Miscellaneous

Ball juggling experiments with quadrotors in the ETH Flying Machine Arena

By Mark Muller, Sergei Lupashin and Raffaello D'Andrea

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Quadcopter first flight on a SBRIO-9205 with no feedback.

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Experiments performed with a team of nano quadrotors at the GRASP Lab, University of Pennsylvania. Vehicles developed by KMel Robotics. Special thanks to Professor Daniel Lee for his support.

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This video was produced by the Institute for Dynamic Systems and Control (IDSC) at ETH Zurich, Switzerland. It shows three quadrocopters cooperatively tossing and catching a ball with the aid of an elastic net.

To toss the ball, the quadrocopters accelerate rapidly outward to stretch the net tight between them and launch the ball up. Notice in the video that the quadrocopters are then pulled forcefully inward by the tension in the elastic net, and must rapidly stabilize in order to avoid a collision. Once recovered, the quadrotors cooperatively position the net below the ball in order to catch it.

Because they are coupled to each other by the net, the quadrocopters experience complex forces that push the vehicles to the limits of their dynamic capabilities. To exploit the full potential of the vehicles under these circumstances requires several novel algorithms, including:

1) an optimality-based real-time trajectory generation algorithm for the catching maneuver;

2) a time-varying trajectory following control strategy to manage the forces on the individual vehicles that are induced by the net; and

3) learning algorithms that compensate for model inaccuracies when aiming the ball.

By Robin Ritz, Mark W. Muller, Markus Hehn, and Raffaello D'Andrea.
IDSC, ETH Zurich, Switzerland

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"Jerome-de Bothezat Flying Octopus", 1922

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We've tested different types of quadcopters before, but have never flown them like this! Norm tags along a meetup of local FPV quadcopter racers--people who build and race mini quads by flying them with first-person video cameras. We learn about how FPV quadcopters work, why they're so much fun to spectate, and witness some unbelievable stunts!

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This drone uses a smartphone for a brain for autonomous flight, using only on-board hardware and vision algorithms, no GPS.

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High-g quadrocopter training in the Flying Machine Arena at ETH Zurich.

The video shows high-speed steady flight in confined spaces for tethered quadrocopters. Due to the centripetal force exerted by the tether, high-speed trajectories along circles at different orientations in space can be flown. Velocities exceeding 50 km/h and centripetal accelerations of more than 13 g are achieved in steady flight, within a sphere of radius 1.7 m.

The testbed allows the characterization of the flight behavior of quadrocopters at high airspeeds, identifying for example drag characteristics and propeller efficiency. Furthermore, the physical limits of the machine can be identified. The testbed can also be used to safely develop high-speed maneuvers, such as emergency braking.

Note that it is possible to remove the central pole by balancing the forces acting on the strings; this could be then used in performance settings, possibly enhanced by light and sound effects.

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Homemade multirotor with a semiautomatic handgun mounted on it.

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Federal Aviation Administration reacts to a new drone video posted online that showcases an unmanned aerial vehicle firing a lethal weapon.

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Catch Brodie Smith's amazing Frisbee throw involving perfect timing, wind resistance, and spin.

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Raffaelo D'Andrea demos his flying quadcopters: robots that think like athletes, solving physical problems with algorithms that help them learn. In a series of nifty demos, D'Andrea show drones that play catch, balance and make decisions together -- and watch out for an I-want-this-now demo of Kinect-controlled quads.

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