ProjectTitle:DesignandConstructionofElectronicCircuitBreakerforAutonomousHelicopter

Mentor:JackMooney,GRAandEricN.Johnson,LockheedMartinAssociateProfessorAvionicsIntegration,
SchoolofAerospaceEngineering
3creditresearchproject,Fall2012
Goal
Toassistinconstructingavionicsforanewresearchaircraftbydevelopingacurrentprotectionsystem(circuitbreakers)that
supportslocalandremoteswitchingandautomaticreset.
Introduction
TheUnmannedAerialVehicleResearchFacility(UAVRF)ispartoftheDanielGuggenheimSchoolofAerospaceEngineering.UAVRF
personnelperformresearchtoenablehighlycapableUnmannedAerialSystems(UAS),aerialrobots,andautonomousvehicle
systems.Currentresearchtopicsinclude:visionaidednavigationandcontrol;adaptivecontrolmethodswithrobustnessand
performanceguarantees;activeenvironmentalperception;obstacleavoidanceandagilelowaltitudeflight;integratedguidance,
navigation,andcontrol(GNC)ofminiatureUASinclutteredGPSdeniedenvironments;navigationandestimationtheoryandsensor
fusion;decentralizedcontrolandmanagementofmobilenetworks;andhumanUASinteraction.TheUAVRFperformsboth
theoreticalandexperimentalresearchefforts,operatesseveraldifferentvehiclesandconductsflightteststovalidateresearch
findings.Visitourwebpageathttp://uav.ae.gatech.edu.
Acurrentareaofactiveresearchiscollaborativeautonomy,inwhichtwoormorevehiclessharesensorinformation,statedata,and
flightplansinordertocompleteajointmissionaseffectivelyaspossible.Tothisend,theUAVRLisinstrumentingacompanion
aircrafttotheGTMax2forfullautonomousflight.Asignificantshortcomingofthecurrentavionicspackageisthemanualcircuit
breakersystemwhichcannotberesetorswitchedinflight.
DeliverablesandExpectations
Thestudentisexpectedtosubmitaonepageproposalatthebeginningofthesemester,aresearchupdatemidwaythroughthe
semesteratalabmeeting,afinalreportandpresentationattheend.Thestudentwillbeaskedtomeetweeklywiththeresearch
advisorandgraduatementor.
Attheendofthissemesterlongprojectthestudentwillhavedevelopedthefollowing:
Afunctioningandexperimentallyvalidatedelectroniccurrentprotectionsystemmeetingdesignspecifications,including:
o Hardwarereadytobeinstalledintheaircraftsavionicsenclosure
o Anexternalinterfacewhichwouldallowlocalswitchingandresetofindividualcircuits
o Aserial/ethernetinterfacewhichwouldallowremoteswitchingandreset,andreporttrippedcircuitstothe
groundstationandprimaryflightcomputer
Theabilitytointegratenewhardwareandsoftwareintoanexistingarchitecture
Skillandexperienceinhardwareandsoftwareprototyping
Abilitytocollaborativelydevelopsoftwareandusesoftwareversioncontrolsystems
Communicationandcollaborativeskills
Anappreciationforflighttestingprotocolsandavionicsrequirements
Requirements
Experienceincircuitdesign,includinguseofofftheshelfICs
Experienceinprogrammingandintegratingmicrocontrollers
FluentinC/C++
AbilitytoetchcustomPCBsaplus
For more information or consideration please email Jack Mooney (john.g.mooney@gatech.edu). Please include a resume in the
emailifyouwouldliketobeconsidered.
ProjectTitle:AutonomousHealthManagementandRecovery
Mentor:TanselYucelen,ResearchEngineer,SchoolofAerospaceEngineering,andEricN.Johnson,LockheedMartin
AssociateProfessorAvionicsIntegration,SchoolofAerospaceEngineering
3creditresearchproject,Summer2012
Goal
Lossofcontrolsurfacesandsensingdevicessignificantlycontributetoaircraftfatalities.Tothatend,ouraimistodevelop
estimationalgorithmstopredictabnormalchangesintheperformanceofcontrolsurfacesandsensingdevices,andtodesign
intelligentcontrollerstoachieveagivendesiredperformanceundersuchadverseconditions.
