Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (MAE) Seminar
Professor Bruno Rocha
Algonquin College
Will present a talk titled:
Development of Multi-Environmental Unmanned System
Abstract: Unmanned Systems have been researched, developed and applied, in their great majority, in single environment operations. Unmanned Aerial Systems/Vehicles (UAVs) are popular, either in fixed, or rotating wing configurations, for missions requiring fast movement, considerable range, or operation at altitude (ex. for communications, or when a birds-eye view type operation is desired). However, operations at low altitude, or inside structures carry considerable risk, for the UAV and surrounding beings, or objects. Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGVs) are normally applied in missions involving human life risk, purely for automation, and/or for operation inside structures or dense environments, having lower range. Unmanned Surface and Underwater Vehicles (USVs and UUVs) are applied mainly for monitoring – and subsequent operations (ex. countermeasures) -, on and under water. There are only a small number of Unmanned Systems which enable multi-environment operation, and usually restricted to operation in two different environments (air-land, air-water, or land-water). Novel missions can be envisioned, and existing missions can be performed considerably more efficiently with the use of a multi-environment Unmanned System capable of movement in air, on land,
on and under water, switching modes automatically, without human intervention. This presentation will be focused on the development of such system. The different configuration studies and the parametric design for optimal efficiency for operation in the different environments, using a Multidisciplinary Design Optimization architecture, Computational Fluid Dynamics and Finite Element Analysis, is presented. As well, the development of the required control system for multi-environment operation, with an ongoing application of Artificial Neural Networks, leading to the finalized Unmanned System, is presented and discussed.
Date: March 24, 2023
Location: CAMP 176
Time: 11:00 am
ZOOM Link for virtual attendance
https://clarkson.zoom.us/j/92461421453?pwd=RnRDNFREWEhpQ2JmSXhnUk80d3Y2QT09
Meeting ID: 924 6142 1453
Passcode: 958101
Bio: Bruno is a Professor at Algonquin College, in Ottawa, Canada, and an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Clarkson University. He received his Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering in 2011, and since then has focused his research in the area of robotics and control systems, developing different products for different companies, and in different fields – ex. Unmanned Systems, solar energy harvesting systems, exoskeletons, etc. Before joining the faculty at Algonquin College, Bruno was a Research Officer at the National Research Council (NRC) Canada, having worked previously with NASA on aeroelastic design and Structural Health Monitoring. Prior to earning his Ph.D., he worked in industry for more than 10 years, assuming roles ranging from an automotive design Engineer to a manager of two industrial facilities and respective business units.
