RTU MIREA engineers create 'hands' for drones: UAVs learn to interact with objects

Young engineers at the Institute of Information Technologies of RTU MIREA are developing a lightweight flexible manipulator for unmanned aerial vehicles and ground, underwater, and space robots. The project addresses the limitation that drones can fly, drive, and swim but cannot perform tasks like taking samples, opening doors, or lifting loads. The new development employs a cable-link construction that is light enough for a drone yet strong enough to interact with objects, and it can be installed on various mobile platforms with interchangeable attachments for different tasks. The scientific supervisor, Andrei Zuev, a candidate of technical sciences and head of the department, mentioned applications ranging from scientific expeditions collecting samples in hard-to-reach places to industrial inspection and repair of high-altitude structures, as well as logistics where a courier drone could place or pick up packages gently. The team has already designed and built a prototype and written control algorithms to ensure precise and predictable movements. The project leader, student Alexander Mitnitsky, described the manipulator as a skeleton with tendons or a tentacle with muscles, capable of reaching almost any point in the hemisphere in front of it. The team of four is now refining the design and control system, with planned tests for positioning accuracy, gripping force, and energy consumption. The project received a grant from RTU MIREA's accelerator program, enabling the completion of the prototype.