Trajectory tracking of quadrotor flying manipulators using L1 adaptive control

This paper concerns with tracking control of an unmanned quadrotor vehicle equipped with a multi-link robotic manipulator. We present an analytic model of the system that formulates unknown interactions between the aerial platform and the manipulator in the form of nonlinear time-varying uncertainties. Based on the proposed model, a novel trajectory tracking scheme is synthesized by combining two inner feedback linearization loops to stabilize the nominal quadrotor and manipulator dynamics and a master L1 adaptive loop to systematically compensate for uncertainties and realize the desired closed-loop behavior. We show that this scheme leverages predictable transient and steady state performance in the presence of coupling effects and given a specified reference trajectory. Simulation studies have shown the effectiveness of the proposed aerial manipulator control method.