The 2nd AERIAL-CORE “Virtual” General Meeting was held on May 5 – 6 with the attendance of more than sixty persons from the 15 organizations that participate in the project. Due to the exceptional situation associated to the COVID-19 virus, the University of Zurich organized a videoconference that facilitated the realization of the presentations from all the partners.
This second meeting was focused on the design and specifications of the AERIAL-CORE system, considering three use-cases for the inspection and maintenance of power lines: long-range inspection with fixed, flapping and morphing wing UAVs, safe local manipulation with dexterous aerial manipulation robots capable to perch, and human-aerial co-workers. The partners presented new design concepts, the functionalities to be developed, preliminary experimental results, prototypes, the validation scenarios, and the work plan for next months.
The AERIAL-CORE project, coordinated by Professor Anibal Ollero from the University of Seville, aims to develop aerial robotic systems with advanced cognitive functionalities, dexterous manipulation capabilities, and extended operation range and safety, intended to perform the inspection and maintenance of electrical power lines.