An experimental testbed for multi-robot tracking of manifolds and coherent structures in flows

Matthew Michini, Kenneth Mallory, Dennis Larkin, M. Ani Hsieh, Eric Forgoston, Philip A. Yecko

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionpeer-review

6 Scopus citations

Abstract

In this paper, we describe the development of an experimental testbed capable of producing controllable ocean-like flows in a laboratory setting. The objective is to develop a testbed to evaluate multi-robot strategies for tracking manifolds and Lagrangian coherent structures (LCS) in the ocean. Recent theoretical results have shown that LCS coincide with minimum energy and minimum time optimal paths for autonomous vehicles in the ocean. Furthermore, knowledge of these structures enables the prediction and estimation of the underlying fluid dynamics. The testbed is a scaled flow tank capable of generating complex and controlled quasi-2D flow fields that exhibit wind-driven doublegyre flows. Particle image velocimetry (PIV) is used to extract the 2D surface velocities and the data is then processed to verify the existence of manifolds and Lagrangian coherent structures in the flow. The velocity data is then used to evaluate our previously proposed multi-robot LCS tracking strategy in simulation.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationControl, Monitoring, and Energy Harvesting of Vibratory Systems; Cooperative and Networked Control; Delay Systems; Dynamical Modeling and Diagnostics in Biomedical Systems;
PublisherAmerican Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME)
ISBN (Print)9780791856130
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Jan 2013
EventASME 2013 Dynamic Systems and Control Conference, DSCC 2013 - Palo Alto, CA, United States
Duration: 21 Oct 201323 Oct 2013

Publication series

NameASME 2013 Dynamic Systems and Control Conference, DSCC 2013
Volume2

Other

OtherASME 2013 Dynamic Systems and Control Conference, DSCC 2013
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CityPalo Alto, CA
Period21/10/1323/10/13

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