Combining a hierarchical task network planner with a constraint satisfaction solver for assembly operations involving routing problems in a multi-robot context

This work addresses the combination of a symbolic hierarchical task network planner and a constraint satisfaction solver for the vehicle routing problem in a multi-robot context for structure assembly operations. Each planner has its own problem domain and search space, and the article describes how both planners interact in a loop sharing information in order to improve the cost of the solutions. The vehicle routing problem solver gives an initial assignment of parts to robots, making the distribution based on the distance among parts and robots, trying also to maximize the parallelism of the future assembly operations evaluating during the process the dependencies among the parts assigned to each robot. Then, the hierarchical task network planner computes a scheduling for the given assignment and estimates the cost in terms of time spent on the structure assembly. This cost value is then given back to the vehicle routing problem solver as feedback to compute a better assignment, closing the loop and repeating again the whole process. This interaction scheme has been tested with different constraint satisfaction solvers for the vehicle routing problem. The article presents simulation results in a scenario with a team of aerial robots assembling a structure, comparing the results obtained with different configurations of the vehicle routing problem solver and showing the suitability of using this approach.Unión Europea ARCAS FP7-ICT-287617Unión Europea H2020-ICT-644271Unión europea H2020-ICT-73166

Aerial Manipulation: A Literature Review

Aerial manipulation aims at combining the versatil- ity and the agility of some aerial platforms with the manipulation capabilities of robotic arms. This letter tries to collect the results reached by the research community so far within the field of aerial manipulation, especially from the technological and control point of view. A brief literature review of general aerial robotics and space manipulation is carried out as well

Mobile-manipulating UAVs for Sensor Installation, Bridge Inspection and Maintenance

A parallel mechanism and smart gripper was designed and mounted on a rotorcraft drone to act as a robotic arm and hand. This empowers the drone to perform aerial manipulation and execute bridge maintenance. Hosing, drilling, and epoxying serve as case studies to test-and-evaluation and verify-and-validate the design. The approach, tasks, and findings are presented and show that the case studies are realizable. Conclusions and recommendations point to employing haptics-based human-in-the-loop approaches that can increase the scope of repair work involved in bridge maintenance

Aerial Robotics – Unmanned Aerial Vehicles in Interaction with the Environment

Defined as technology that provides services and facilitates the execution of tasks (such as observation, inspection, mapping, search and rescue, maintenance, etc.) by using unmanned aerial vehicles equipped with various sensors and actuators, aerial robotics in one of the fastest growing field in research as well as in the industry. While some of the services provided by aerial robots have already been put into practice (for example aerial inspection and aerial mapping), others (like aerial manipulation) are still at the level of laboratory experimentation on account of their complexity. The ability of an aerial robotic system to interact physically with objects within its surroundings completely transforms the way we view applications of unmanned aerial systems in near-Earth environments. This change in paradigm conveying such new functionalities as aerial tactile inspection; aerial repair, construction, and assembly; aerial agricultural care; and aerial urban sanitation requires an extension of current modeling and control techniques as well as the development of novel concepts. In this article we are giving a very brief introduction to the field of aerial robots

Aerial Robotics – Unmanned Aerial Vehicles in Interaction with the Environment

Defined as technology that provides services and facilitates the execution of tasks (such as observation, inspection, mapping, search and rescue, maintenance, etc.) by using unmanned aerial vehicles equipped with various sensors and actuators, aerial robotics in one of the fastest growing field in research as well as in the industry. While some of the services provided by aerial robots have already been put into practice (for example aerial inspection and aerial mapping), others (like aerial manipulation) are still at the level of laboratory experimentation on account of their complexity. The ability of an aerial robotic system to interact physically with objects within its surroundings completely transforms the way we view applications of unmanned aerial systems in near-Earth environments. This change in paradigm conveying such new functionalities as aerial tactile inspection; aerial repair, construction, and assembly; aerial agricultural care; and aerial urban sanitation requires an extension of current modeling and control techniques as well as the development of novel concepts. In this article we are giving a very brief introduction to the field of aerial robots

Aerial Manipulator Force Control Using Control Barrier Functions

This article studies the problem of applying normal forces on a surface, using an underactuated aerial vehicle equipped with a dexterous robotic arm. A force-motion high-level controller is designed based on a Lyapunov function encompassing alignment and exerted force errors. This controller is coupled with a Control Barrier Function constraint under an optimization scheme using Quadratic Programming. This aims to enforce a prescribed relationship between the approaching motion for the end-effector and its alignment with the surface, thus ensuring safe operation. An adaptive low-level controller is devised for the aerial vehicle, capable of tracking velocity commands generated by the high-level controller. Simulations are presented to demonstrate the force exertion stability and safety of the controller in cases of large disturbances

Aerial Robotics for Inspection and Maintenance

Aerial robots with perception, navigation, and manipulation capabilities are extending the range of applications of drones, allowing the integration of different sensor devices and robotic manipulators to perform inspection and maintenance operations on infrastructures such as power lines, bridges, viaducts, or walls, involving typically physical interactions on flight. New research and technological challenges arise from applications demanding the benefits of aerial robots, particularly in outdoor environments. This book collects eleven papers from different research groups from Spain, Croatia, Italy, Japan, the USA, the Netherlands, and Denmark, focused on the design, development, and experimental validation of methods and technologies for inspection and maintenance using aerial robots