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Gustavo A. Cardona

Gustavo A. Cardona

Ph.D Mechanical Engineering

Assistant Professor at Virginia Commonwealth University

Now Assistant Professor at Virginia Commonwealth University

Selected publications

  1. A Customizable-ModQuad module with its carbon-fiber frame, rotors, electronics, and labeled components.
    2022Workshop extended abstract

    Customizable-ModQuad: a Versatile Hardware-Software Platform to Develop Lightweight and Low-cost Aerial Vehicles

    Diego S. D’Antonio, Jiawei Xu, Gustavo A. Cardona, David Saldaña

    IROS 2022 Workshop: Miniature Robot Platforms for Full Scale Autonomous Vehicle Research

    Google Scholar ↗
    BibTeX
    @misc{2022-customizable-modquad-a-versatile-hardware-software-platform-to-develop-lightweight-and-low-cost-aerial-vehicles,
  title = {Customizable-ModQuad: a Versatile Hardware-Software Platform to Develop Lightweight and Low-cost Aerial Vehicles},
  author = {Diego S. D’Antonio and Jiawei Xu and Gustavo A. Cardona and David Saldaña},
  year = {2022},
  howpublished = {IROS 2022 Workshop: Miniature Robot Platforms for Full Scale Autonomous Vehicle Research},
  url = {https://www.researchgate.net/publication/368390753_Customizable-ModQuad_a_Versatile_Hardware-Software_Platform_to_Develop_Lightweight_and_Low-cost_Aerial_Vehicles}
}
  2. Modular aerial robots using grippers and screwdrivers to build a wooden fence.
    2022Conference paper

    Planning for Modular Aerial Robotic Tools with Temporal Logic Constraints

    Gustavo A. Cardona, David Saldaña, Cristian-Ioan Vasile

    2022 IEEE 61st Conference on Decision and Control (CDC)

    DOI ↗Google Scholar ↗PDF ↗
    BibTeX
    @inproceedings{2022-planning-for-modular-aerial-robotic-tools-with-temporal-logic-constraints,
  title = {Planning for Modular Aerial Robotic Tools with Temporal Logic Constraints},
  author = {Gustavo A. Cardona and David Saldaña and Cristian-Ioan Vasile},
  year = {2022},
  booktitle = {2022 IEEE 61st Conference on Decision and Control (CDC)},
  pages = {2878-2883},
  doi = {10.1109/cdc51059.2022.9993288},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1109/cdc51059.2022.9993288}
}
  3. Diagram of cooperative aerial transport with cables supporting a cuboid payload.
    2021Conference paper

    Adaptive Control for Cooperative Aerial Transportation Using Catenary Robots

    Gustavo A. Cardona, Diego S. D’Antonio, Rafael Fierro, David Saldaña

    2021 Aerial Robotic Systems Physically Interacting with the Environment (AIRPHARO)

    DOI ↗Google Scholar ↗YouTube ↗
    BibTeX
    @inproceedings{9571068,

title = {Adaptive Control for Cooperative Aerial Transportation Using Catenary Robots},

author = {Gustavo A. Cardona and Diego S. D’Antonio and Rafael Fierro and David Saldaña},

url = {https://youtu.be/MeEGL_PUBx4},

doi = {10.1109/AIRPHARO52252.2021.9571068},

year  = {2021},

date = {2021-01-01},

urldate = {2021-01-01},

booktitle = {2021 Aerial Robotic Systems Physically Interacting with the Environment (AIRPHARO)},

pages = {1-8},

keywords = {aerial manipulation, aerial robot, cable, catenary robot, quadrotor},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {inproceedings}

}
  4. Two aerial robots using a hanging cable to manipulate a cuboid object.
    2021Conference paper

    Non-Prehensile Manipulation of Cuboid Objects Using a Catenary Robot

    Gustavo A. Cardona, Diego S. D’Antonio, Cristian-Ioan Vasile, David Saldaña

    Google Scholar ↗YouTube ↗
    Abstract

    Transporting objects using quadrotors with cables has been widely studied in the literature. However, most of those approaches assume that the cables are previously attached to the load by human intervention. In tasks where multiple objects need to be moved, the efficiency of the robotic system is constrained by the requirement of manual labor. Our approach uses a non-stretchable cable connected to two quadrotors, which we call the catenary robot, that fully automates the transportation task. Using the cable, we can roll and drag the cuboid object (box) on planar surfaces. Depending on the surface type, we choose the proper action, dragging for low friction, and rolling for high friction. Therefore, the transportation process does not require any human intervention as we use the cable to interact with the box without requiring fastening. We validate our control design in simulation and with actual robots, where we show them rolling and dragging boxes to track desired trajectories.

