Theory and Applications for Control of Aerial Robots in Physical Interaction Through Tethers

This book studies how autonomous aerial robots physically interact with the surrounding environment. Intended to promote the advancement of aerial physical interaction, it analyzes a particular class of aerial robots: tethered aerial vehicles. By examining specific systems, while still considering the challenges of the general problem, it will help readers acquire the knowledge and expertise needed for the subsequent development of more general methods applicable to aerial physical interaction.
The formal analysis covers topics ranging from control, state estimation, and motion planning, to experimental validation. Addressing both theoretical and technical aspects, the book is intended for a broad academic and industrial readership, including undergraduate students, researchers and engineers. It can be used as a teaching reference, or as the basis for product development.

Provides a thorough formal analysis of tethered aerial vehicles ranging from control, state estimation, and motion planning, to experimental validation The theoretical results on generic tethered aerial vehicles using actual experiments and numerical simulations Employs the theoretical findings to solve the practical and challenging problems of landing and takeoff on/from a sloped surface, enhancing the robustness and reliability of the maneuvers with respect to the free-flight solution Includes an extensive literature overview and presents the main results in a very detailed way, reworking the content of the various publications in terms of homogeneity, completeness, and clarity

Inhalt
Introduction.- Theoretical background.- Model of the robotic elements.- Theory of tethered aerial vehicles.- Simulation and experimental results.- Theory and experiments for a practical usecase.- Towards multiple tethered aerial vehicles.- Conclusions.