In this page you find few information about my M.Sc. final project. There is a brief summary of the final thesis and few videos which illustrate the work.
My M.Sc. thesis concerned with the design, implementation and experimental testing of two control laws for a robotic systems made of a quad-copter and a robotic arm. These kind of systems are particularly appealing due to their dexterity and flexibility. In fact, since the system can fly can reach uneven or harsh terrains. Furthermore, the robotics arm can perform tasks like assembling or rescuing of objects or people.
The project was carried during my last year at the University of Cassino and Southern Latium and it was part of the ARCAS (Aerial Robotics Cooperative Assembly System) project. While working at the project I also spent a period at the University of Seville, Spain, in order to implement in the real systems the code which I developed.
The objective of my M.Sc. project was the implementation on the real system of two algorithms for the kinematic control of the end-effector of the manipulator. In particular, two methods were developed and implemented:
- The end-effector has to be stabilized to a desired position in space while the joints avoid their mechanical limits. Two simulation examples are reported in the following. The first shows the manipulator fully stretched while the end effector is in the final desired position. We see how the manipulator reconfigures itself in order to avoid the mechanical limits of the joints while the end-effector stays still.
In this second example the manipulator is in the same initial condition as before but the end effector is required to move along a line in the space.
- The end-effector has to be stabilized to a desired position in space while three joints of the robotic arm have to reach a desired angle. The arm is then stabilized to a dexterous configuration which is optimal for exploiting the joints’ torques. Two simulation case studies are reported in the following. The first example shows the system in the same initial condition as before. The end-effector is required to stay still in the initial position while the arm has to reconfigure such that its joints make the system achieve a dexterous configuration.
This last example is characterized by the same initial condition as the others. The end effector has to move along a line while the arm has to reach and try to maintain a dexterous configuration.
A copy of the M.Sc. thesis is available at this link (unfortunately only in Italian).