Coordinated control of networked vehicles: An autonomous underwater system

The specification and design of coordinated control strategies for networked vehicle systems are discussed. The discussion is illustrated with an example of the coordinated operation of two teams of autonomous underwater vehicles collecting data to find the local minimum of a given oceanographic scalar field

Autonomous vehicles in the response to maritime incidents

The future role of autonomous vehicles in the emergency response to maritime incidents isdiscussed and a framework for their integration into existing response plans is proposed. This is done inthe context of the developments on autonomous vehicle systems from the Underwater Systems andTechnologies Laboratory from Porto University

Detecção e Mapeamento da Descarga de Efluente Proveniente dum Emissário Submarino Utilizando um Veículo Submarino Autónomo

O Veículo Submarino Autónomo (VSA) Isurus constitui uma tecnologia de vanguarda ao nível damonitorização ambiental. A possibilidade de recolha de dados com elevada resolução e grande rapidezconstitui uma das muitas vantagens que apresenta em relação aos métodos de medição in-situtradicionais. A monitorização ambiental de efluentes provenientes de emissários submarinos constituiuma das aplicações em que pode trazer mais valias, quer ao nível do controlo do meio ambiente, querao nível da avaliação do desempenho do próprio emissário. Nesta publicação descreve-se uma missãode monitorização ambiental a um Emissário Submarino utilizando o VSA Isurus focando-se em especialos resultados obtidos e a estratégia de recolha de dados utilizada, que se baseia na utilização de ummodelo de previsão da dispersão

Multiple UAV coalition formation for multiple tasks

In a search and prosecute mission, multiple heterogeneous unmanned aerial vehiclesUAVs that carry different resources need to perform the classify, prosecute and battledamage assessment (BDA) tasks on targets sequentially. Depending on the target resource requirement,it may be necessary to deploy a coalition of UAVs to perform the action. In thispaper, we propose coalition formation algorithms that have low computational overhead todetermine coalitions for the prosecute and the BDA tasks. We also develop a simultaneousstrike mechanism based on Dubins curves for the UAVs to prosecute the target simultaneously.Simulation results are presented to show how the algorithms work with theoretical results

Invariance for impulsive control systems

The conventional concepts of invariance are extended in this article to include impulsivecontrol systems represented by measure driven differential inclusions. Invariance conditionsand some of their main features are derived. The solution concept plays a critical role in theextension of the conditions for conventional problems to the impulsive control context

Fluorescence in nanostructured fulleride films

Applied Physics Letters, 89Nanostructuring of fullerene C60 beam deposited films is achieved by electrochemical reduction in a potassium hydroxide aqueous solution. Alkali fulleride clusters are formed at the electrode, as it is illustrated by cyclic voltammetry, x-ray diffraction, and scanning tunneling microscopy. Fluorescence emission from fluorophore doped fullerene reduced films was investigated by fluorescence spectroscopy and scanning near-field optical microscopy. These techniques lead to results which also fit such nanometer-sized fulleride cluster interpretation. In particular, the fluorophore fluorescence lifetime decreases as long as aggregation in the film is more effective,which occurs with the increase of film thickness