manipulator motion control for an unmanned aerial vehicle is considered. We also propose algorithms for the calculation of the angles of joints of the manipulator, based on the solutions of the direct and inverse kinematics problems. The developed algorithms ensure retaining of the center of mass of an aerial manipulator system on the vertical axis and minimum displacement of the center of mass horizontally when moving the end mechanism along the reference trajectory. © 2021, Springer Nature Switzerland AG.