A Modular Continuum Manipulator for Aerial Manipulation and Perching

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel modular cable-driven continuum manipulator designed for aerial drones, aiming to improve contact compliance and stability during manipulation tasks, supported by modeling and preliminary experiments.

Contribution

The paper presents a new lightweight, modular continuum manipulator with a comprehensive kinematic, static, and stiffness model tailored for aerial drone integration.

Findings

Successful prototype development and validation

Enhanced manipulation feasibility demonstrated

Insights into manipulator stability and compliance

Abstract

Most aerial manipulators use serial rigid-link designs, which results in large forces when initiating contacts during manipulation and could cause flight stability difficulty. This limitation could potentially be improved by the compliance of continuum manipulators. To achieve this goal, we present the novel design of a compact, lightweight, and modular cable-driven continuum manipulator for aerial drones. We then derive a complete modeling framework for its kinematics, statics, and stiffness (compliance). The framework is essential for integrating the manipulator to aerial drones. Finally, we report preliminary experimental validations of the hardware prototype, providing insights on its manipulation feasibility. Future work includes the integration and test of the proposed continuum manipulator with aerial drones.