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Design of a High Performance Dual Arm Aerial Manipulator

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ROBOT 2017: Third Iberian Robotics Conference (ROBOT 2017)

Part of the book series: Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing ((AISC,volume 693))

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Abstract

This paper presents the design of a dual arm aerial manipulation robot consisting of a customized hexarotor platform equipped with a lightweight dual arm manipulator. The proposed design is intended to integrate multiple devices required for building a complete aerial manipulation system, including vision and range sensors, on-board computers, communication devices, navigation systems, along with the manipulator. The developed platform will provide optimum performance in terms of flight time and payload taking into account the current technology available for building these kind of aircrafts. The design of the platform also considers vibration isolation, control and stability, and extended workspace for the manipulator. A lightweight (1.8 kg) and human-size dual arm manipulator has been integrated in the developed platform. Each arm provides 5 degrees of freedom (DOF) for end effector positioning and orientation. The arms are built using smart servo actuators and a frame structure manufactured in anodized aluminum. The design is validated through rigidity and modal analysis using finite element methods (FEM). The developed platform has been tested in outdoor flights, evaluating the influence of arms motion over the stability of the platform.

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References

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Acknowledgment

This work has been funded by the Spanish MINECO Retos project AEROMAIN (DPI2014-5983-C2-1-R) and by the H2020 AEROARMS (AErial RObotic system integrating multiple ARMS and advanced manipulation capabilities for inspection and maintenance) Project, Grant Agreement Nº 644271. The research activity of Alejandro Suarez is supported by the Spanish Ministerio de Educacion, Cultura y Deporte FPU Program.

The authors wish to acknowledge the participation of DroneTools for the manufacture and assembly of the multirotor platform.

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Correspondence to Pedro Grau .

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Grau, P., Suarez, A., Vega, V.M., Rodriguez-Castaño, A., Ollero, A. (2018). Design of a High Performance Dual Arm Aerial Manipulator. In: Ollero, A., Sanfeliu, A., Montano, L., Lau, N., Cardeira, C. (eds) ROBOT 2017: Third Iberian Robotics Conference. ROBOT 2017. Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing, vol 693. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-70833-1_59

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-70833-1_59

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-70832-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-70833-1

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