Introduction
TheUnmannedAerialVehicleResearchFacility(UAVRF)ispartoftheDanielGuggenheimSchoolofAerospaceEngineering.UAVRF
personnelperformresearchtoenablehighlycapableUnmannedAerialSystems(UAS),aerialrobots,andautonomousvehicle
systems.Currentresearchtopicsinclude:visionaidednavigationandcontrol;adaptivecontrolmethodswithrobustnessand
performanceguarantees;activeenvironmentalperception;obstacleavoidanceandagilelowaltitudeflight;integratedguidance,
navigation,andcontrol(GNC)ofminiatureUASinclutteredGPSdeniedenvironments;navigationandestimationtheoryandsensor
fusion;decentralizedcontrolandmanagementofmobilenetworks;andhumanUASinteraction.TheUAVRFperformsboth
theoreticalandexperimentalresearchefforts,operatesseveraldifferentvehiclesandconductsflightteststovalidateresearch
findings.Visitourwebpageathttp://uav.ae.gatech.edu.
Lossofcontrolsurfacesandsensingdevicessignificantlycontributetoaircraftfatalities.Asanexample,asuddencontrolsurface
effectivenesschangeinX15aircraft,ahighperformanceaircraftwithquickresponseandglobalstrikecapabilities,leadtoafatal
accidentonNovember1967.Specifically,sincethecontrollerofX15wasnotcapabletohandlesuchalossofcontrolsurfacechange
scenario,itbeganasharpdescent,enteredaMach5spin,andbrokeapartabout65,000feetabovethesealevel.Motivatingfrom
thisstandpoint,inthisproject,ourfirstaimistodevelopestimationalgorithmstopredictabnormalchangesintheperformanceof
controlsurfacesandsensingdevices.Then,wedesignintelligentcontrollerstoachieveagivendesiredperformanceundersuch
adverseconditions.
DeliverablesandExpectations.
Thestudentisexpectedtosubmitaonepageproposalatthebeginningofthesemester,aresearchupdatemidwaythroughthe
semesteratalabmeeting,afinalreportandpresentationattheend.Thestudentwillbeaskedtomeetweeklywiththeresearch
advisorandgraduatementor.
Attheendofthissemesterlongprojectthestudentwillhavedevelopedthefollowing:
Literature review and development of estimation algorithms to predict (1) loss of control surfaces, (2) loss of sensing
devices, (3) other hazardous conditions (for example, icing). Such algorithms will have a capability to identify abnormal
conditionsbeforeithasfullydeveloped.
Reading suggested materials and development of intelligent controllers to achieve a given desired performance under
adverse,unforeseenconditions.
Students will gain a deep knowledge on estimation and prediction methodologies and intelligent adaptive and neuro
adaptivecontrollers.Suchknowledgewillbebeneficialforthedevelopmentofnextgenerationaircraftalgorithms.
Preparationandsubmissionofatleastaconferencepaper.
Requirements
MinimumgradeofBonAE3515(oranyequivalentclass,suchas,ECE3550orME3015)andAE3521.
ExperienceonMatlab/Simulinkbasedprogramming.
Formoreinformationorconsiderationpleaseemail:TanselYucelen(tansel@gatech.edu).Pleaseincludearesumeintheemailif
youwouldliketobeconsidered.
ProjectTitle:AndroidPilotAid
Mentor:DmitryBershadskyandEricN.Johnson,LockheedMartinAssociateProfessorAvionicsIntegration,Schoolof
AerospaceEngineering
1to3creditresearchproject,SummerorFall2012
Goal
TheprojectaimstodevelopanappfortheAndroidoperatingsystemthatassistspilotsofsmallaircraft.Theappwillbecapableof
providingnavigationandguidanceinformation(heading,airspeed,altitude,VOR,airportinformation,etc)toapilotinflight.
