Dr. Kevin Kochersberger, Research Associate Professor in Mechanical Engineering at Virginia Tech was the inaugural speaker for our seminar series. He presented an overview of the unmanned aerial systems (UAS) technologies that have been developed or are under development at the Unmanned Systems Lab. Working with the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA), the lab has designed and field tested aerial radiation detection, radioactive material sampling and image-based 3D mapping systems. This work has spawned imaging technologies such as 3D terrain classification which are useful in extending the utility of UAS for government (emergency response) and commercial (mining and aggregate) operators. The lab is also exploring aerial crop monitoring using multispectral imaging systems (visual, near infrared, long wave and ultraviolet) as it anticipates a growing accessibility of UAS to farmers for precision crop monitoring. Air and ground vehicle design and integration are strengths of the lab, and an agile morphing flight control system using piezo-ceramic actuators for a 0.6 kg aircraft will be demonstrated. Also presented is a smart aerial radio repeating system and an autonomous ground robotic collection system that uses vision for 3D mapping and navigation.
Here are his charts:
