2016-05-02: Erica Mezaros Spring 2016 Student Exit Presentation

Erica, a graduate student at Eastern Michigan University, brought a novel twist to the Autonomy Incubator's (Ai) research in human-UAV teaming because of her expertise as a linguist. For her work, she used linguistic analysis software to improve natural-language communication between autonomous vehicles and humans. For example, at the beginning of her project, she developed a semantic map to help autonomous systems infer meaning from human utterances using data she gathered while observing Ai members interacting with and around UAVs.

Erica Mezaros presents her Spring 2016 research on 02 May 2016

2016-05-02: Kevin French Spring 2016 Exit Presentation

Kevin French came to the Autonomy Incubator (Ai) from the University of Florida, where he majors in electrical engineering. This spring, he wrote dynamic path planning software for autonomous UAVs, Kevin's software goes above and beyond mere path planning and obstacle avoidance, however, in that it allows the vehicle to detect, lock onto and track moving objects. With his contributions, Kevin furthered the Ai mission for safe integration of UAVs into civilization.

2016-05-02: Michael Janov Spring 2016 Exit Presentation

Michael Janov joined the Autonomy Incubator (Ai) from Northeastern University in Boston. During his time in the Ai, Michael focused his efforts on payloads: how does the UAV get it there, how does the vehicle talk to any sensors that are on board the payload during transport, and how does it remain in contact with the payload after delivery has been completed? His research employed electromagnets as a solution for picking up, holding, and depositing the payload precisely and reliably.

2016-05-02: Leonardo Herrera Spring 2016 Exit Presentation

Leonardo Herrera joined the Autonomy Incubator (Ai) as an intern this spring. He hails from Cicese Research Center in Mexico, where he is currently pursuing his PhD in instrumentation and control.

Leonardo's work at the Ai focused on precision landing in autonomous UAVs. He designed a controller to allow precise landings with aggressive maneuvers, even in conditions of wind or turbulence. His work constitutes a critical addition to the Ai's work in autonomous path planning and avoidance.

2016-02-05: Spencer Watza Spring 2016 Exit Presentation

Spencer Watza, a graduate of Western Michigan University and a soon-to-be Masters student at CU-Boulder, gave his exit presentation on navigation in GPS-denied environments. His work while at the Autonomy Incubator (Ai) explored sensor fusion and its applications in autonomous vehicle navigation.