Coordinating multiple robots to achieve a complex task requires solving two distinct control problems: the high-level control problem of ensuring that each robot aims to perform a useful task (e.g., coordination) and the low-level control problem of ensuring that each robot actually performs the correct actions to achieve its task...
Quadrotors are unique among Micro Aerial Vehicles in providing excellent maneuverability (as opposed to winged flight),while maintaing a simple mechanical construction (as opposed to helicopters). This mechanical simplicity comes at a cost of increased controller complexity. Quadrotors are inherently unstable, in the sense that they are essentially unflyable by a...
The behavior of a metal vapor plasma arc in a vacuum arc remelting (VAR) furnace is believed to contribute to the formation of defects in reactive metal and super-alloy ingots. Industry standard instrumentation, which includes electric current and voltage measurements, can asses the stability of an arc but cannot predict...
Proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) in conjunction with the Galerkin projection has been used as a model reduction technique for the tractable real-time control of high-dimensional systems. While POD based model reduction may improve the tractability of high-dimensional models, the nonlinear POD based model may be impractical for control due to...
A distinct characteristic of legged locomotion is its periodic nature. This periodic motion, in the form of a periodic orbit, has been the target of many walking and running control strategies. The spring loaded inverted pendulum (SLIP) has become a popular model of sagittal plane locomotion, exhibiting behavior characteristic of...
A brake-based wheel speed control system for a rear-wheel drive vehicle is developed and simulated in this thesis. The OSU mini-Baja vehicle team will use this study in the development and implementation of a similar system for upcoming competitions. Vehicle submittals must differ to a specified degree from previous year’s...
This thesis addresses Micro Aerial Vehicle (MAV) control by leveraging learning based techniques to improve robustness of the control system. Applying classical control methods to MAVs is a difficult process due to the complexity of the control laws with fast and highly non-linear dynamics. These methods are mostly based on...
The use of autonomous robots in complex exploration tasks is rapidly increasing. Indeed, robots can provide speed and cost effectiveness in many tasks, as well as allow operation in environments that are hostile to humans. In this dissertation we: 1) provide two adaptive navigation algorithms; 2) develop a coordination mechanism;...
Numerous research efforts have proven the safety benefits of access management. There are several access management techniques, including unsignalized access spacing, signalized intersection spacing, left-turn lanes, right-turn lanes, Two-Way Left-Turn lanes (TWLTLs), nontraversable median, U-turns, interchange access separation distances and so on.
This project explores the correlation between access density...
This thesis evaluates pre-construction auditing procedures used in the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand in order to help create post-construction auditing procedures for the state of Oregon. It was funded as part of the development of the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) Safety Investigation Manual, and also evaluates content...