Projection operator-based robust adaptive control of an aerial robot with a manipulator

This paper describes a quadcopter manipulator system, an aerial robot with an extended workspace, its controller design, and experimental validation. The aerial robot is based on a quadcopter with a three degree of freedom robotic arm connected to the base of the vehicle. The work aims to create a stable airborne robot with a robotic arm that can work above and below the airframe, regardless of where the arm is attached. Integrating a robotic arm into an underactuated, unstable system like a quadcopter can enhance the vehicle's functionality while increasing instability. To execute a mission with accuracy and reliability during a real-time task, the system must overcome the inter-coupling effects and external disturbances. This work presents a novel design for a robust adaptive feedback linearization controller with a model reference adaptive controller and hardware implementation of the quadcopter manipulator system with plant uncertainties. The closed-loop stability of the aerial robot and the tracking error convergence with the robust controller is analyzed using Lyapunov stability analysis. The quadcopter manipulator system is custom developed in the lab with an off-the-shelf quadcopter and a 3D-printed robotic arm. The robotic system architecture is implemented using a Jetson Nano companion computer for autonomous onboard flight. Experiments were conducted on quadcopter manipulator system to evaluate the autonomous aerial robot's stability and trajectory tracking with the proposed controller.