Parabolic Airdrop Trajectory Planning for Multirotor Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

Abstract

In this paper we present a motion planning method for the parabolic airdrop using multirotor UAVs. The first step is to determine a set of parabolic trajectories that can reach a desired target. Next, we plan a path to the payload launch point, and based on that path we plan a collision -free trajectory that safely executes both launch and stopping motions. The described motion planning method is extensively tested in the simulation environment: by executing many trajectories through repeatability analysis; planning in a large city-like environment; and planning in a dense office environment. Furthermore, the method is tested through real-world experiments in indoor and outdoor environments. In both environments, we performed the repeatability analysis and the obstacle avoidance experiments while delivering the payload to the target. The video demonstrating our simulation and experimental analyses is available at: <uri xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">https://youtu.be/HJCH2vJEuuo</uri>