AeCoM: An Aerial Continuum Manipulator With IMU-Based Kinematic Modeling and Tendon-Slacking Prevention

This article presents a novel aerial manipulator (AM) system called the aerial continuum manipulator (AeCoM). The system is comprised of a quadrotor and a tendon-driven continuum robotic manipulator. Compared to current AMs, the AeCoM has the advantages of being lightweight and having high dexterity. The continuum manipulator has two contributions: 1) the development of an IMU-based kinematic model to obtain the precise end-effector pose under external loading and 2) the design of a robust closed-loop kinematic controller that implements fast shape-deformation control and prevents tendon slacking by providing feedback of the configuration space and torque applied on tendons. The article provides a detailed mechanical design of the system and extensive experiments were conducted to validate the system’s performance.