Introduction
TheUnmannedAerialVehicleResearchFacility(UAVRF)ispartoftheDanielGuggenheimSchoolofAerospaceEngineering.UAVRF
personnelperformresearchtoenablehighlycapableUnmannedAerialSystems(UAS),aerialrobots,andautonomousvehicle
systems.Currentresearchtopicsinclude:visionaidednavigationandcontrol;adaptivecontrolmethodswithrobustnessand
performanceguarantees;activeenvironmentalperception;obstacleavoidanceandagilelowaltitudeflight;integratedguidance,
navigation,andcontrol(GNC)ofminiatureUASinclutteredGPSdeniedenvironments;navigationandestimationtheoryandsensor
fusion;decentralizedcontrolandmanagementofmobilenetworks;andhumanUASinteraction.TheUAVRFperformsboth
theoreticalandexperimentalresearchefforts,operatesseveraldifferentvehiclesandconductsflightteststovalidateresearch
findings.Visitourwebpageathttp://uav.ae.gatech.edu.
Manysmallplanesdonotfeatureavionicsthatprovideasmuchdataasispossibleviaasmartphone.Ifintegratedcorrectly,GPS,
altitude,airspeed,DTED(digitalterrainelevation),andotherdatamaybeprovidedtothepilotviathecommonsmartphone.By
providingacollisionwarningtopilots,thesoftwarecouldpotentiallysavelivesinrurallocations(suchasAlaska),whereeveryyear
livesarelostinterraincollisions.Thesoftwaremightalsobeusedtorecordflightpathsorevensendacallforhelp(cellphone
coverageallowing)inanemergencywithGPSprecisioncoordinates.Also,radiocontrolpilotsmaybenefitfromthecapabilitiesof
theirsmartphones.Furtherdevelopmentincludingsmartphonesand(possiblyautonomous)aviationwillbepursuedupon
successfulcompletionofthisproject.
DeliverablesandExpectations
Thestudentisexpectedtosubmitaonepageproposalatthebeginningofthesemester,aresearchupdatemidwaythroughthe
semesteratalabmeeting,afinalreportandpresentationattheend.Thestudentwillbeaskedtomeetweeklywiththeresearch
advisorandgraduatementor.
Attheendofthissemesterlongprojectthestudentwillhavedevelopedthefollowing:
Anappthatmayprovidebackup(orprimary)navigationandguidanceinformationforfullscaleand/orRC(radiocontrol)
pilots
AbilitytointegratehardwaresensorsandsoftwarefiltersontheAndroidoperatingsystem
o Knowledgeofbasicaviationnavigationandguidance
o KnowledgeofKalmanfilteringforanavigationsolution
o PotentialexposuretoRCflighttests
Requirements
StrongskillinJavaprogrammingrequired.
InterestorknowledgeintheAndroidoperatingsystemandaviationaplus.
Formoreinformationorconsiderationpleaseemail:DmitryBershadsky(dbershadsky@gatech.edu).Pleaseincludearesumeinthe
emailifyouwouldliketobeconsidered.

ProjectTitle:TrackingAntenna
Mentors:FritzLangford,GRAandEricN.Johnson,LockheedMartinAssociateProfessorAvionicsIntegration,
SchoolofAerospaceEngineering
1to3creditresearchproject,Fall2012
Goal
Designandbuildatrackingmountforadirectionalantennaforusewithflighttestingofautonomousvehicles.
Introduction
TheUnmannedAerialVehicleResearchFacility(UAVRF)ispartoftheDanielGuggenheimSchoolofAerospaceEngineering.UAVRF
personnelperformresearchtoenablehighlycapableUnmannedAerialSystems(UAS),aerialrobots,andautonomousvehicle
systems.Currentresearchtopicsinclude:visionaidednavigationandcontrol;adaptivecontrolmethodswithrobustnessand
performanceguarantees;activeenvironmentalperception;obstacleavoidanceandagilelowaltitudeflight;integratedguidance,
navigation,andcontrol(GNC)ofminiatureUASinclutteredGPSdeniedenvironments;navigationandestimationtheoryandsensor
fusion;decentralizedcontrolandmanagementofmobilenetworks;andhumanUASinteraction.TheUAVRFperformsboth
theoreticalandexperimentalresearchefforts,operatesseveraldifferentvehiclesandconductsflightteststovalidateresearch
findings.Visitourwebpageathttp://uav.ae.gatech.edu.
