Swing-Free and Agile Load Transport with Quadrotors

UNM Students: Ivana Palunko, Patricio Cruz

Senior Contributors: Dr. Rafael Fierro (UNM)

This work focused on ensuring safe and agile suspended load transport using quadrotors. Researchers implemented an adaptive controller to handle shifts in the quadrotor’s center of gravity during flight and applied dynamic programming to design swing-free trajectories. This combination allows precise and stable load manipulation even with uncertain dynamics, minimizing swinging motion. Applications include emergency supply delivery, landmine detection, and transport in cluttered environments.

Papers:
[1] I. Palunko, P. Cruz and R. Fierro, “Agile Load Transportation : Safe and Efficient Load Manipulation with Aerial Robots,” in IEEE Robotics & Automation Magazine, vol. 19, no. 3, pp. 69-79, Sept. 2012, doi: 10.1109/MRA.2012.2205617.
keywords: {Unmanned aerial vehicles;Airicraft navigation;Robots;Radio communication;Drones},