A Progress-Aware Leader-Follower Midair Docking System for Dual-Drone Aerial Manipulation

2026-05-28

AI Summary

This work addresses the challenge of achieving reliable aerial docking for small unmanned aerial vehicles under stringent thrust and payload constraints. The authors propose a lightweight leader-follower dual-drone docking system featuring a modular design and a passive magnetic latching mechanism. A perception-aware supervisory framework is introduced to coordinate, in distinct phases, the approach, alignment, capture, and stabilization processes. Built upon the ROS 2 architecture and integrated with Crazyflie/PX4 flight controller interfaces, the system enables multi-stage cooperative control and synchronized logging. Experimental results demonstrate high docking success rates, low formation error, and strong heading consistency in both simulation and real-world trials, establishing—for the first time—a reproducible and quantifiable benchmark for aerial docking performance evaluation.

Abstract

Reliable midair docking between small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) is essential for modular aerial cooperation and manipulation, but it requires precise relative-pose control and repeatable platform under tight thrust and payload constraints. We present a dual-drone docking platform where two quadrotors operate in a leader-follower formation and dock using a lightweight modular frame with passive magnetic latching. A progress-aware mission supervisor manages phase transitions: approach, alignment, capture, and settle. This platform integrates a complete hardware-software stack (ROS 2 with Crazyflie/PX4 interfaces) and synchronized logging for benchmark evaluation. We evaluate the platform in simulation and real-world experiments using quantitative metrics such as formation error, baseline and yaw consistency, docking success rate, time-to-dock, and failure-mode statistics. The platform enables statistically grounded comparison of docking supervision and synchronization strategies and provides a practical testbed for modular aerial cooperation and repeatable midair aerial manipulation.

Problem

• midair docking
• UAV cooperation
• aerial manipulation
• relative-pose control
• modular aerial systems

Innovation

• midair docking
• leader-follower formation
• progress-aware supervision
• modular aerial manipulation
• magnetic latching