    BibTeX
    @inproceedings{2021-non-prehensile-manipulation-of-cuboid-objects-using-a-catenary-robot,

title = {Non-Prehensile Manipulation of Cuboid Objects Using a Catenary Robot},

author = {Gustavo A. Cardona and Diego S. D’Antonio and Cristian-Ioan Vasile and David Saldaña},

url = {https://youtu.be/Ou6DPlXPE7A},

year  = {2021},

date = {2021-08-13},

urldate = {2021-08-13},

abstract = {Transporting objects using quadrotors with cables has been widely studied in the literature. However, most of those approaches assume that the cables are previously attached to the load by human intervention. In tasks where multiple objects need to be moved, the efficiency of the robotic system is constrained by the requirement of manual labor. Our approach uses a non-stretchable cable connected to two quadrotors, which we call the catenary robot, that fully automates the transportation task. Using the cable, we can roll and drag the cuboid object (box) on planar surfaces. Depending on the surface type, we choose the proper action, dragging for low friction, and rolling for high friction. Therefore, the transportation process does not require any human intervention as we use the cable to interact with the box without requiring fastening. We validate our control design in simulation and with actual robots, where we show them rolling and dragging boxes to track desired trajectories.},

keywords = {aerial manipulation, aerial robot, cable, catenary robot, quadrotor},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {inproceedings}

}
  5. Two quadrotors supporting the suspended cable of the catenary robot.
    2021Journal article

    The Catenary Robot: Design and Control of a Cable Propelled by Two Quadrotors

    Diego S. D’Antonio, Gustavo A. Cardona, David Saldaña

    IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters

    DOI ↗Google Scholar ↗YouTube ↗
    Abstract

    Transporting objects using aerial robots has been widely studied in the literature. Still, those approaches always assume that the connection between the quadrotor and the load is made in a previous stage. However, that previous stage usually requires human intervention, and autonomous procedures to locate and attach the object are not considered. Additionally, most of the approaches assume cables as rigid links, but manipulating cables requires considering the state when the cables are hanging. In this work, we design and control a catenary robot. Our robot is able to transport hook-shaped objects in the environment. The robotic system is composed of two quadrotors attached to the two ends of a cable. By defining the catenary curve with five degrees of freedom, position in 3-D, orientation in z-axis, and span, we can drive the two quadrotors to track a given trajectory. We validate our approach with simulations and real robots. We present four different scenarios of experiments. Our numerical solution is computationally fast and can be executed in real-time.

    BibTeX
    @article{2021-the-catenary-robot-design-and-control-of-a-cable-propelled-by-two-quadrotors,

title = {The Catenary Robot: Design and Control of a Cable Propelled by Two Quadrotors},

author = {Diego S. D’Antonio and Gustavo A. Cardona and David Saldaña },

url = {https://youtu.be/3SaKKjl6os0},

doi = {10.1109/LRA.2021.3062603},

issn = {2377-3766},

year  = {2021},

date = {2021-02-26},

urldate = {2021-02-26},

journal = {IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters},

volume = {6},

number = {2},

pages = {3857-3863},

abstract = {Transporting objects using aerial robots has been widely studied in the literature. Still, those approaches always assume that the connection between the quadrotor and the load is made in a previous stage. However, that previous stage usually requires human intervention, and autonomous procedures to locate and attach the object are not considered. Additionally, most of the approaches assume cables as rigid links, but manipulating cables requires considering the state when the cables are hanging. In this work, we design and control a catenary robot. Our robot is able to transport hook-shaped objects in the environment. The robotic system is composed of two quadrotors attached to the two ends of a cable. By defining the catenary curve with five degrees of freedom, position in 3-D, orientation in z-axis, and span, we can drive the two quadrotors to track a given trajectory. We validate our approach with simulations and real robots. We present four different scenarios of experiments. Our numerical solution is computationally fast and can be executed in real-time.},

keywords = {aerial manipulation, aerial robot, cable, catenary robot, quadrotor},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}