This paper addresses the problem of motion planning for free-flying robots. Full state actuation is considered to allow for large displacements of the spacecraft. Motion planning is formulated as an optimization problem and kinematic as well as dynamic constraints are considered. The chosen optimization criteria are spacecraft actuation and final time. The proposed method allows solutions which...

This paper discusses the implementation of insect-inspired visual navigation strategies in flying robots, in particular focusing on the impact of changing height. We start by assessing the information available at different heights for visual homing in natural environments, comparing results from an open environment against one where trees and bushes are closer to the camera. We then test a rou...

This paper presents a flight management system (FMS) implemented as on-board intelligence for rotorcraftbased unmanned aerial vehicles (RUAVs). This hierarchical flight management system endows each vehicle with autonomy resembling sense-reason-act processes of intelligent agents in nature. Sensor measurements are processed by flight control computers in order to gradually refine given abstract...

This paper presents a flight rnanageiiient system (FhIS) iinpleniented as on-board intelligence for rotorcraft-based unmanned aerial vehicles (RUAVs), in order to gradually refine gilen abstract mission coniinands into real-time control signals for each vehicle. A strategy planner uses the probabilistic decision making algorithms to determine suboptinial action at each time step. A graphical in...

Wheeled ground robots are limited from exploring extreme environments such as caves, lava tubes and skylights. Small robots that can utilize unconventional mobility through hopping, flying or rolling can overcome these limitations. Multiple robots operating as a team offer significant benefits over a single large robot, as they are not prone to single-point failure, enable distributed command a...

The talk will present an overview of the results obtained recently in visual control of mobile robots in the Lagadic group at INRIA Rennes-Bretagne Atlantique. A first part will be devoted to the visual navigation of a mobile robot in an urban environment, including obstacle avoidance thanks to the use of a laser range sensor. A second part will be devoted to the visual localization of flying r...

Electrohydrodynamic thrust is an emerging propulsion mechanism for flying insect-scale robots. There is a need to both minimize the operating voltage and maximize the output force when designing microfabricated electrodes for use in these robots. In this work, an array of hybrid wire-needle and grid electrode geometries were fabricated and characterized to attempt to minimize both corona discha...

Vision-based control of aerial robots adds the challenge of visual sensing on top of the basic control problems. Here we pursue the approach of using sensor-coupled motion primitives in order to tie together both the sensor and motor components of flying robots to leverage sensorimotor interaction in a fundamental manner. We also consider the temporal scale over which autonomy is to be achieved...

The paper gives an overview of DLR's latest developments and project experience in space robotics. From the technology point of view, progress in the design and development of light weight robots and articulated multifinger-hands as well as in the refinement of IILR's sensor-based, task level teleprogramming system MARC0 (and its virtual reality concept) is reported. In addition DLR's experienc...

Today, robots and unmanned aerial vehicles are being used extensively in modern societies. Due to a wide range of applications, it has attracted much attention among scientists over the past decades. This paper deals with the problem of the stability of a four-rotor flying robot called quadrotor, which is an under-actuated system, in the presence of operator or sensor failures. The dynamica...