Flexbee: A Grasping and Perching UAV Based on Soft Vector-Propulsion Nozzle

Abstract--The aim of this paper is to design a new type of grasping and perching unmanned aerial vehicle (UA V), Flexbee, characterized by its soft vector-propulsion nozzle (SVPN). Compared to previous UA Vs, Flexbee integrates flight, grasping, and perching functionalities into the four SVPNs, offering advantages such as decoupled position and attitude control, high structural reuse, and strong adaptability for grasping and perching. A dynamics model of Flexbee has been developed, and the nonlinear coupling issue of the moment has been resolved through lin-earization of the equivalent moment model. Hierarchical control strategy was employed to design the controllers for Flexbee's two operational modes. Finally, flight, grasping, and perching experiments were conducted to validate Flexbee's kinematic capabilities and the effectiveness of the control strategy. UL TI-ROTOR unmanned aerial vehicles (UA Vs), with their three-dimensional maneuverabilities, have demonstrated remarkable effectiveness in environments that are difficult for humans to reach [1]-[5]. As people's requirements for UA V endurance performance and adaptability to complex environments offer greater advantages, compared with large UA Vs, small UA Vs have the characteristics of small size, light weight, low cost, and high maneuverability, which play a greater advantage in complex environments [6]-[8].