36 accepted papers
In this paper, we use a machine learning approach to stabilize a Single Actuator Monocopter (SAM), showing its ability to operate autonomously outdoors utilizing an onboard Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU). We introduce a neural network-based proportional stabilizer that works in parallel to cascaded…
Small multirotors demonstrate significant potential due to their simple airframe and human-friendly operation. However, the reduced size results in substantially higher energy consumption, which severely limits their flight endurance and restricts their range of applications. Ornithopters, while off…
This letter presents a comprehensive comparative study of Incremental Nonlinear Dynamic Inversion (INDI) and standard Nonlinear Dynamic Inversion (NDI) for smooth trajectory tracking on Samara Seed-Inspired Single-Actuator Monocopters (SAM). While prior work on SAMs has largely focused on hover stab…
The Samara Autorotating Wing (SAW) is a bioinspired autorotating glider capable of both controlled autorotation and diving modes. This work presents control and deployment strategies that enable precision landing of the platform from low altitude. The proposed control approach leverages cyclic contr…
In this paper, a soft rotary wing robot capable of flight and control is presented. The Collapsible Airfoil Single Actuator ROtor-craft (CASARO) is a single actuator monocopter that derives its geometric properties from the Samara seed. CASARO achieves better flight efficiency, lift, and handling er
Small multirotors demonstrate significant potential due to their simple airframe and human-friendly operation. However, the reduced size results in substantially higher energy consumption, which severely limits their flight endurance and restricts their range of applications. Ornithopters, while off
Artificial Potential Field (APF) methods are widely used for reactive flocking control, but they often suffer from challenges such as deadlocks and local minima, especially in the presence of obstacles. Existing solutions to address these issues are typically passive, leading to slow and inefficient
This letter presents a comprehensive comparative study of Incremental Nonlinear Dynamic Inversion (INDI) and standard Nonlinear Dynamic Inversion (NDI) for smooth trajectory tracking on Samara Seed-Inspired Single-Actuator Monocopters (SAM). While prior work on SAMs has largely focused on hover stab
This letter details the design and development of a novel 3D-printed, lightweight and rapid-curing automated payload installation system for aerial robots, using a 3D printed resin-filled adhesive carrier tile (ACT). Its structure is designed to fracture and disperse ultraviolet (UV) curable resin o
In this paper, the dynamics of an emerging class of rotating nature-inspired micro aerial vehicles known as the Monocopter is proven and shown to be differentially flat. By exploiting this phenomenon, trajectory tracking can now be implemented on Monocopters via feed-forward terms that are computed…
This paper presents an aerial robotic platform for rapid remote elevated overhead-perching drill operations for wood health inspection. The platform features an innovative passive prismatic-gripper mechanism affixed to the aerial robot’s top, facilitating overhead drilling. The primary aim is to enh…
Inspired by maple seeds, the self-rotary winged aerial robots reflect the advantages of both multi-rotor aircraft and fixed-wing robots. However, their self-rotating speed is related to the takeoff weight, which may affect their application and flight stabilization. To provide a practical and feasib
Feature-based methods are a popular method for camera state estimation using event cameras. Due to the spatiotemporal nature of events, all event images exhibit smearing of events analogous to motion blur for a camera under motion. As such, events must be motion compensated to derive a sharp event i…
For fast-moving event cameras, projection of events onto the image frame exhibits smearing of events analogous to high motion blur. For camera attitude estimation, this presents a causality dilemma where motion prior is required to unsmear events, but an image prior is required to estimate motion. T
In this paper, we introduce a Modular Single Actuator Monocopter (M-SAM), which is capable of flying in both singular configuration and cooperative configuration. From singular mode, M-SAMs can be manually assembled into cooperative mode, using magnetic connectors built into the body of each M-SAM u…
Monocopters are nature-inspired, single-wing, rotating aerial vehicles that fly by spinning their entire body. Meanwhile, bicopters are twin propeller-based aerial vehicles that control their attitude by changing the direction of thrust from the motors using two servos. In this paper, we present a n
In this paper, we propose a ground-based monocular UAV localisation system that detects and localises an LED marker attached to the underside of a UAV. Our system removes the need for extensive infrastructure and calibration unlike existing technologies such as UWB, radio frequency and multi-camera
General Visual Inspection is a manual inspection process regularly used to detect and localise obvious damage on the exterior of commercial aircraft. There has been increasing demand to perform this process at the boarding gate to minimize the downtime of the aircraft and automating this process is…
