Universal Flying Machines (UFM): Modular Multi-Rotor Configurations Integrated into Two- and Three-Dimensional Assemblies

A considerable amount of research has been focused on the use of robotic swarms (whether they be uninhabited ground vehicles (UGV), uninhabited aerial vehicles (UAV), uninhabited surface vehicles (USV), etc., or other types of mobile robots) to accomplish various types of missions and applications. A smaller body of research has examined physically linking (either semi-permanently throughout a mission or temporarily coming together or separating mid-mission) together aggregates, or ‘constructs,’ of such modular robotic ‘elements.’ These constructs and their constituent individual robotic elements are collectively referred to in this work as ‘universal flying machines’ or UFM. This work attempts to lay the foundation on which UFM research may be built upon in the future by both the rotorcraft and the robotics communities. First, a set of definitional requirements and/principles are defined. Next, a non-exhaustive notional set of application domain(s) for UFM are presented. Then an initial classification system for both UFM elements and constructs is outlined. Finally, a series of notional element and construct concept examples are presented by way of illustrating the broad design space represented by the universal flying machines field of study.