Autonomous Vehicles

So you probably know by now that by 2025, congress has mandated that 1/3 of all combat vehicles will be unmanned. You have probably heard a lot in the news about the DARPA Grand Challenge, Urban Challenge, the Predator, etc. But how many schools have an undergraduate course in Autonomous Vehicles where you can actually get your hands on experience in that area? In ES456, students learn about navigation sensor technologies such as gyros, accelerometers, GPS, laser range finders. We try to use all of that to as part of a control system that enables the vehicles to navigate effectively.

The final project last year was to make this hovercraft drive autonomously in a straight line. It's really hard to do -- even by remote control. It kind of feels like riding a bike on a sheet of ice. Unlike wheeled or tracked vehicles, there isn't of lot of friction and friction is your Friend when your trying to drive in a straight line. The hovercraft wants to slip sideways, and if you build up too much momentum, you can't count on friction to slow you down.

The vehicle uses gyros and a digital magnetic compass to try to detect when it gets off course. A small microcomputer reads the sensors and decides how to adjust the rudder and thrust to correct course. Unfortunately they didn't have a range sensor, so there is no obstacle avoidance. I guess that will have to wait until next year.

This Guy Can Teach!

A faculty committee selected Prof. Bishop as the recipient of the 2008 Civilian Faculty Teaching Award!

He was selected from an extremely competitive yard-wide field. The committee praised him for his efforts in creating the Systems Engineering Honors Major, and for
starting two of our most popular courses:
Mobile Robot Design (ES451)
and Emerging Technologies (ES502).

The Honors Major lets our top students challenge and distinguish themselves in special courses. The students engage in a year long research project with a faculty mentor. We're the only Group I major to have one.

Mobile robots is a true design experience where students build 8 different robots through the semester to compete in a variety of challenges. Emerging Technologies is a unique course that tries to give students a framework to think critically about the scientific, economic and sociental implications about new technologies such as nanoscience, cybernetics, etc.