Use of an uncrewed surface vehicle and near infrared hyperspectral imaging for sampling and analysis of aquatic microplastics.

Data on MP in aquatic environments have low resolution in space and time. Scaling up sampling and increasing analysis throughput are the main bottlenecks. We combined two approaches: an uncrewed surface vehicle (USV) and near infrared hyperspectral imaging (NIR-HSI) for sampling and analysis of MP > 300 μm.

Data-Efficient Deep Reinforcement Learning for Attitude Control of Fixed-Wing UAVs: Field Experiments.

Attitude control of fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) is a difficult control problem in part due to uncertain nonlinear dynamics, actuator constraints, and coupled longitudinal and lateral motions. Current state-of-the-art autopilots are based on linear control and are thus limited in their effectiveness and performance. Gls drl is a machine learning method to automatically discover optimal control laws through interaction with the controlled system that can handle complex nonlinear dynamics.

A Survey of Practical Design Considerations of Optical Imaging Stabilization Systems for Small Unmanned Aerial Systems.

Optical imaging systems are one of the most common sensors used for collecting data with small Unmanned Aerial Systems (sUAS). Plenty of research exists which present custom-made optical imaging systems for specific missions. However, the research commonly leaves out the explanation of design parameters and considerations taken during the design of the optical imaging system, especially the image stabilization strategy used, which is a significant issue in sUAS imaging missions.

Autonomous Unmanned Aerial Vehicles in Search and Rescue Missions Using Real-Time Cooperative Model Predictive Control.

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) have recently been used in a wide variety of applications due to their versatility, reduced cost, rapid deployment, among other advantages. Search and Rescue (SAR) is one of the most prominent areas for the employment of UAVs in place of a manned mission, especially because of its limitations on the costs, human resources, and mental and perception of the human operators. In this work, a real-time path-planning solution using multiple cooperative UAVs for SAR missions is proposed.

Distributed control architecture for real-time model predictive control for system-level harmonic mitigation in power systems.

It can be challenging to design and implement Model Predictive Control (MPC) schemes in systems with fast dynamics. As MPCs often introduce high computational loads, it can be hard to assure real-time properties required by the dynamic system. An understanding of the system's behavior, to exploit system properties that can benefit real-time implementation is imperative.

User-Configurable Timing and Navigation for UAVs.

As the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for industrial use increases, so are the demands for highly accurate navigation solutions, and with the high dynamics that UAVs offer, the accuracy of a measurement does not only depend on the value of the measurement, but also the accuracy of the associated timestamp. Sensor timing using dedicated hardware is the de-facto method to achieve optimal sensor performance, but the solutions available today have limited flexibility and requires much effort when changing sensors. This article presents requirements and suggestions for a highly accurate, reconfigurable sensor timing system that simplifies integration of sensor systems and navigation systems for UAVs.

Do it yourself hyperspectral imager for handheld to airborne operations.

This study describes rapid prototype construction of small and lightweight push broom Hyper Spectral Imagers (HSI). The dispersive element housings are printed by a thermoplastic 3D printer combined with S-mount optical components and commercial off-the-shelf camera heads. Four models with a mass less than 200 g are presented with a spectral range in the visible to the near-infrared part of the electromagnetic spectrum.

Integrated Monitoring of Mola mola Behaviour in Space and Time.

Over the last decade, ocean sunfish movements have been monitored worldwide using various satellite tracking methods. This study reports the near-real time monitoring of fine-scale (< 10 m) behaviour of sunfish. The study was conducted in southern Portugal in May 2014 and involved satellite tags and underwater and surface robotic vehicles to measure both the movements and the contextual environment of the fish.

A remote palpation instrument for laparoscopic surgery: design and performance.

This paper describes the design and performance of a prototype remote palpation instrument with tactile feedback for laparoscopic surgery. Psychophysical experiments aiming at comparing palpation with and without tactile feedback are also described. The remote palpation instrument is designed to provide the surgeon with information about size and contact force distribution.

The role of tactile feedback in laparoscopic surgery.

Two experiments aiming at comparing palpation with gloved fingers, conventional laparoscopic instruments, and a laparoscopic instrument with a sensor array attached to its end effector are described. The sensor array provides the surgeon with visually presented tactile information. Fifteen subjects were asked to discriminate hardness and size of objects (rubber balls hidden in pig's intestine) with the 3 palpation methods.

Analysis of artificial neural networks for pattern-based adaptive control.

Adaptive pattern-based control strategies adapt their parameters from an analysis of response patterns exhibited by the system. This work presents an analysis of a class of artificial neural network (ANN) pattern-based adaptive control. It provides conditions under which the adaptive algorithm will converge, and it also characterizes the closed-loop stability properties.