UROP Openings

Rotor-flying manipulation simulation - using MATLAB and Simulink

Project Description

Rotor-flying manipulators are Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) equipped with a lightweight manipulator and have the potential to transform major industries thanks to their unconstrained 3D motion; making them ideal for deployment in cluttered environments. Rotor-flying manipulation is a natural evolution of mobile manipulation and a popular research area in robotics that attracts the interest of many companies and public institutions. Its applications range from aerial transportation in construction, manipulations in hazardous places, inspections and installations on sites with a difficult access, search and rescue, and more. Autonomous aerial manipulation is a challenging problem because of the coupled dynamics between the two systems. The project objectives are to: Develop an autonomous aerial manipulation simulation including a UAV equipped with a multi-DoF manipulator to pick an object and place it into a goal location. Pose estimation and perception of the environment will be developed using a visual system. Global motion planning with obstacle avoidance will allow the system to reach the target location to approach and pick an object and eventually place it into a goal location. Impact: The project is of broad interest to diverse companies, including those in delivery of medical and consumer goods.

Pre-requisites

1. This project will utilize system and dynamics modelling and simulation skills. Background/interest in these skills are helpful and students can expect to enhance these skills through the project. 2. This project is offered as part of the MechE Alliance industry connected ELO cohorts. Applicants will be expected to participate in the cohort program to be eligible for the position. More information can be found in this Google Doc: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1YbGwDXGAvPDSN6DEDGBw-VDJWS7jnp65/view?usp=sharing This is a remote UROP opportunity.