The Palletrone Cart: Human-Robot Interaction-Based Aerial Cargo Transportation

This letter presents a new cargo transportation solution based on physical human-robot interaction utilizing a novel fully-actuated multirotor platform called Palletrone. The platform is designed with a spacious upper flat surface for easy cargo loading, complemented by a rear-mounted handle reminiscent of a shopping cart. Flight trajectory control is achieved by a human operator gripping the handle and applying three-dimensional forces and torques while maintaining a stable cargo transport with zero roll and pitch attitude throughout the flight. To facilitate physical human-robot interaction, we employ an admittance control technique. Instead of relying on complex force estimation methods, like in most admittance control implementations, we introduce a simple yet effective estimation technique based on a disturbance observer robust control algorithm. We conducted an analysis of the flight stability and performance in response to changes in system mass resulting from arbitrary cargo loading. Ultimately, we demonstrate that individuals can effectively control the system trajectory by applying appropriate interactive forces and torques. Furthermore, we showcase the performance of the system through various experimental scenarios.