A Ducted Fan UAV for Safe Aerial Grabbing and Transfer of Multiple Loads Using Electromagnets

TL;DR

This paper introduces a coaxial ducted fan UAV with external electromagnets for safe, efficient aerial grasping and transfer of multiple loads, including direct human-UAV cargo transfer, verified through flight tests.

Contribution

The paper presents a novel ducted fan UAV design with electromagnets for safe, contactless payload handling and direct human transfer, addressing safety and payload limitations of traditional UAVs.

Findings

Successful midair grasping of multiple loads using electromagnets

Effective attitude control during payload transfer

Verification through flight tests demonstrating practical capabilities

Abstract

In recent years, research on aerial grasping, manipulation, and transportation of objects has garnered significant attention. These tasks often require UAVs to operate safely close to environments or objects and to efficiently grasp payloads. However, current widely adopted flying platforms pose safety hazards: unprotected high-speed rotating propellers can cause harm to the surroundings. Additionally, the space for carrying payloads on the fuselage is limited, and the restricted position of the payload also hinders efficient grasping. To address these issues, this paper presents a coaxial ducted fan UAV which is equipped with electromagnets mounted externally on the fuselage, enabling safe grasping and transfer of multiple loads in midair without complex additional actuators. It also has the capability to achieve direct human-UAV cargo transfer in the air. The forces acting on the loads during magnetic attachment and their influencing factors were analyzed. An ADRC controller is utilized to counteract disturbances during grasping and achieve attitude control. Finally, flight tests are conducted to verify the UAV's ability to directly grasp multiple loads from human hands in flight while maintaining attitude tracking.