Control Engineering

Helmet Mounted Display System 

MACHINE INTERFACE
Two very different things are happening at the same time. While I and others are working to get the warfighter (the new terminology for soldier) out of harm’s way, systems that still require humans to operate them are working to integrate the person as much into the system as possible. The latest production version of the helmet-mounted display is indeed very much like the one used in the popular movie IRON MAN. Both approaches have their uses.

GPS
Back to automated vehicles, GPS can answer the vehicl...Read More

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TCAS and IVSI indicator.

COLLISION AVOIDANCE
One of the earliest uses of computers connected to sensors was in gun directors. Gun directors line up the path of a projectile and the path of an aircraft with the intention of creating a collision. To get two high speed moving objects, one the size of an airplane and the other the size of an artillery shell, to meet at the same place /same time, is a complex problem.  Both of their positions at some future instant need to be predicted, the gun aimed, and fired, at just the right instant to result in their later meeting. Air pressure, rotation of the earth, humidity...and other considerations are all factors in this four dim...Read More

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BASIC AUTOMOTIVE CONTROL
Human drivers are the weak link in the transportation system.  Driver fatigue is responsible for as many as 240,000 U.S. vehicle accidents annually.  Passive safety systems of the past attempted to minimize crash injury but do not prevent the crash.  Such systems have reached the limit of what they can do and any further improvement in vehicle safety will have to come from Active Safety Systems, which work to prevent the crash. Steering, Brakes, Throttle, and Transmission are the four control points for every car, bus, or truck. Control of these functions produce all the vehicle behaviors. How they accomplish their task has changed over the yea...Read More

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AIR ELECTRIC WITH EXCITEMENT AT AIM
Mariah and Cameron testing the fit of the 10 hp high efficiency AC motor that Mike Hummer of Rockwell Automation donated to the team. The Untamed Desert Tan mini-van team support vehicle is ready to electrify. This is one way to get free from the grip of the high price of gasoline and our dependency on foreign oil. While it will be a while before Mariah or Cameron have their driver’s licenses, they will get to drive the vehicle around the property here. They are already discussing who gets to drive it first. Would the project go even faster if I ...Read More

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TRW electric steering product poster.

...AND THE KNEE BONE IS CONNECTED TO THE, SHIN BONE...(children's song)
TRW’s Electronic Stability Control (ESC) system is specifically designed to help control and maintain the lateral stability of the vehicle. ESC assists drivers during difficult driving conditions by monitoring steering wheel angle, yaw rate, and lateral acceleration using a variety of sensors to determine how well a vehicle is responding to the drivers steering input. If a potential loss of vehicle control is sensed, ESC aut...Read More

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Photo: MobileRobots.com

NEW EYES
Most computer vision companies only do vision systems for assembly line operations and their software functions depend on the clever hack of using structured lighting, which greatly simplifies the problem. When I ask for a system that can work on a mobile platform, one for use outdoors, in all weather, all times of day, they say "now you are asking too much" and they walk away. Recently a few new companies like MobileRobots have sprung up to do what the others refuse to do - to do what needs to be done. I am following machine vision...Read More

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The presidential campaign is finally over. A young, energetic person has been elected president of the country. Several people have asked me what is to become of the DARPA Urban Challenge series. Will President Obama continue the DARPA contest to rapidly advance the development of militarily useful robotics? When will we know?

THE LATEST INFO
The Director of DARPA is appointed by the Secretary of Defense.
Neither DoD nor DARPA will have any information regarding appointments made by President-Elect Obama until he is sworn in as president. Once the President-Elect has been sworn in, the White House will make the announcements of Presidential appointments. So stay tuned, more late...Read More

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DANGER WILL ROBINSON, DANGER!... sorry, wrong robot.

LOOK BEHIND THE CAR
While searching for automobile and truck brake-by-wire systems that I can use on my DARPA Grand Challenge vehicles I discovered that trailers have automatic brakes that might be adapted. Automatic brake systems for trailers consist of two main parts, the electronic controller in the cab of the towing vehicle and the electric/hydraulic actuator on the trailer. Even all-electric brakes, which have not yet made their way to cars and trucks, are also available for trailers.

RED & FLASHING
It is reassuring to know that the  ...Read More

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CONTROL PROBLEM
The general windmill control problem has several elements. Controls need to allow the windmill to start turning in a light breeze then apply the load. The whole machine has to be light, affordable, and reliable. The load needs to be controlled to make use of what variable power is available. Over-speeding needs to be prevented. The windmill needs to be manually shut down for periodic maintenance. The fan needs to be aimed into the wind as the direction of the wind changes from moment to moment. To prevent damage the windmill needs to be shut down if the wind is too strong. If the windmill is for generating electricity, there may be requirements that the generator has. Exampl...Read More

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Photo: LifeFormations Art & Technology Studio

MAN vs. MACHINE
This is a machine, made to look like a person dressed as a machine.  LifeFormations is one of the many companies featured on Chris's website index to Animatronics.  Chris and I have kept in touch over the years as we pursue very different, but related careers. Halloween is definitely his time of the year. While he makes moving characters for advertising/store displ...Read More

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BRINGING WALL*E TO LIFE
The featured session: Bringing WALL*E to Life - will be presented by Walt Disney Imagineering and PIXAR Animation Studios representatives. This bonus track at the Robo Development Conference & Expo '08 will detail the process of designing and building a real-life robot based on the robot character WALL*E. Highlighted will be the creative and technical challenges involved in creating a working, fully realized, real-world version of WALL*E that exhibits all of the characteristics and attributes of its film counterpart. Tuesday, November 18, 3:00pm. This sounds ...Read More

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Alternate Fuels Technologies, Inc

PROPANE FUEL ALTERNATIVE
While you are in the middle of converting your lawn mower to driverless operation, it would be patriotic of you to also convert it to one of the alternative fuel sources, to get away from gasoline. Pictured here are four different kits you could use to convert your robot's small engine to Propane. Conversion costs between $500 and $1,200 depending on what you already have. Small engines power the cybernetic exoskeletons that universities are building for DARPA. Their specification is right out of the book Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein , not the movie version which does not fe...Read More

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