Control of Aerial Robots: Hybrid Force and Position Feedback for a Ducted Fan

This article has dealt with the modeling and control of a class of aerial robots capable of interacting with the environment to accomplish robotic operations midair rather than being constrained to the ground. Discussed in detail are the design of hybrid force and position control laws for a ducted fan aeriaI vehicle. Particular attention has been placed on keeping track of how the stability properties of the system´s zero dynamics are affected by the position of the vehicle´s center of gravity, which can be mechanically designed to infer desired stability properties. The described control laws are state feedback and rely upon partial feedback linearizing techniques. In this respect, future extensions concern the development of output feedback control strategies, whereby the nonminimum-phase behavior of the system imposes fundamental limitations to the achievable tracking performance regardless of the kind of control strategy adopted. The present article fits in a broader research context in which aerial vehicles are considered to he a support to human beings in all those activities that require the ability to interact safely with airborne environments. In this context, future research attempts are directed to develop teleoperation algorithms, according to which x human operator can remotely supervise the motion of the CAV by means of haptic devices. Experimental activities in the above interaction scenarios are also planned in the near future.