Path-Following by a UAV-UGV Formation Using Null Space-Based Control

This work addresses the control of a formation composed by an unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) and an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), using the concept of control based on null space. The formation navigates in a coordinated manner, with the UAV following the UGV, maintaining a set pose relative to it, while the UGV follows a given path. The goal is to guide the UAV to land on the UGV at any desired time, a situation quite similar to returning the UAV to a mobile base after delivering a package. The null space-based control techniques is used to obtain more precise control of the relative posture between the robots, increasing the reliability of the landing operation. Experimental results are presented and discussed, which validate the proposed approach to accomplish the desired task.