This article analyzes the evolution and current trends in aerial robotic manipulation, comprising helicopters, conventional underactuated multirotors, and multidirectional thrust platforms equipped with a wide variety of robotic manipulators capable of physically interacting with the environment. It also covers cooperative aerial manipulation and interconnected actuated multibody designs. The review is completed with developments in teleoperation, perception, and planning. Finally, a new generation of aerial robotic manipulators is presented with our vision of the future. Index Terms-Aerial manipulation, aerial robots physically interacting with the environment, unmanned aerial vehicles.
I. INTRODUCTIONT HE field of aerial robots physically interacting with the environment, and particularly aerial robotic manipulators (AEROMs), has experienced ten years of sustained growth. Diverse prototypes, functionalities and capabilities have been developed and evaluated in representative indoor and outdoor scenarios, demonstrating the possibility to successfully perform manipulation tasks while flying. The ability of aerial manipulators to quickly reach and operate in high altitude workspaces, along with the level of maturity reached in recent years, led to the application of this technology in areas like inspection and maintenance, reducing time, cost, and risk for the human workers. In this sense, this article aims at providing a broad perspective and analysis of the work done in aerial manipulation,