15 research outputs found
Detection, location and grasping objects using a stereo sensor on UAV in outdoor environments
The article presents a vision system for the autonomous grasping of objects with Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) in real time. Giving UAVs the capability to manipulate objects vastly extends their applications, as they are capable of accessing places that are difficult to reach or even unreachable for human beings. This work is focused on the grasping of known objects based on feature models. The system runs in an on-board computer on a UAV equipped with a stereo camera and a robotic arm. The algorithm learns a feature-based model in an offline stage, then it is used online for detection of the targeted object and estimation of its position. This feature-based model was proved to be robust to both occlusions and the presence of outliers. The use of stereo cameras improves the learning stage, providing 3D information and helping to filter features in the online stage. An experimental system was derived using a rotary-wing UAV and a small manipulator for final proof of concept. The robotic arm is designed with three degrees of freedom and is lightweight due to payload limitations of the UAV. The system has been validated with different objects, both indoors and outdoor
Distributed approach for coverage and patrolling missions with a team of heterogeneous aerial robots under communication constraints
Using aerial robots in area coverage applications
is an emerging topic. These applications need a coverage
path planning algorithm and a coordinated patrolling
plan. This paper proposes a distributed approach to
coordinate a team of heterogeneous UAVs cooperating
efficiently in patrolling missions around irregular areas,
with low communication ranges and memory storage
requirements. Hence it can be used with small‐scale
UAVs with limited and different capabilities. The
presented system uses a modular architecture and solves
the problem by dividing the area between all the robots
according to their capabilities. Each aerial robot performs
a decomposition based algorithm to create covering paths
and a ’one‐to‐one’ coordination strategy to decide the
path segment to patrol. The system is decentralized and
fault‐tolerant. It ensures a finite time to share
information between all the robots and guarantees
convergence to the desired steady state, based on the
maximal minimum frequency criteria. A set of
simulations with a team of quad‐rotors is used to
validate the approach
An efficient distributed area division method for cooperative monitoring applications with multiple uavs
This article addresses the area division problem in a distributed manner providing a solution for cooperative monitoring missions with multiple UAVs. Starting from a sub-optimal area division, a distributed online algorithm is presented to accelerate the convergence of the system to the optimal solution, following a frequency-based approach. Based on the “coordination variables” concept and on a strict neighborhood relation to share information (left, right, above and below neighbors), this technique defines a distributed division protocol to determine coherently the size and shape of the sub-area assigned to each UAV. Theoretically, the convergence time of the proposed solution depends linearly on the number of UAVs. Validation results, comparing the proposed approach with other distributed techniques, are provided to evaluate and analyze its performance following a convergence time criterion.European Union’s Horizon 2020 AERIAL-CORE Project Grant 871479CDTI (sPAIN) “Red Cervera” Programme iMOV3D Spanish R&D projec
Computer vision techniques for forest fire perception
This paper presents computer vision techniques for forest fire perception involving measurement of forest fire properties (fire front, flame height, flame inclination angle, fire base width) required for the implementation of advanced forest fire-fighting strategies. The system computes a 3D perception model of the fire and could also be used for visualizing the fire evolution in remote computer systems. The presented system integrates the processing of images from visual and infrared cameras. It applies sensor fusion techniques involving also telemetry sensors, and GPS. The paper also includes some results of forest fire experiments.European Commission EVG1-CT-2001-00043European Commission IST-2001-34304Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia DPI2005-0229
Soft-Tentacle Gripper for Pipe Crawling to Inspect Industrial Facilities Using UAVs
This paper presents a crawling mechanism using a soft-tentacle gripper integrated into an
unmanned aerial vehicle for pipe inspection in industrial environments. The objective was to allow
the aerial robot to perch and crawl along the pipe, minimizing the energy consumption, and allowing
to perform contact inspection. This paper introduces the design of the soft limbs of the gripper and
also the internal mechanism that allows movement along pipes. Several tests have been carried out
to ensure the grasping capability on the pipe and the performance and reliability of the developed
system. This paper shows the complete development of the system using additive manufacturing
techniques and includes the results of experiments performed in realistic environments.Unión Europea SI-1762/23/201
Autonomous UAV System for Cleaning Insulators in Power Line Inspection and Maintenance
The inspection and maintenance tasks of electrical installations are very demanding.
