INRoL
Interactive & Networked Robotics Laboratory
Department of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering
Seoul National University
AERIAL MANIPULATION
LASDRA with Joint Locking
We present experimental results of LASDRA with a joint locking mechanism to verify the performance and effectiveness of the system with trajectory tracking and object transportation experiments. In the LASDRA system, the payload of the end-effector is determined by the payload of the distal link only, thus we adopt a lightweight joint locking mechanism to lock adjacent links so that it can increase the maximum payload by distributing the payload to the neighborhood, at the same time, to meet a tight weight budget. 3-link LASDRA system can transport a 1.28 kg object with joint locking while the maximum payload without joint locking is 0.4 kg. (IEEE Spectrum (2022))
RVM (Robot-based Vibration Suppression Modules)
RVM is an easily snap-attachable/detachable two-rotor module with all sensors (i.e., IMU), battery and computing onboard, so that, by simply attaching many of them distributedly on a very slender flexible object, they can help to transport/manipulate the object while providing load-sharing and vibration-suppression capabilities. To maximize these capabilities under the current battery-rotor technology limitation, RVM two-rotor design is optimized. Further, how to optimally place multiple RVMs on the bar-like flexible object with sensing/actuation uncertainties taken into account is also elucidated. (ICRA2020, RSS Pioneer workshop)
Flying-LASDRA: Autonomous Outdoor Flying
We perform outdoor autonomous flying experiment of flying-LASDRA (aka f-LASDRA) system, constructed with multiple ODAR-8 links (https://youtu.be/S3i9NspWtr0) connected via cable with each other. Each ODAR-8 can compensate for its own weight, rendering f-LASDRA scalable. Utilizing SCKF with IMU/GNSS-module on each link and inter-link kinematic-constraints, we attain estimation accuracy suitable for the stable control of flying while maintaining internal shape by using only standard GNSS, not RTK-GPS (<5cm: cf. 1-5m w/ GNSS). (ICRA2019, IEEE Spectrum (2019))
LASDRA (Large-Size Aerial Skeleton w/ Distributed Rotor Actuation)
We present experimental results of a novel robotic system, LASDRA (large-size aerial skeleton w/ distributed rotor actuation), which consists of two 1.5m fully-actuated links, making 3m long 6-DOF manipulation system with weight of only 10kg, an order of magnitude lighter than that of similar-size electrical/hydraulic motor robots. The LASDRA system is scalable, can be made arbitrarily long, dexterously-articulated, yet, still light/slender . Shown here are its end-effector trajectory tracking and valve turning experiments. (ICRA2018)
ODAR (Omni-Directional Aerial Robot)
The ODAR (omni-directional aerial robot) is a fully-actuated aerial platform, that can generate arbitrary control wrench in se(3) by six opportunistically distributed rotors, each driven by reversible ESC (electronic speed controller) so that it can realize such powerful behaviors impossible with conventional multi-rotor flying platforms as resisting sideway gust while keeping its attitude and exerting downward pushing force larger than its own weight. (IROS2016, TMECH2018, also featured in IEEE Spectrum (2017, 2018))
SmQ (Spherically-Connected multi-Quadrotor) Platform
SmQ platform is a new platform for aerial manipulation, which consists of a tool (or frame) with multiple quadrotors connected to that by spherical joints, acting as distributed rotating thrust generators. Lyapunov control design is performed while taking into account the spherical joint limits in a form of real-time constrained optimization. (IROS2015, TRO2018, also featured in IEEE Spectrum (2015, 2017))
QM (Quadrotor-Manipulator) System
We show that, similar to rigid-body dynamics in SE(3), the QM-system also consists of two decoupled dynamics: 1) center-of-mass dynamics in E(3) with under-actuation and gravity; and 2) the “internal rotational” dynamics, which assumes the form of standard manipulator dynamics with full-actuation and no gravity. Utilizing this, we design backstepping control, that allows us to achieve coarse(platform)-fine(manipulator) control as well as cooperative manipulation of multiple QM systems. (ICRA2014, ICRA2015)
QT (Quadrotor-Tool) System
We propose a novel control framework to enable a quadrotor to operate a tool attached on it. We fully characterize the internal dynamics of the spatial quadrotor tool operation, which arises due to the quadrotor’s under-actuation, and elucidate a seemingly counter-intuitive necessary condition for the internal stability, that is, the tool-tip should be located above the quadrotor’s center-of-mass. We further manifest that this internal dynamics can exhibit finite-time escape and propose a stabilizing action to prevent that. (DSCC2012, IROS2013, Automatica2015)