Directionalantennasareusedongroundcontrolstationstomaintaincommunicationswithautonomousvehicleswhiletheyarein
flight.Whiletheseantennashavenumerousadvantagesoveromnidirectionalantennas,onedisadvantageisthatadirectional
antennamustbecontinuouslyadjustedtoremainpointedatavehicleduringflight.Oneapproachistohaveahumanstandbehind
theantennaandadjustthepositionasnecessary.Anotherapproachistodesignamountfortheantennathatautonomouslytracks
thevehiclepositionandadjuststheantennadirection.
DeliverablesandExpectations
Thestudentisexpectedtosubmitaonepageproposalatthebeginningofthesemester,aresearchupdatemidwaythroughthe
semesteratalabmeeting,afinalreportandpresentationattheend.Thestudentwillbeaskedtomeetweeklywiththeresearch
advisorandgraduatementor.
Attheendofthissemesterlongprojectthestudentwillhavedevelopedthefollowing:
Workingprototypeoftrackingantennamount
Documentationforallhardware/softwareproductsresultingfromtheproject
Experiencewithobjecttrackingalgorithms
Experiencewithfeedbackcontrollerdesign
Requirements
Programmingexperience
Experiencedesigningandbuildingsmallroboticsprojects(thereisnokitofparts,sothewholesystemneedstobe
designedfromthegroundup!)
Formoreinformationorconsiderationpleaseemail:FritzLangford(flangford@gatech.edu).Pleaseincludearesumeintheemailif
youwouldliketobeconsidered.
ProjectTitle:DevelopAdvancedLaserandTerrainModelforGeorgiaTechUAVSimulationTool
Mentor:JackMooney,GRAandEricN.Johnson,LockheedMartinAssociateProfessorAvionicsIntegration,
SchoolofAerospaceEngineering
3creditresearchproject,Fall2012
Goal
ToassistindevelopinganimprovedsimulationmodelofthelasersensorusedontheGTMax2aircraftandtheterrainthatit
measures.
Introduction
TheUnmannedAerialVehicleResearchFacility(UAVRF)ispartoftheDanielGuggenheimSchoolofAerospaceEngineering.UAVRF
personnelperformresearchtoenablehighlycapableUnmannedAerialSystems(UAS),aerialrobots,andautonomousvehicle
systems.Currentresearchtopicsinclude:visionaidednavigationandcontrol;adaptivecontrolmethodswithrobustnessand
performanceguarantees;activeenvironmentalperception;obstacleavoidanceandagilelowaltitudeflight;integratedguidance,
navigation,andcontrol(GNC)ofminiatureUASinclutteredGPSdeniedenvironments;navigationandestimationtheoryandsensor
fusion;decentralizedcontrolandmanagementofmobilenetworks;andhumanUASinteraction.TheUAVRFperformsboth
theoreticalandexperimentalresearchefforts,operatesseveraldifferentvehiclesandconductsflightteststovalidateresearch
findings.Visitourwebpageathttp://uav.ae.gatech.edu.
Recentworkinthelabhasfocuseduponobstacleavoidancealgorithmsthatusealasersensor,andtestingthosealgorithmsin
simulationisacriticalsteptoensurethealgorithmssuccessandtheaircraftssafetyduringphysicalflighttests.Thesimulation
environmentcurrentlyonlysupportsmodelingterrainasrectangularpolygons;however,reallifeobstaclestendtobetreesand
othernaturalterrainfeatures.Additionally,testingofthelaserhasshownsensitivitytodirectsunlight.
DeliverablesandExpectations
Thestudentisexpectedtosubmitaonepageproposalatthebeginningofthesemester,aresearchupdatemidwaythroughthe
semesteratalabmeeting,afinalreportandpresentationattheend.Thestudentwillbeaskedtomeetweeklywiththeresearch
advisorandgraduatementor.
Attheendofthissemesterlongprojectthestudentwillhavedevelopedthefollowing:
Animprovedterrainmodel(worlddatabase)whichwillallowthesimulatedlasertomeasuretrees,terrain,andthinlinear
hazardssuchaspolesandpowerlines.