Nowadays, insulator cleaning is carried out manually by operators using scaffolds, ropes, or even
helicopters. However, these operations involve potential risks for humans and the electrical structure.
The use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) to reduce the risk of these tasks is rising. This paper
presents an UAV to autonomously clean insulators on power lines. First, an insulator detection and
tracking algorithm has been implemented to control the UAV in operation. Second, a cleaning tool
has been designed consisting of a pump, a tank, and an arm to direct the flow of cleaning liquid.
Third, a vision system has been developed that is capable of detecting soiled areas using a semantic
segmentation neuronal network, calculating the trajectory for cleaning in the image plane, and
generating arm trajectories to efficiently clean the insulator. Fourth, an autonomous system has been
developed to land on a charging pad to charge the batteries and potentially fill the tank with cleaning
liquid. Finally, the autonomous system has been validated in a controlled outdoor environment.Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (CDTI) AERIAL-CORE H2020 ICT-10-2019-2020FEDER INTERCONECT
Analysis of Forces Involved in the Perching Maneuver of Flapping-Wing Aerial Systems and Development of an Ultra-Lightweight Perching System
Trying to optimize the design of aerial robotics
systems, this work presents an optimized low-weight landing
system for flapping-wing aerial robots. The design, based on the
use of low-sized neodymium magnets, intends to provide that
these aerial robots have the capability of landing in restricted
areas by using the presented solution. This capacity will increase
the application range of these robots. A study of this situation
has been done to analyze the perching maneuver forces and
evaluate the system. The solution presented is low-weight, lowsized, and also relatively inexpensive. Therefore, this solution
may apply to most ornithopter robots. Design, analysis of
the implied forces, development and experimental validation
of the idea are presented in this work, demonstrating that
the developed solution can overcome the ornithopter’s payload
limitation providing an efficient and reliable solutionUnión Europea SI-1867/23/2018 ERC-AD
Robotic System for Inspection by Contact of Bridge Beams Using UAVs
This paper presents a robotic system using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) for
bridge-inspection tasks that require physical contact between the aerial platform and the bridge
surfaces, such as beam-deflection analysis or measuring crack depth with an ultrasonic sensor. The
proposed system takes advantage of the aerodynamic ceiling effect that arises when the multirotor
gets close to the bridge surface. Moreover, this paper describes how a UAV can be used as a sensor that
is able to fly and touch the bridge to take measurements during an inspection by contact. A practical
application of the system involving the measurement of a bridge’s beam deflection using a laser
tracking station is also presented. In order to validate our system, experiments on two different
bridges involving the measurement of the deflection of their beams are shown.Ministerio de Economia, Industria, y Competitividad DPI2015-71524-RComisión Europea H2020-ICT-2015-687384Comisión Europea H2020-MG-2017-76906
Editorial: Soft aerial robots: Design, control, and applications of morphologically adaptive flyers
This is
an open-access article distributed under
the terms of the Creative Commons
Attribution License (CC BY). The use,
distribution or reproduction in other
forums is permitted, provided the
original author(s) and the copyright
owner(s) are credited and that the
original publication in this journal is
cited, in accordance with accepted
academic practice. No use, distribution
or reproduction is permitted which does
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Aeroelastics-aware compensation system for soft aerial vehicle stabilization
This is an
open-access article distributed under
the terms of the Creative Commons
Attribution License (CC BY). The use,
distribution or reproduction in other
forums is permitted, provided the
original author(s) and the copyright
owner(s) are credited and that the
original publication in this journal is
cited, in accordance with accepted
academic practice. No use, distribution
or reproduction is permitted which does
not comply with these terms.This paper describes a compensation system for soft aerial vehicle stabilization. Balancing the arms is one of the main challenges of soft UAVs since the propeller is freely tilting together with the flexible arm. In comparison with previous designs, in which the autopilot was adjusted to deal with these imbalances with no extra actuation, this work introduces a soft tendon-actuated system to achieve in-flight stabilization in an energy-efficient way. The controller is specifically designed for disturbance rejection of aeroelastic perturbations using the Ziegler-Nichols method, depending on the flight mode and material properties. This aerodynamics-aware compensation system allows to further bridge the gap between soft and aerial robotics, leading to an increase in the flexibility of the UAV, and the ability to deal with changes in material properties, increasing the useful life of the drone. In energetic terms, the novel system is 15–30% more efficient, and is the basis for future applications such as object grasping