2025-07-24 –, Main Room 1 (Main stage)
We aim to manipulate a payload along a specific trajectory using two quadrotors in simulation. The system features quadrotors connected via cables to a payload modeled with Multibody.jl. Polynomial trajectory synthesis is performed with JuliaSimControl.jl, and custom geometric controllers on each quadrotor collaboratively guide the payload using AerialVehicles.jl. This approach ensures precise trajectory tracking and effective cooperative aerial payload manipulation.
This demonstration builds upon the foundational concept of cooperative rendezvous from last year's JuliaCon talk by developing a cooperative dual-quadrotor system designed to manipulate a payload along a predefined trajectory. The objective is to achieve controlled and stable aerial payload transportation, which has significant applications in areas such as logistics, construction, and emergency response.
** System Modeling
The system is modeled using ModelingToolkit.jl powered by Multibody.jl with the quadrotors, cable and payload as components rigidly linked together.
** Control
Control law for each quadrotor is determined using a custom geometric controller in AerialVehicles.jl. The state of the payload's center of mass is assumed to be globally known and state estimation is currently not considered for the posed problem
** Trajectory synthesis
Similar to the polynomial trajectories in time generated to display acrobatic maneuvers in the documentation for AerialVehicles.jl, the trajectory generation for the payload is accomplished through JuliaSimControl.jl.
** Objective
The objective of the presentation is to showcase the interplay of various tools in the Julia and JuliaSim ecosystem to accomplish cooperative payload manipulation tasks in simulation. The developed system has broad applications in various fields:
- Logistics: Efficiently transporting goods in environments that are difficult to access by traditional means.
Construction: Assisting in the placement of building materials in large-scale or hazardous construction sites.
- Emergency Response: Rapidly delivering supplies or equipment to disaster-stricken areas where infrastructure is compromised.
- Research and Development: Serving as a platform for further studies in aerial robotics and cooperative control systems by exploring emergent behavior, decentralized, optimal and autonomous control.
