Large Scale Complex Multiagent Systems : Control Methodologies and Information Architectures. Future military operations are likely to involve increasing use of unmanned vehicles, airborne, underwater or on land. In some cases there will be very large formations. This research will develop methodologies which allow formations of unmanned vehicles to be configured. Much of the same methodology is applicable to the construction and operation of large scale sensor networks, identified by some comm ....Large Scale Complex Multiagent Systems : Control Methodologies and Information Architectures. Future military operations are likely to involve increasing use of unmanned vehicles, airborne, underwater or on land. In some cases there will be very large formations. This research will develop methodologies which allow formations of unmanned vehicles to be configured. Much of the same methodology is applicable to the construction and operation of large scale sensor networks, identified by some commentators as one of the most important technologies of the 21st century. They comprise large numbers of low cost networked sensors and will increasingly find application in security, agricultural and environmental monitoring.Read moreRead less
Optimisation of piezoelectric metamaterials: Towards robotic stress sensors. This project aims to design new piezoelectric material microstructures that can enhance the measurement of complex local stress states within robotic limbs. The project expects to generate new knowledge of the achievable properties of multi-poled piezoelectric materials and develop computational tools for the analysis and structural optimisation of such materials. The designed microstructures may revolutionise piezoelec ....Optimisation of piezoelectric metamaterials: Towards robotic stress sensors. This project aims to design new piezoelectric material microstructures that can enhance the measurement of complex local stress states within robotic limbs. The project expects to generate new knowledge of the achievable properties of multi-poled piezoelectric materials and develop computational tools for the analysis and structural optimisation of such materials. The designed microstructures may revolutionise piezoelectric sensor technology. Expected outcomes include manufactured proof-of-concept sensors that enable measurement of local stress fields. This should provide significant benefits, such as improved future robot capability and reliability, and research training for next-generation Australian computational mathematicians. Read moreRead less
Generalised Energy Based Robust and Nonlinear Control Systems. This project aims to develop new energy-based theories of robust stability analysis and controller design for both linear and nonlinear systems, building on passivity and negative imaginary system theories and their physical interpretations along with stochastic optimal control theory. These control theories would allow for a wide range of plant dynamics in the design of high-performance robust control systems, enabling advances in e ....Generalised Energy Based Robust and Nonlinear Control Systems. This project aims to develop new energy-based theories of robust stability analysis and controller design for both linear and nonlinear systems, building on passivity and negative imaginary system theories and their physical interpretations along with stochastic optimal control theory. These control theories would allow for a wide range of plant dynamics in the design of high-performance robust control systems, enabling advances in emerging technologies including nanopositioning, micro-electromechanical systems and opto-mechatronics. The project plans to combine these theoretical advances with numerical methods involving advanced optimisation tools and the experimental implementation of nanopositioning control systems in atomic force microscopy.Read moreRead less
Cooperative control of networked systems with constraints. This project aims to address the challenge of networked systems in deploying teams of robotic agents. Control of the networked system is extremely difficult due to real world constraints imposed on each agent. This project will focus on motion constraints, equipment/capability constraints, and spatial constraints. In addition to theoretical advances, the wider scientific community will benefit directly, because the control algorithms dev ....Cooperative control of networked systems with constraints. This project aims to address the challenge of networked systems in deploying teams of robotic agents. Control of the networked system is extremely difficult due to real world constraints imposed on each agent. This project will focus on motion constraints, equipment/capability constraints, and spatial constraints. In addition to theoretical advances, the wider scientific community will benefit directly, because the control algorithms developed are expected to allow straightforward deployment of robotic teams. There are myriad applications for cooperative robotic agents, ranging from surveillance, to environmental monitoring using underwater and aerial drone formations – with an array of benefits and impacts including economic, commercial and societal. The results are intended to ensure and cement Australia’s front-line position in the current technological revolution known as “Industry 4.0”.Read moreRead less
Information consensus and coordination of multiagent systems. Revolutions in information and communication technologies create a complex 'network of everything'. This project will develop advanced control techniques for such networks, to make the nation's power systems safer, to fly formations of unmanned airborne vehicles, and to extract key information from networks of environmental monitoring sensors.
Sensing a complex world: Infinite dimensional observer theory for robots. This project aims to develop the foundational theory and design paradigms to support the new generation of sensor systems crucial to enabling widespread robotic automation in unstructured environments such as mining, agriculture and urban transport. Modern dense robotic sensor modalities such as CMOS (complementary metal oxide semiconductor) sensors, LIDAR and dense acoustic arrays are best modelled as a fine grid of measu ....Sensing a complex world: Infinite dimensional observer theory for robots. This project aims to develop the foundational theory and design paradigms to support the new generation of sensor systems crucial to enabling widespread robotic automation in unstructured environments such as mining, agriculture and urban transport. Modern dense robotic sensor modalities such as CMOS (complementary metal oxide semiconductor) sensors, LIDAR and dense acoustic arrays are best modelled as a fine grid of measurements from an infinite dimensional dynamical system. The project plans to develop infinite dimensional invariant observer theory to formulate implementable algorithms that run in real-time on embedded hardware, providing detailed information that enables robots to undertake tasks that are presently impossible with state-of-the-art sparse sensing paradigms.Read moreRead less
Geometric observer theory for mechanical control systems. The safety and performance of mechatronic systems such as autonomous drone aircraft and submersibles crucially depends on the algorithms controlling the system. By developing novel observer algorithms that are more stable and more robust this project will contribute to the competitiveness of Australian high-tech companies with mechatronic products.