[copying from Robohub]
Two of the most challenging problems tackled with quadrocopters so far are balancing an inverted pendulum and juggling balls. My colleagues at ETH Zurich’s Flying Machine Arena have now combined the two.
As part of his Master thesis Dario Brescianini, student at ETH Zurich’s Institute for Dynamic Systems and Control, has developed algorithms that allow quadrocopters to juggle an inverted pendulum. If you are not sure what that means (or how that is even possible), have a look at his video “Quadrocopter Pole Acrobatics”:
You can read the full article with much more details and other photos here:
http://robohub.org/video-throwing-and-catching-an-inverted-pendulum-with-quadrocopters/
Comments
@Kal This is interesting. I have seen recently ARGU-IS by DARPA video. Maybe a smaller version of it would be feasible in EU?
You assume that they do something that has a chain of consequences and followers. To my knowledge in Lausanne they did something that worked better in that respect: pix4d and swinglet cam. From what happens in ETH Zurich I saw no implementations, but I would like to. Maybe somebody can share some info.
At the same time their research in applied maths was quite basic at Lausanne. This is why I would like to know what is the flagship outcome of ETH Zurich (Solar Flyer maybe?). I believe there should be somethign I have overlooked. Just teasing them to tell the story, all my research always falls back into quadcopter domain.
Of course, but it is merely scratching the surface. Moreover if they scratch the surface with the same quadocopter layout, in the same hall, for years, only by changing control algortihm and scenario wihtout ever testing it with outside conditions, by scratching the surface at the same point they only create elegantly looking brushed steel but are not going any deeper.
Let's not make a mistake, I am pointing out the weakest point in the larger picture, the research group itself is well focused and generates perfect results like the one presented.
'You gotta test, experiment and develop in the laboratory first.'
No-no. If you ignore the wind, turbulence, changing temperature and humidity, you ignore 95% of aerodynamics on this planet. Then throw in ultra resolution positioning and you also ignore real life accuracy problems. Settle in the same testing hall for 5 years and you completely miss repeatibility and deployment issues.
Krzysztof, I agree this would fall apart in the real world. But that's part of the point. To get real world applications, you first have to figure out the principle of operation and the mechanics behind them in a controlled lab environment with no external factors interfering. Only then can you realistically know where to start adding robustness to handle real world scenarios later on.
Amazing achievement as control system demonstration, but all this is useless outside the building because of precision required by custom laser position finding equipment. Then again, if you have to stay confined to the tasks inside the building, you really don't need flying robots, because stationary robots can do it better. All things combined, they do amazing job - yet they are now left 'practically applicable' area and are heading away and away... at the end of it it is unlikely they will discover radically new control method, since 95% of thesis like those are strictly consacred for 'making things work for a given crazy task' which is not bad in itself - because it is Polytechnic School.
Don't get me wrong, I just wanted to say it would be so much better if one day they would finally start doing at least simplified versions of their thesis outside at Zurich - a completely different order of magnitude of complications would then arise.
I wonder if they actually fly MR's as a hobby?
from now...
wow, I really don't want to be here in this planet 100 years from....lol
man these guys are having way too much fun, wondering if one should return to academics ;)
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