In this work, a collaborative co-evolution approach is adopted to solve a joint physical design and feedback control optimization problem of a nature-inspired Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV). Unlike traditional multirotors and fixed-wing aircraft, lift is achieved by spinning its entire body with atta
Robotic Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM) utilizes a robot arm as a motion system to build 3D metallic objects by depositing weld beads one above the other in a layer by layer fashion. A key part of this approach is the process study and control of Multi-Layer Multi-Bead (MLMB) deposition, whic…
In this paper, the high angular rate estimation for simultaneous localisation and mapping (SLAM) of a Flying Li-DAR (Flydar) is presented. The proposed EKF-based algorithm exploits the sinusoidal magnetometer measurement generated by the continuously rotating airframe for estimation of the robot hov…
Pose estimation is of paramount importance for flight control as well as localization and navigation of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) to enable autonomous operations. In environments without GPS, such estimation can only be determined using onboard sensors; optical flow using a monocular camera is…
In this work, reinforcement learning is used to develop a position controller for an underactuated nature-inspired Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV). This particular configuration of UAVs achieves lift by spinning its entire body contrary to standard multi-rotors or fixed-wing aircraft. Deep Determinist…
Advances in Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) opens venues for application such as tunnel inspection. Owing to its versatility to fly inside the tunnels, it can quickly identify defects and potential problems related to safety. However, long tunnels, especially with repetitive or uniform structures pose…
In this letter, the design optimization and localization with sparse sensing array of range-based sensors are presented. This optimization focuses on an optimized sparse sensing array for localization and autonomous navigation in tunnel environments with right rectangular prism geometry and the auto
Plane-to-plane transitioning has been a significant challenge for climbing robots. To accomplish this, additional actuator or robot module is usually required which significantly increases both size and weight of the robot. This paper presents a two-wheg miniature climbing robot with a novel passive…
To deliver lightweight sensor payloads to disaster-struck areas by means of an aerial deployment, a novel bio-inspired method capitalizing on autorotation to slow down vertical descent rate is proposed. This concept is illustrated using the samara autorotating wing (SAW) platform, which features a u
Recent failures in real-world self-driving tests have suggested a paradigm shift from directly learning in real-world roads to building a high-fidelity driving simulator as an alternative, effective, and safe tool to handle intricate traffic environments in urban areas. To date, traffic simulation c…
The seeds of Maple trees (Samara) use autorotation as a unique mechanism to disperse their seeds. By exploiting gyroscopic stability of a spinning wing, the Samara is able to cover large horizontal distance despite having no form of propulsion. We applied and adapted this natural ability in our nove…
The seeds of Maple trees (Samara) use autorotation as a unique mechanism to disperse their seeds. By exploiting gyroscopic stability of a spinning wing, the Samara is able to cover large horizontal distance despite having no form of propulsion. We applied and adapted this natural ability in our nove
There are an increasing number of applications that require the end-effector of a robotic manipulator to be compliant in response to the intended force exerted by a human operator. In physical human-robot interaction, the stability and compliance are often affected in the presence of both human and
Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy is a recommended treatment method for large kidney stone removal. However, the first and most important step, i.e., getting the percutaneous access to create the tract between the targeted calyx and the flank skin, is challenging as the surgeon is often occupied by sever…
This paper describes the Transformable HOvering Rotorcraft (THOR), a prototype Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) that explores a novel approach in combining the range and speed of a horizontal flying platform with the hovering and maneuverability of a rotor-wing. This is achieved by integrating a taille…
In monocopter flight, two important parameters are required for control: angular rates and heading direction. Small monocopters fly at a very high speed (more than 600rpm), which can be out of the typical gyroscope limit. Very high speed gyroscopes do exist, but the price is high and it can only mea…
In small mobile robots, decreasing the number of actuators is usually desirable to reduce the size and weight of the robot, but it is usually at the expense of the robot's degree of freedom (DOF). This work presents the development and preliminary experimental testing of a novel Legged Piezoelectric…
This paper describes the design and evaluation of a Legged Piezoelectric Miniature Robot (LPMR) propelled by standing wave vibrations at the legs, which are biologically inspired by the bounding gait locomotion of animals. The LPMR comprises of a single piezoelectric patch, a metal beam, two contact