Control of Aerial Robots: Hybrid Force and Position Feedback for a Ducted Fan

In this article we present control solutions for UAVs physically interacting with the environment. As aerial platform, we focus on a ducted-fan UAV, which lends itself to be used in contexts in which physical interaction is required. The addressed problem concerns the development of a hybrid force and position feedback, by which the UAV is required to slide along a vertical surface by tracking a vertical reference signal and by applying a desired contact force to the surface. The analysis developed in this work places emphasis on the intrinsic nonminimum-phase behavior characterizing the controlled system and presents state feedback strategies needed to handle the hybrid force and position control problem.