Modeling and Control of Aerial Continuum Manipulation Systems: A Flying Continuum Robot Paradigm

In this paper, a novel aerial manipulation paradigm, namely an aerial continuum manipulation system (ACMS) is introduced. The proposed system is distinct from the conventional aerial manipulation systems (AMSs) in the sense that instead of conventional rigid-link arms a continuum robotic arm is used. Such an integration will enable the benefits of continuum arms especially in cluttered and less structured environments. Despite promising advantages, modeling and control of ACMS involve several challenges. The paper presents decoupled dynamic modeling of ACMS arm using the modified Cosserat rod theory. To deal with the problem of complexity and high level of modeling uncertainties, a robust adaptive control approach is proposed for the position control of ACMS and its stability is proven using Lyapunov stability theorem. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed scheme is validated in a simulated environment.