Design and Flight Test of an Aerial Manipulator for Applications in GPS-Denied Environments

Research and development of aerial manipulators has gained interest over the past few years. The incorporation of manipulator mechanisms into UAVs can expand the realm of applications for these vehicles in challenging scenarios where it is not safe for personnel to carry out the work. Examples of such missions and applications include collecting chemical samples, exploration and interaction with foreign objects, high rise building inspection and spray painting. With the growing interest to collect samples and interact with remote environments autonomously, most aerial manipulators use GPS or indoor tracking systems. However, an aerial manipulator capable of interacting safely with the environment in a GPS-denied environment using only on-board sensors is still a challenge. Related work on the use of and localization of UAVs in GPS-denied environments is increasing, however the integration of an aerial manipulator on a UAV operating in GPS-denied environments is still limited. This paper presents the design, build and implementation of an UAV with a robotic arm for use in GPS-denied environments. The aerial manipulator features a lightweight and robust design consisting of aluminium joints, carbon tubing and 3D printed linkages. The implemented aerial manipulation system presents a versatile and modular design which allows easy modification such as adjusting the linkage lengths to accommodate different reachability requirements and supports various multirotor configurations. Videos of the hover experiment can be found at: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLTkv8838qsQGW7JXl3kMfZ20rwmxUHfl