Robohub.org
 

Cooperative payload transport with quadrotors


by
18 November 2010



share this:

Just the other day, a noisy helicopter was flying above campus, carrying large batches of solar panels to hard to reach rooftops. You might have also seen people dangling from helicopters in rescue missions or the transportation of materials in military, industrial and construction applications. Pushing the limits of aerial payload transportation this spring, the Alinghi catamaran was “shipped” to sea using a Mil Mi-26 helicopter, the biggest and most powerful in the world (see picture below).

AP Photo/Keystone/Jean-Christophe Bott

Rather than going for large helicopters with experienced pilots, Michael et al. explore the possibility of using multiple autonomous quadrotors. By working together, the robots can potentially lift heavy objects and can position themselves in such a way that the pose of the object can be controlled. Simply put, in the image above, there is no way to tilt the catamaran sideways by 45 degrees whereas a system with multiple robots could do the trick.

More specifically, the researchers consider the problem of controlling multiple robots manipulating and transporting a payload in three dimensions via cables. To do so they derive a mathematical model that ensures static equilibrium of the payload at a desired pose while respecting constraints on cable tensions.

Experiments shown in the video below were conducted with three AscTec Humming-bird quadrotors from Ascending Technologies GmbH. Localization information was provided by a Vicon motion capture system that consists in a set of cameras in the room that monitor the robots at high speed. The robots are able to lift a triangular payload, change its pose and transport it while avoiding inter-robot collisions.

In the future, Michael et al. hope to find a way to make the robots damp out oscillations that occur when the payload moves.




Sabine Hauert is President of Robohub and Associate Professor at the Bristol Robotics Laboratory
Sabine Hauert is President of Robohub and Associate Professor at the Bristol Robotics Laboratory





Related posts :



Robot Talk Episode 128 – Making microrobots move, with Ali K. Hoshiar

  10 Oct 2025
In the latest episode of the Robot Talk podcast, Claire chatted to Ali K. Hoshiar from University of Essex about how microrobots move and work together.

Interview with Zahra Ghorrati: developing frameworks for human activity recognition using wearable sensors

and   08 Oct 2025
Zahra tells us more about her research on wearable technology.

Women in robotics you need to know about 2025

  06 Oct 2025
This global list celebrates women's impact across the robotics ecosystem and globe.

Robot Talk Episode 127 – Robots exploring other planets, with Frances Zhu

  03 Oct 2025
In the latest episode of the Robot Talk podcast, Claire chatted to Frances Zhu from the Colorado School of Mines about intelligent robotic systems for space exploration.

Rethinking how robots move: Light and AI drive precise motion in soft robotic arm

  01 Oct 2025
Researchers at Rice University have developed a soft robotic arm capable of performing complex tasks.

RoboCup Logistics League: an interview with Alexander Ferrein, Till Hofmann and Wataru Uemura

and   25 Sep 2025
Find out more about the RoboCup league focused on production logistics and the planning.

Drones and Droids: a co-operative strategy game

  22 Sep 2025
Scottish Association for Marine Science is running a crowdfunding campaign for educational card game.



 

Robohub is supported by:




Would you like to learn how to tell impactful stories about your robot or AI system?


scicomm
training the next generation of science communicators in robotics & AI


 












©2025.05 - Association for the Understanding of Artificial Intelligence