Multibody dynamics analysis of three physically coupled drones (Investigation of coupling methods via numerical simulation)

In recent years, drones have been increasingly introduced across a range of industries, however, their adoption in Japan remains limited. This is primarily due to inherent constraints such as limited payload capacity and a high risk of malfunction or accidents resulting from crashes. To address these challenges, this study proposes a novel method for enhancing both payload capacity and operational reliability by physically connecting and coordinating multiple drones. The proposed approach leverages the concept of cooperative control through mechanical coupling. In such a system, if one drone experiences partial failure, such as a loss of thrust or control, other connected drones can provide compensatory support to maintain stable flight and potentially prevent catastrophic failure. Moreover, the collective lift generated by multiple drones enables the transportation of heavier payloads that would be unmanageable for a single unit. To investigate the feasibility of this concept, a dynamics simulator based on multibody dynamics is developed to predict the behavior of physically interconnected drone systems. Initially, a three-dimensional dynamic model of a single drone is formulated, along with its governing equations of motion. Subsequently, two coupling methods of three mechanically coupled drones are proposed, and corresponding multibody dynamics models are constructed. Numerical simulations are then conducted to evaluate and compare the dynamic behaviors of each configuration. Based on these results, key considerations for the design and implementation of physically coupled drone systems are discussed.