Payload lift and transport using decentralized unmanned aerial vehicle quadcopter teams

• Main Authors: Bandala, Argel A., Chua, Aldrin G., Dajay, Ryan R., Rabacca, Rafael D., So, Ericka C., Maningo, Jose Martin Z., Fernando, Arvin H., Vicerra, Ryan Rhay P.
• Format: text
• Published: Animo Repository 2019
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/faculty_research/783; https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/context/faculty_research/article/1782/type/native/viewcontent
• Institution: De La Salle University

© 2018 IEEE. This paper presents a decentralized and cooperative load lifting and transportation system using unmanned aerial vehicle quadcopters. The limitation of a single UAV to carry load is addressed in this study by creating a cooperative lifting system that can accommodate varying load weight. Cooperative, independent and scalable agents were implemented with decision making algorithm embedded in each agents. Decentralized sensing of load is done by the UAV and the group consensually decides if another UAV is needed to carry the load. The system can lift different weight by autonomously sending appropriate number of UAV depending on the load. Experiments were conducted to determine the responsiveness of the system in varying load weights. Experiment results showed that the developed system is robust and scalable.