Low-cost autonomous Micro Aerial Vehicles (MAVs) have the potential to help humans by simplifying and speeding up complex tasks that require their interaction with the environment, such as construction, package delivery, and search and rescue. These systems, composed of single or multiple vehicles, can be endowed with passive connection mechanisms such as rigid links or cables to perform transportation and manipulation tasks. However, they are inherently complex since they are often underactuated and evolve in nonlinear manifold configuration spaces. In addition, the complexity of systems with cable-suspended load is further increased by the hybrid dynamics depending on the cables' varying tension conditions. This paper presents the first aerial transportation and manipulation simulator incorporating different payloads and passive connection mechanisms with full system dynamics, planning, and control algorithms. Furthermore, it includes a novel general model accounting for the transient hybrid dynamics for aerial systems with cable-suspended load to closely mimic real-world systems. The availability of a flexible and intuitive interface further contributes to its usability and versatility. Comparisons between simulations and real-world experiments with different vehicles' configurations show the fidelity of the simulator results with respect to real-world settings and its benefit for rapid prototyping and transitioning of aerial transportation and manipulation systems to real-world deployment.

翻译：低成本自主微型飞行器（MAVs）通过简化并加速复杂任务（如建筑施工、包裹递送及搜索救援）中的人机交互赋能，展现出辅助人类的潜力。这类由单架或多架飞行器构成的系统，可配备刚性连杆或缆绳等被动连接机构，以执行运输与操作任务。然而，由于系统常处于欠驱动状态且运行在非线性流形构型空间中，其本质具高度复杂性。此外，缆绳吊挂负载系统的复杂性因缆绳张紧状态变化引发的混合动力学特性而进一步提升。本文提出了首个集成不同载荷与被动连接机构的全系统动力学、规划及控制算法的空中运输与操作仿真器。特别地，该仿真器包含一种针对缆绳吊挂负载空中系统的新型通用模型，可精确模拟过渡态混合动力学行为，以贴近实际系统。灵活直观的接口设计进一步增强了其可用性与多功能性。通过不同飞行器配置下的仿真与真实实验对比，验证了仿真结果相对于真实场景的保真度，以及其在快速原型开发中实现空中运输与操作系统向实际部署转化的优势。