Cooperative Quadrocopter Ball Throwing and Catching - IDSC - ETH Zurich

This video shows three quadrocopters cooperatively tossing and catching a ball with the aid of an elastic net.

To toss the ball, the quadrocopters accelerate rapidly outward to stretch the net tight between them and launch the ball up. Notice in the video that the quadrocopters are then pulled forcefully inward by the tension in the elastic net, and must rapidly stabilize in order to avoid a collision. Once recovered, the quadrotors cooperatively position the net below the ball in order to catch it.

Because they are coupled to each other by the net, the quadrocopters experience complex forces that push the vehicles to the limits of their dynamic capabilities. To exploit the full potential of the vehicles under these circumstances requires several novel algorithms, including:

1) an optimality-based real-time trajectory generation algorithm for the catching maneuver;

2) a time-varying trajectory following control strategy to manage the forces on the individual vehicles that are induced by the net; and

3) learning algorithms that compensate for model inaccuracies when aiming the ball.

By Robin Ritz, Mark W. Müller, Markus Hehn, and Raffaello D'Andrea.
IDSC, ETH Zürich, Switzerland
http://www.flyingmachinearena.org

This work is supported by and builds upon prior contributions by past and present FMA collaborators.
http://www.idsc.ethz.ch/Research_DAnd...

• Category

  Science & Technology

[manofsan]

So this is how "SkyNet" got its name - as a bunch of robots holding up a Net in the Sky

[shawn gallagher]

I, for one, welcome our new robotic overlords. May death come swiftly to their enemies.

[solovo]

Which software do you use?

[Miguel Lorenzo]

this is insanely complex... great job

[ComputerNoises]

Well, done with youtube for today. Can't even get a 2 minute video to load. Shit man

[CareyPortnoyBeauford]

holy shit this makes me feel so lazy and stupid. these people are way smarter than me... lol

[Jorge Rosa]

Amazing work!

[soppdrake]

The fact that vision and control is external doesn't detract from the amazing system on show here. These guys seem to be having WAY too much fun at work. Cool!

[Ben Peterson]

"shit how are we going to hang this hoop in the air?" attach it to mini helicopters obv duh

[jakob2803]

Stop getting motion sick all the time! :(

[Clean Up]

Yes, but how can we adapt this technology to kill more people, more efficiently?

[lince che]

How long before these drones figure out that tossing humans in the air and failing to catch them is better for the planet than following their orders?