Sensor Based System Identification in Real Time for Noise Covariance Deficient Models

System identification methods have extensive application in the aerospace industry’s experimental stability and control studies. Accurate aerodynamic modeling and system identification are necessary because they enable performance evaluation, flight simulation, control system design, fault detection, and model aircraft’s complex non-linear behavior. Various estimation methods yield different levels of accuracies with varying complexity and computational time requirements. The primary motivation of such studies is the accurate quantification of process noise. This research evaluates the performance of two recursive parameter estimation methods, viz.; First is the Fourier Transform Regression (FTR). The second approach describes the Extended version of Recursive Least Square (EFRLS), where E.F. refers to the Extended Forgetting factor. Also, the computational viability of these methods was analyzed for real-time application in aerodynamic parameter estimation for both linear and non-linear systems. While the first method utilizes the frequency domain to evaluate aerodynamic parameters, the second method works when noise covariances are unknown. The performance of both methods was assessed by benchmarking against parameter estimates from established methods like Extended Kalman Filter (EKF), Unscented Kalman Filter (UNKF), and Output Error Method (OEM)

Design & Implementation of an Electric Fixed-wing Hybrid VTOL UAV for Asset Monitoring

Fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) offer the best aerodynamic efficiency required for long-distance or high-endurance applications, albeit their runway requirement for take-off and landing in comparison with quadcopters, helicopters, and flapping-wing UAVs that can perform vertical take-off and landing (VTOL). Integrating a multirotor system with a fixed-wing UAV imparts VTOL capabilities without significantly compromising fixed-wing aerodynamic efficiency, endurance, payload capacity or range. Documented system design approaches to address various challenges of such fusion processes are sparse. This research proposes a holistic approach for designing, prototyping, and testing an electric-powered fixed-wing hybrid VTOL UAV. The proposed system design approach augments the standard aircraft design process with additional steps to integrate VTOL capabilities. Separate fixed-wing and multirotor designs were derived from the frozen mission requirements, which were then fused. The process used simulation for modeling and evaluating alternatives for the hybrid UAV created using standard aircraft design equations. We prototyped and instrumented the final design to validate operational capabilities through test flights. Multiple flight trials identified the ideal combination of Lithium-Polymer (Li-Po) batteries for VTOL (8000mAh) and fixed-wing (14000mAh) modes to meet the endurance and range requirements. The redundant power supplies also increased the survivability chances of the hybrid UAV during failures

An Evaluation of RouteMatch Software in the Billings, MT, Special Transit System

This research evaluates the impact of RouteMatch Software on the MET Special Transit service in Billings, MT, and analyzes the gains in service efficiency compared to those achieved with the MET’s previous software solution, Mobility Master Software. In this review, before and after quantitative and qualitative data are analyzed, including rides per hour, rides per mile, dispatcher and driver attitudes, and pick up and drop off time performances. The results indicate that MET Special Transit operations were slightly more efficient after the software was installed, and that with a slight gain in efficiency, the RouteMatch Software could have a positive cost to benefit ratio

An Evaluation of RouteMatch Software in the Billings, MT, Special Transit System

This research evaluates the impact of RouteMatch Software on the MET Special Transit service in Billings, MT, and analyzes the gains in service efficiency compared to those achieved with the MET's previous software solution, Mobility Master Software. In this review, before and after quantitative and qualitative data are analyzed, including rides per hour, rides per mile, dispatcher and driver attitudes, and pick up and drop off time performances. The results indicate that MET Special Transit operations were slightly more efficient after the software was installed, and that with a slight gain in efficiency, the RouteMatch Software could have a positive cost to benefit ratio

