Design and Control of a Reconfigurable Robot with Rolling and Flying Locomotion

Abstract

Given the continual rise in mission diversity and environmental complexity, the adept integration of a robot’s aerial and terrestrial locomotion modes to address diverse application scenarios has evolved into a formidable challenge. In this paper, we design a reconfigurable airframe robot endowed with the dual functionalities of rolling and flying. This innovative design not only ensures a lightweight structure but also incorporates morphing capabilities facilitated by a slider-crank mechanism. Subsequently, a land-to-air transformation strategy for the robot is introduced, achieved through the coordinated movement of the robotic arm and the servo motor. To ensure stable control of the robot amid external wind disturbances, we leverage the collaboration between a Generative Adversarial Network (GAN)and a Nonlinear Model Predictive Control (NMPC) controller. After the wind force magnitude is predicted through the neural network, the robot’s adeptness in flexible trajectory tracking is verified. Under simulated wind conditions of 12.1 m/s, the trajectory error consistently remains within the range of 10–15 cm, affirming the effectiveness of this control method.

Keywords

• reconfigurable robot
• umbrella mechanism
• rolling and flying locomotion
• Generative Adversarial Networks
• external wind disturbances