Pushing and Rotating a Heavy Mass Rigid Body Using an Omnidirectional Aerial Manipulator

This paper presents the pushing and rotation of a heavy rigid body using an omnidirectional actively tilted aerial manipulator, controlled via a hybrid force/position controller. Unlike conventional unmanned aerial vehicles, the proposed system enables precise horizontal force application, making it ideal for aerial physical interaction tasks. The hybrid controller is implemented in the Robot Operating System and validated through extensive simulations in a Gazebo physics-engine-based environment. The manipulator's performance was evaluated in two scenarios: circular trajectory tracking and the rotation of a heavy rigid mass. Results demonstrated its capability to follow complex trajectories with high accuracy and exert sustained forces for object manipulation. The system exhibited excellent stability and precision, underscoring its potential for real-world applications in challenging environments.

I. Introduction

Traditionally, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have been employed for tasks such as aerial inspection, photography, and surveillance, proving indispensable in hazardous environments [1]–[4]. However, many of these tasks require direct physical interaction with the environment [5]–[9]. This need for aerial physical interaction (APhI) has led to the modification of UAVs into aerial manipulators, which combine UAV platforms with robotic arms or manipulators. The degrees of freedom (DoFs) of these manipulators, along with tip sensing and actuation capabilities, are tailored to the specific task. Aerial manipulators are now used in a range of APhI applications, including transportation, positioning, structure cleaning, object grasping, operating in hazardous areas, and tasks such as pushing and sliding objects.