Hand-like autonomous flying robot for airborne grasping and interaction

TL;DR

A compact flying robot inspired by human hands can grasp objects and perform tasks like perching and transport, showing promise for aerial delivery and assistance.

Contribution

A novel hand-like aerial robot with integrated flight and grasping capabilities, enabling versatile manipulation and autonomous operation.

Findings

The robot successfully performs perching, object transport, and interactive tasks in outdoor environments.

The autonomous framework enables smooth human-like grasping and supports human-robot collaboration.

Outdoor tests validate the robot's potential for aerial delivery and manipulation in complex settings.

Abstract

Birds’ extraordinary aerial agility and environmental interaction enable complex tasks such as mid-air hunting, perching, and nest-building, inspiring the development of advanced aerial robots with similar manipulation capabilities. However, existing platforms often face challenges such as large size, heavy payloads, end-effector torque interference, and limited functionality, severely restricting their practical deployment. Drawing inspiration from the biological, structural, and actuation characteristics of human hands, we propose a hand-like robot that integrates flight and grasping, demonstrating the synergistic advantages of compact structure, agile flight, and versatile manipulation. We propose an autonomous framework including efficient mission planning and multi-level adaptive control, enabling the robot to precisely and smoothly perform human-like grasping, opening doors, forest perching, object transport, and interactive tasks. Additionally, the framework supports human-robot collaboration, empowering individuals with mobility impairment to conduct remote transportation and airborne operations. Outdoor tests, which include perching in various scenarios, navigating confined spaces, and transporting payloads across challenging terrain, validate the proposed vehicle’s potential in aerial delivery and manipulation tasks. These results demonstrate emerging possibilities for aerial operation, assistance, and delivery with integrated flight and manipulation abilities.

The authors present a compact aerial robot combining flight and grasping for tasks like perching, transport, and collaboration. Outdoor tests confirm its potential for delivery and manipulation in complex environments.

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