welcome to the Supplementary Materials for the Aerial Robotics course
of robotics specialization. This series of videos will introduce you to topics in mathematics, dynamics and controls that we'll use throughout this course. First, I wanna briefly introduce myself. My name is Sarah Tang and I'm a PhD student at the University of Pennsylvania. My research interests are in developing motion planning algorithms that will allow autonomous robots to perform tasks in cluttered environments. Specifically, I'm interested in three types of problems. First, I'm interested in developing algorithm for a specific class of system called hybrid dynamical systems. These are systems that have multiple modes of operation, each with their own sets of dynamics and discrete events trigger transitions between these different modes. The challenge in planning for these systems is in planning not only the behavior of a system within a specific mode, but also in planning when and how the system will transition. An example o f this type of system is a quadrotor with a cable suspended payload. In this case, pick-ups and releases of the payload are the discreet events that trigger transitions between the with an d without payload modes. In our lab, we've equipped a quad rotor with an electromagnet, allowing it to pick up magnetic payloads and our algorithm is able to generate trajectories that pick-up objects and release them to drop at desired locations. Second, I'm interested in planning fo r higher order under actuated systems. These systems have many degrees of freedom, but cannot directly control all these degrees of freedom to arbitrary configurations. Again, a quadrotor with a cable suspende d payload is an example of this type of system. Both the quadrotor and the payload can rotate and translate in 3D space. However, they cannot do this independently. In fact, the trajectory of the payload determines a required configuration for the quadrotor. Our goal is to plan aggre ssive motions for the system. For example, suppose the quadrotor comes across a window obstacle where the height of the window is smaller than the length of the cable. Our algorithm can generate a trajectory that contains that necessary swing to bring both the quadrotor and the payload through this narrow gap. Finally, I'm interested in the multi-robot planning problem. In this problem, we are given a two more robots at sets start positions. These robots must navigate to a set of goal locations. However, the goal that each robot must navigate to is specified beforehand and cannot be changed. The goal of this prob lem is to generate trajectories that will bring each robot to its goal while avoiding collisions with each other. Throughout this course, I'll be delivering supplementary videos. These videos will serve three purposes. First, we hope to provide you with some technical background on concepts used throughout the course. Second, we'll work through some example problems that will help you with the quizzes and the exercises. And finally, the re will be MATLAB demonstrations that will help you as you work through your programming assignmen ts. I'm glad to see that you're taking this course and I look forward to working with you.
Automation in Construction Volume 1 Issue 3 1992 (Doi 10.1016 - 0926-5805 (92) 90023-d) - The Tenth International Symposium On Automation and Robotics in Construction - Houston, TX, USA, May 24-26