Animprovedlasermodelwhichwillincludesunsensitiveerrors,andiftimepermits,modelingofreflection,absorption,
andporosityeffects
Skillandexperienceinmodeling,simulation,andcomputationalgeometry
Abilitytocollaborativelydevelopsoftwareandusesoftwareversioncontrolsystems
Communicationandcollaborativeskills
Anappreciationforflighttestingprotocolsandavionicsrequirements
Requirements
FluentinC/C++
For more information or consideration please email Jack Mooney (john.g.mooney@gatech.edu). Please include a resume in the
emailifyouwouldliketobeconsidered.

ProjectTitle:ImplementationofanObjectDetectionAlgorithm
Mentor:DanielMagree,GRAandEricN.Johnson,LockheedMartinAssociateProfessorAvionicsIntegration,
SchoolofAerospaceEngineering
3creditresearchproject,Summer,2012
Goal
ImplementanobjectdetectionalgorithmusingSIFTand/orSURFfeatures.
Introduction
TheUnmannedAerialVehicleResearchFacility(UAVRF)ispartoftheDanielGuggenheimSchoolofAerospaceEngineering.UAVRF
personnelperformresearchtoenablehighlycapableUnmannedAerialSystems(UAS),aerialrobots,andautonomousvehicle
systems.Currentresearchtopicsinclude:visionaidednavigationandcontrol;adaptivecontrolmethodswithrobustnessand
performanceguarantees;activeenvironmentalperception;obstacleavoidanceandagilelowaltitudeflight;integratedguidance,
navigation,andcontrol(GNC)ofminiatureUASinclutteredGPSdeniedenvironments;navigationandestimationtheoryandsensor
fusion;decentralizedcontrolandmanagementofmobilenetworks;andhumanUASinteraction.TheUAVRFperformsboth
theoreticalandexperimentalresearchefforts,operatesseveraldifferentvehiclesandconductsflightteststovalidateresearch
findings.Visitourwebpageathttp://uav.ae.gatech.edu.
TheGeorgiaTechAerialRoboticsTeamhasneedofanobjectdetectionalgorithmcapableofidentifyingobjectssuchasadesk,a
desktopinbox,ausbstick,andsignswithdescriptivewriting.OpenCVsobjectdetectiontoolboxhasalreadybeenusedtoidentifya
usbstick,butitisdifficultandtimeconsumingtotrain.Itisthoughtthatbyexploringothermethods,wecangaininsightintothe
bestmethodorcombinationofmethodsforourparticularproblem.Thereforetheteamwouldliketoexploreothercommon
methodsofobjectdetectionsuchasusingSIFTandSURFfeatures.
OpensourcetoolboxesexistforSIFTandSURFfeaturetracking,aswellassomeforobjectdetection.Thesemaybeusedormodified
tocreatetheobjectdetectionalgorithm,ortheentirealgorithmcanbecreatedfrommain().Theendresultwillbe(an)algorithm(s)
tailoredtothespecificobjectswewishtoidentifyandenvironmentwewillbeoperatingin.
DeliverablesandExpectations
Thestudentisexpectedtosubmitaonepageproposalatthebeginningofthesemester,aresearchupdatemidwaythroughthe
semesteratalabmeeting,afinalreportandpresentationattheend.Thestudentwillbeaskedtomeetweeklywiththeresearch
advisorandgraduatementor.
Attheendofthissemesterlongprojectthestudentwillhavedevelopedthefollowing:
AfunctionalobjectdetectionalgorithmimplementedinCorC++
Abriefdocumentdescribinghowtousethealgorithm,includingadescriptionoftheunderpinningtheory.
Abroadunderstandingofobjectdetectionalgorithms.
Requirements
KnowledgeofC/C++.
Abletocommitto5hrsperweekofscheduledtimeinthelabtoworkonthisproject.
Familiaritywithdownloading,compilingandusingopensourcesoftwaredesired.
Familiaritywithcomputervisiontoolsandtechniques,suchasHoughtransform,RANSACdesired.
Formoreinformationorconsiderationpleaseemail:DanielMagree(dmagree@gatech.edu).Pleaseincludearesumeintheemailif
youwouldliketobeconsidered.