In this paper a behavioral control framework is developedtocontrolanunmannedaerialvehicle-manipulator (UAVM) system, composed by a multirotor aerial vehicle equipped with a robotic arm. The goal is to ensure vehiclearm coordination and manage complex multi-task missions, where different behaviors must be encompassed in a clear and meaningful way. In detail, a control scheme, based on thenullspace-basedbehavioralparadigm,isproposedtohan dlethecoordinationbetweenthearmandvehiclemotion.To this aim, a set of basic functionalities (elementary behaviors) are designed and combined in a given priority order, in order to attain more complex tasks (compound behaviors). A supervisor is in charge of switching between the compound behaviors according to the mission needs and the sensory feedback. The method is validated on a real testbed, consisting of a multirotor aircraft with an attached 6 Degree of Freedoms manipulator, developed within the EU-funded project ARCAS (Aerial Robotics Cooperative Assembly System). At the the best of authors’ knowledge, this is the first time that an UAVM system is experimentally tested in the execution of complex multi-task missions. The results show that, by properly designing a set of compound behaviors and a supervisor, vehicle-arm coordination in complex missions can be effectively managed.

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• Behavioral control of unmanned aerial vehicle manipulator systems