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Presentations

Control and Motion-Planning Algorithms for Robotic Falcons to Prevent Airport Bird Strikes

Monday, April 20th, 2015
Soon-Jo Chung
3:30pm
Event Description

Control and Motion-Planning Algorithms for Robotic Falcons to Prevent Airport Bird Strikes

The rapid and ubiquitous proliferation of reliable rotorcraft platforms such as quadcopters has resulted in a boom in aerial robotics. However, rotorcraft have issues of safety, high noise levels, and low efficiency for forward flight. The objective of this project, motivated by the problem of keeping airfields clear of disruptive avian flocks, is to develop control and sensing strategies for bird-like flapping robots that can be deployed in swarms to fend off "antagonists." This talk gives an overview of technical challenges in developing a bio-inspired aerial robot platform from the dynamics and controls standpoint. Professor Chung studies the stability of coupled nonlinear oscillators by using contraction analysis to prove that flapping flight dynamics without traditional aerodynamic control surfaces can be effectively controlled by a reduced set of central pattern generator (CPG) parameters that generate complex 3D oscillatory motions of two main wings. New motion planning and flight control strategies are used to demonstrate agile, high-speed flight in a forest and perform perched landings on a human hand.

Soon-Jo Chung

CAS Beckman Fellow 2014-15