Advancing Manipulation Capabilities of a UAV Featuring Dynamic Center-of-Mass Displacement

Abstract: As aerial robots gain traction in industrial applications, there is growing interest in enhancing their physical interaction capabilities. Pushing tasks performed by aerial manipulators have been successfully demonstrated in contact-based inspections. However, more complex industrial applications require these systems to support higher-DoF (Degree of Freedom) manipulators and generate larger forces while pushing (e.g., drilling, grinding). This paper builds on our previous work, where we introduced an aerial vehicle that can dynamically vary its CoM (Center of Mass) location to improve force exertion during interactions. We propose a novel approach to further enhance this system's force generation by optimizing its CoM location during interactions. Additionally, we study the case of this aerial vehicle equipped with a 2-DoF manipulation arm to extend the system's functionality in tool-based tasks. The effectiveness of the proposed methods is validated through simulations, demonstrating the potential of this system for advanced aerial manipulation in practical settings.