Modelling & Analysis of High Impact Terrorist Attacks in India & Its Neighbors

Terrorism perpetrated in any country by either internal or external actors jeopardizes the country’s security, economic growth, societal peace, and harmony. Hence, accurate modelling of terrorism has become a necessary component of the national security mission of most nations. This research extracted and analyzed high impact attacks (HIAs) perpetrated by terrorists in India and its neighboring countries since 1970 using the Global Terrorism Database (GTD). We evaluated the extraction efficacy of the Global Terrorism Index Impact Score (GTI-IS) against the GTD measure “nkill” using the iterative outlier analysis (IOA) heuristic. The heuristic identified 6117 common HIAs using nkill or GTI-IS attributes. GTI-IS extracted 1718 exclusive HIAs that nkill missed, while nkill extracted 2233 exclusive HIAs. We further classified the extracted HIAs into lethal and non-lethal attacks. Next, we conducted a rigorous spatiotemporal exploratory analysis of countries that reported the most HIAs. Though Afghanistan, India, and Sri Lanka exhibited global spatial autocorrelation, Pakistan did not. Ripley’s G function suggested the recurrence of lethal attacks near other similar events. This analysis showed that lethal and non-lethal attacks in those countries follow different statistical distributions, which can aid in focused counterterrorism tactics

Biocharring of natural fibers of insect and plant origin: a green route for the production of ‘carbon-based charge storage nanomaterials’

Abstract Futuristic energy materials are expected to be biocompatible, green, sustainable and economical. One of the ways to develop such energy storage materials is by utilizing natural sources such as plants, animals, and insects. Autotrophs fix nitrogen and carbon in the atmosphere through rhizobium and photosynthesis, respectively, which are later consumed by animals and insects as energy sources. Biocharring these plants and insects derived products that could help us regain this carbon and nitrogen in the form of biocharred energy materials. Insect-derived Tassar cocoon, Mulberry cocoon, and Tassar silk thread give N-doped carbon matrix upon biocharring which is further processed to obtain reduced graphene oxide, whereas plant-derived Jute gives a pure carbon matrix on biocharring, all four materials show typical properties of charge storage. Exploring further on these natural charge storage materials will help the energy industries to design green charge storage systems. Further, such an approach in future will open up new avenues of business for silk and jute farmers of the world

Modeling and prediction of powered parafoil unmanned aerial vehicle throttle and servo controls through artificial neural networks

This study proposes a framework for developing a realistic model for throttle and servo control algorithms for a powered parafoil unmanned aerial vehicle (PPUAV) using artificial neural networks (ANNs). Two servo motors on an L-shaped platform, control and steer the PPUAV. Six degrees of freedom mathematical model of a dynamic parafoil system is built to test the technique's efficacy using a simulation in which disturbances mimic actual flights. A guiding law is then established, including the cross-track error and the line-of-sight approach. Furthermore, a path-following controller is constructed using the proportional-integral derivative, and a simulation platform was created to evaluate numerical data illustrating the route's validity following the technique. PPUAV was developed, built, and instrumented to collect real-time flight data to test the controller. These dynamic characteristics were sent into the ANN for training. A diverging-converging design was identified to obtain the best consistency between predicted and observed throttle and servo control values. For a comparable flight route, the control signal of the simulated model is compared with those of the actual and ANN-predicted models. The comparative findings show that the ANN-predicted and actual control inputs were almost identical, with an 80%–99% match. However, the simulated response showed deviation from the actual control input, with an accuracy of 50%–80%

Profiling terrorist organizations capable of high impact attacks

Terrorist attacks aim to maximize human fatalities and related damages to instill fear within the community. Such attacks are considered High Impact Attacks (HIAs) and orchestrating them requires considerable organizational setup and resources. This study extends the implementation of the Iterative Outlier Analysis (IOA) heuristics developed earlier to each region reported in the Global Terrorism Database (GTD). It reinforces and generalizes the finding that the “nkill” attribute resulted in richer sets of HIAs in regions where terrorism is prolific compared to the composite measure Global Terrorism Index—Impact Score (GTI-IS). HIA dataset of each region facilitates the identification and ranking of the Most Active Organizations (MAOs). Moreover, this study proposes a consistency and intensity code (CIC) to classify terrorist organizations capable of HIAs using four color categories. K-Means validate the number of clusters. The frequency of MAOs rank follows distinct probability distribution in each CIC category. Finally, this research identified the most virulent consistent and intense terrorist organizations (CITO) capable of perpetrating attacks in multiple regions. Regional counterterrorism policymakers can use such a classification method. A non-parametric hypothesis test confirmed that the contribution of ideologies varies significantly by region.</p