Ground Robotic Hand Applications for the Space Program study (GRASP)

This document reports on a NASA-STDP effort to address research interests of the NASA Kennedy Space Center (KSC) through a study entitled, Ground Robotic-Hand Applications for the Space Program (GRASP). The primary objective of the GRASP study was to identify beneficial applications of specialized end-effectors and robotic hand devices for automating any ground operations which are performed at the Kennedy Space Center. Thus, operations for expendable vehicles, the Space Shuttle and its components, and all payloads were included in the study. Typical benefits of automating operations, or augmenting human operators performing physical tasks, include: reduced costs; enhanced safety and reliability; and reduced processing turnaround time

"Datum for its own annihilation" : feedback, control, and computing, 1916-1945

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Program in Science, Technology, and Society, 1996.Includes bibliographical references.by David A. Mindell.Ph.D

A study of teaching automation for marine engineers

This dissertation is a research into a study of teaching automation for marine engineers which is conducted at the Institute of Marine Technology (IMT)of the Union of Myanmar as related to the Fundamentals of Automation, Instrumentation and Control systems, module 9 of IMO model course 7.02. This course is now included in the mandatory part of STCW Code A of the revised STCW Convention. An examination is made of the fundamentals of ship automation and a brief overview is given of the modem developments in ship automation system. This includes modem developments in main engine automation, navigation/ bridge control, integrated control ship, condition monitoring systems and programmable controller. The author has attempted to analyse the present syllabus on Automation, Instrumentation and Control Systems ( AICS ) course conducted at IMT and related subjects conducted in recent education and training schemes for marine engineers in Myanmar. Comparisons of the IMO model course and IMT’s AICS course are presented emphasising entry standards, subject outline and detailed teaching syllabus. Then the author proposes ways and means to improve the course to meet the requirements of the IMO model course. The author also suggests the promotion of some related subjects to support the AICS course by using teaching aids and some courses which are recently available in IMT. The modem developments in ship automation are very rapid and dramatic. In this regard, a brief syllabus for the near future is also proposed to cope with modem developments. A number of recommendations are also made to harmonise with the course to be promoted

The State-of-Art of Underwater Vehicles - Theories and Applications

An autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) is an underwater system that contains its own power and is controlled by an onboard computer. Although many names are given to these vehicles, such as remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs), submersible devices, or remote controlled submarines, to name just a few, the fundamental task for these devices is fairly well defined: The vehicle is able to follow a predefined trajectory. AUVs offer many advantages for performing difficult tasks submerged in water. The main advantage of an AUV is that is does not need a human operator. Therefore it is less expensive than a human operated vehicle and is capable of doing operations that are too dangerous for a person. They operate in conditions and perform task that humans are not able to do efficiently, or at all (Smallwood & Whitcomb, 2004; Horgan & Toal, 2006; Caccia, 2006)

Aeronautical Engineering: A continuing bibliography with indexes, supplement 113, September 1979

This bibliography lists 436 reports, articles, and other documents introduced into the NASA scientific and technical information system in August 1979

The Drift Angle Theory Applied To Ship Manoeuvring Models

A marine vehicle manoeuvring model is concerned with the ability to simulate the status of a vehicle to various demanded controls on a digital computer. Such models have both shore based and sea going applications that are beneficial to the mariner, enhance safety of life at sea and aid in protecting the marine environment The mathematical representation of marine vehicles has generally been conducted by the measurement of the forces and moments that are experienced by a vehicle, in terms of a series of numbers collectively known as hydrodynamic coefficients. This has resulted in the non-linear force modular model which is considered to be the most accurate and versatile mathematical modelling technique. This thesis presents the results from research conducted into the construction of an accurate mathematical model of a patrol craft Picket Boat Nine. The non-linear force modular modelling technique was initially adopted. The required hydrodynamic coefficients were evaluated by the use of full scale sea trials, scale model testing techniques and by semi-empirical methodologies; by the installation of a towing tank, a data monitoring and acquisition system onboard Picket Boat Nine. An alternative new method for mathematically describing marine vehicles has also been developed based upon the drift angle theory. The existence and magnitude of the drift angle has been transformed into a set of hydrodynamic curves that mathematically represent a marine vehicle's manoeuvrability and into a method of determining the track history of a marine vehicle when underway. These two components have been developed into a new form of mathematical model This new approach to mathematical modelling has been tested by full scale sea trials in Picket Boat Nine and with comparison to a force modular model that demonstrates the stature and potential of this method. The results indicate that further research is required to include external disturbances and to prove its validity to other marine vehicles.Britannia Royal Naval Colleg

CONTROL TECHNIQUES APPLIED TO INTEGRATED SHIP MOTION CONTROL

Fins stabilisers are devices which are fitted to the hull of a ship and utilised to ameliorate its rolling motions. They apply a regulated moment about the ship's axis of roll in order to oppose the sea induced disturbances. Recognising their unsurpassed performance, the Royal Navy, since the 1950's, equips all its vessels with fin stabilisers. It can be shown that the rudders, in vessels of appropriate size, also have the potential to be harnessed as roll stabilisers Rudder Roll Stabilisation (RRS) without degrading the ship's course-keeping. Thus creating a more stable platform for the human operators and equipment. The reported success of RRS imparted an impetus to the Royal Navy to initiate this study. The objectives are to ascertain whether RRS is possible without rudder modifications and to establish whether enhanced levels of stabilisation would accrue if the fins and RRS were operated in congress. The advantages in this novel approach being: avoidance of redesign and refit of rudders, three modes of operation (fins alone, RRS alone and combined RRS and fins), reduced fin activity and by implication self-generated noise, and amenability to be retrofitted by simple alteration of any existing ship's autopilot software. The study initially examined the mathematical models of the ship dynamics, defining deficiencies and evaluating sources of uncertainty. It was postulated that the dual purpose of the rudder can be separated into non-interacting frequency channels for controller design purposes. An integrated design methodology is adopted to the roll stabilisation problem. Investigating the capabilities of the rudder servomechanism, a new scheme, the Anti-Saturation Algorithm (ASA) was proposed which can eliminate slew rate saturation. Application of the ASA is generic to any servomechanism. The effects of lateral accelerations of the ship on human operators was examined. This resulted in an unique contribution to the Lateral Force Estimator problem in terms of generating time domain models and defining the limitations of the applicability of a control design strategy. Linear Quadratic Guassian and two types of classical controllers were constructed for the RRS and fins. A novel application of linear robust control theory to the ship roll stabilisation problem resulted in H . controllers whose performance was superior to the other design methods. This required the development of weight functions and the identification and quantification of possible sources of uncertainty. The structured singular value utilised this information to give comparable measures of robustness. The sea trials conducted represent the first experience of the integrated ship roll stabilisation approach. Experimental results are detailed. These afforded an invaluable opportunity to validate the software employed to predict ship motion. The data generated from the sea trials concurs with the simulations data in predicting that enhanced levels of roll stabilisation are possible without any modification to the rudder system. They also confirm that when the RRS is acting in congress with the fin stabilisers the activity of both actuators diminishes