Continuum Deformation of a Multiple Quadcopter Payload Delivery Team without Inter-Agent Communication

This paper proposes continuum deformation as a strategy for controlling the collective motion of a multiple quadcopter system (MQS) carrying a common payload. Continuum deformation allows expansion and contraction of inter-agent distances in a 2D motion plane to follow desired motions of three team leaders. The remaining quadcopter followers establish the desired continuum deformation only by knowing leaders positions at desired sample time waypoints without the need for inter-agent communication over the intermediate intervals. Each quadcopter applies a linear-quadratic-Gaussian (LQG) controller to track the desired trajectory given by the continuum deformation in the presence of disturbance and measurement noise. Results of simulated cooperative aerial payload transport in the presence of uncertainty illustrate the application of continuum deformation for coordinated transport through a narrow channel

A Project-based Undergraduate Aerospace Sequence, with Embedded Computational Intelligence

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/90648/1/AIAA-2011-1581-293.pd

Flux tubes, visons, and vortices in spin-charge separated superconductors

The idea of spin-charge separation in cuprate superconductors has been recently energized by Senthil and Fisher who formulated a Z_2 gauge theory and, within its context, proposed a ``vison detection'' experiment as a test for topological order in a sample with multiply connected geometry. Here we show that the same experiment can be performed to test for the spin-charge separation in U(1) [but not in SU(2)] theory and argue that vortex core spectroscopy can in fact distinguish between the different symmetries of the fictitious gauge field.Comment: 3 pages, 1 ps figure. Invited talk at the 13th International Symposium on Superconductivity in Toky

Education in the Crosscutting Sciences of Aerospace and Computing

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/140664/1/1.i010193.pd

Unattended Autonomous Mission and System Management of an Unmanned Seaplane

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/90651/1/AIAA-2011-1614-249.pd

Markov Decision Process Framework for Flight Safety Assessment and Management

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/143068/1/1.G001743.pd