Numerical Simulation of a Novel Cargo Handling Strategy: Using a Centralized Cable-Linked Dual-Multirotor System

The cable-suspended transportation using multiple UAVs has gradually gained attention in UAV logistics fields over the past decade, owing to their greater efficiency compared to a single UAV transportation with heavy manipulators. This study further developed a centralized cable-linked dual-multirotor system prototype, which is expected to handle cargo of arbitrary shape and weight, attached with two hooks for loading, transporting, and unloading. To realize this, we proposed a novel Tug-of-War (ToW) method for loading/unloading and a modeling approach for transportation that treats the cargo as a disturbance. The control algorithm of the system adopted a hybrid control strategy formed by combining the model reference adaptive nonlinear model predictive control (MRA-NMPC) and the geometric control. The numerical simulation results successfully demonstrated the performance of the dualmultirotor system, and the feasibility of the ToW method was verified.