Dronecenter's Aerial Manipulation Lab

Aerial manipulation seeks to enhance operational capabilities of drones beyond mere observation. This field of research incorporates robotic arms, grippers or similar mechanisms to allow for direct physical interaction of drones with objects in mid-air.

This research is critical for any application where drones need to interact with their surroundings, such as landing in difficult terrain, maintenance of structures and infrastructure at high altitudes, delivery of payloads in hard-to-reach areas or assistance in disaster relief operations.

The Dronecenter’s Aerial Manipulation Lab is overseen by Associate Professor Robert Ladig, who brings over 10 years of specialized experience in aerial manipulation. His expertise is substantiated by numerous peer-reviewed publications in IEEE conferences and journals dedicated to research in the field of aerial manipulation.

Leveraging the advanced facilities of the Dronecenter’s Uncrewed Aerial Systems (UAS) Test Center, we are able to rapidly iterate on aerial manipulation mechanism designs and conduct experiments with actual aerial robotic hardware. This allows us to validate our kinematic models and simulations for novel aerial manipulation mechanisms through live-flight experiments, thereby bridging the gap between theoretical approximations and practical applications.

The objective of the SDU Dronecenter’s Aerial Manipulation Lab is to contribute to advance the dexterity and versatility of drones, enabling them to execute complex manipulation tasks autonomously, thereby broadening their practical utility in various industries.