Aerial Grasping Using End-Effector Compliance

Paul Pounds (University of Queensland)

COMPUTER VISION AND ROBOTICS SERIES

DATE: 2013-08-13
TIME: 15:00:00 - 16:00:00
LOCATION: RSISE Seminar Room, ground floor, building 115, cnr. North and Daley Roads, ANU
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ABSTRACT:
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) have effectively demonstrated their ability to iy, maneuver and carry out observation tasks in numerous roles. However, they remain passive observers, limiting their interaction with the environment to remote surveillance. The increasing ubiquity of UAVs will be further supported by developing the means for these robots to contact and engage with their surroundings robustly. The ability to manipulate objects while in hovering flight will allow these vehicles to be used for infrastructure maintenance and other similar tasks in locations inaccessible to terrestrial vehicles, such as the tops of power lines and radio masts, rough terrain or water surfaces. This talk will discuss key challenges in developing aerial manipulation systems for use outdoors, with particular focus on flight stability and end-effector stiffness, along with additional topics of interest such as hovering accuracy for object capture and the effect of changing system mass once an object has been grasped.

BIO:
I am a researcher at the University of Queensland, specialising in rotarywing Unmanned Aerial Vehicle dynamics, propulsion and control. I did my Phd at the Australian National University, and my post-doctorate at Yale University. My research focuses on developing practical aerial robotic systems for civilian and industrial applications, including advanced quadrotor design, object grasping and manipulation from hovering platforms, and disposable UAVs for environmental monitoring and bushfire tracking.