Self-assembling Modular Aerial Robot for Versatile Aerial Tasks

TL;DR

This paper introduces LEGION, a modular aerial robot system capable of in-flight self-assembly and reconfiguration, enabling versatile manipulation and navigation in complex environments.

Contribution

The paper presents a novel reconfigurable modular aerial robot that self-assembles mid-flight for cooperative manipulation, combining nimbleness with robust physical interaction.

Findings

Multiple units autonomously dock and form a flying manipulator outdoors.

Self-reconfigurability allows switching between individual flight and collective manipulation.

The system performs primitives like pushing, pulling, rotating, grasping, and carrying.

Abstract

Multirotor aerial robots excel at maneuvering in three-dimensional space, and recent advances enable nimble navigation in cluttered and confined environments, especially for small airframes. By contrast, platforms built for high-altitude work tend to be larger to deliver high thrust for stable physical interaction with the environment. However, these conflicting design requirements create a long-standing trade-off between nimble navigation and robust aerial manipulation. Here, we present LEGION units, which are reconfigurable modular aerial robots capable of in-flight self-assembly for cooperative manipulation, drawing inspiration from the self-organized collectives formed by ants. Each unit retains nimble maneuverability while joint-equipped docking interfaces at both ends enable end-to-end self-assembly into a flying manipulator. We show that multiple units autonomously dock in flight; once latched, they maintain a zero-clearance interlock by controlling the contact force and torque, enabling reliable aggregation and articulated motion even outdoors. We further show that self-reconfigurability enables morphological switching between nimble individual flight and collective articulated manipulation, while realizing core in-flight manipulation primitives including pushing, pulling, rotating, grasping, and carrying. LEGION's self-organization enables aerial robots, especially in swarms, to shift from passive observers to active participants in their environment, broadening the scope of aerial physical interaction.