Search and Retrieve with a Fully Autonomous Aerial Manipulator

The system presented is an autonomous multirotor-based aerial manipulator that is capable of searching an environment, visually identifying a payload, and performing a pick-and-place type maneuver. Full 3D trajectories for the search stage of the flight are predefined, with the grasping maneuver generated dynamically once the payload is identified. The manipulator and payload interactions with the multirotor base are actively compensated for by the controller to ensure stable flight during all maneuvers. Experimental results are analyzed to evaluate the performance of the system.