Depth-of-Focus reduction for digital in-line holography of particle fields  Poor axial precision caused, in part, by large depth-of-focus has been a vexing problem in particle position extraction from digital in-line holograms. Michigan Tech researchers have developed a simpler method to combat the depth-of-focus difficulty. Laboratory tests and simulations proved that the large depth of focus problems believed to be inherent in in –line holograms can be greatly improved by a digital filter to the limit determined only by the pixel size of the detector. This digital filter method relaxes the demands on optical configurations used in in-line holography. It is effective in applications using seeding particles in which the particle size can be uniform with high accuracy, such as particle tracking / image velocimetry. |
Pedestrian Detection System This is a novel approach to vehicle warning systems. The system is “active” in the sense that it relies on the external objects to be avoided to communicate their presence to the vehicle on their own. In this approach, the external objects inform the car of their presence without the car having to directly search for them. The means by which this is accomplished in by a wireless signal that presumably each pedestrian would be giving out from their cellular phones. The car’s detection system would assume that wherever a cellular signal is present, so is a pedestrian. Additional objects that a driver would also want to avoid (such as a bridge), could be given the ability to also send a cellular signal to the car. |
Location and Tracking Technology Development and Testing Service  This is one of the few laboratories across the country that specializes in antenna location and tracking systems. Efforts are focused on developing and promoting a location technology development and research Center of Excellence. The Center will offer a research service component to advance the development and design of new products in the location and tracking space. In addition, the Center would become one of only ten facilities in the world to provide antenna testing facilities aimed at the automotive market. The program is supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation. |
Control System Design and Nonlinear Models An emerging area of research is the utilization of interspacecraft Coulomb forces for both position and attitude control. This has applications from spacecraft formation flying to active “virtual” structures that are highly reconfigurable and robust to individual spacecraft failure. Spacecraft force coupling and the nonlinear electrostatic force behavior provide a variety of interesting technical challenges from nonlinear control to optimal formation design. Similar research topic areas such as, nonlinear control, system simulation, nonlinear system parameter identification and optimization, are present in most of his ongoing projects. Examples include active control of diesel engine aftertreatment systems, at-sea ship crane control, and hydraulic system parameter identification. Another research area is focused on increasing robot-based, flexible material throughput for manufacturing
applications. The system dynamics of the part are exploited, in conjunction with vision-based trajectory optimization, to minimize maneuver time. |
Robotic Control and Nonlinear Systems Analysis This research program has yielded outcomes in a number of interrelated domains including development of robot kinematic, dynamic formulations and control systems by geometric and topologic methods; a new robotic model for simplification of robotic control algorithms and its real-time realization;an optimal design criterion for robotic manipulators; a redundant robot arm with seven joints and designed its controller, hardware, interface and software with applications to automation.
Related research has resulted in development of two classes of intelligent control strategies. The first is based on linguistics and automata technique with translation schemata, and rule-based systems The second is based on the applications of learning control, supervisory control schemes, neural networks, fuzzy logic and hierarchical intelligent control systems.
Finally, this research program has focused on properties and characteristics of nonlinear systems, stability and stabilization, differential geometry methods for nonlinear control systems analysis and applications. |
Broadband Communication Systems This research program covers a range of targets in broadband communication systems including ultra-broadband wireless communication networks and testbed, routing, protocol design and analysis. Additional topics for investigation are spread spectrum communications, CDMA, signal design and detection, modulation and coding, and synchronization.
This research program also covers optical wireless communications networks, ultra-broadband wireless transceiver design and implementation, communications circuits, and integrated broadband automotive networks. |
Text, Image and Video Databases This research program focuses on a topics associated with motion analysis and object tracking, document image processing, pattern recognition and machine learning. More generally, issues under investigation include data mining in text, image and video databases as well as neural networks design and application. |
Sensor, Ad Hoc and Wireless Network Security and Vulnerability This research and technology development program is focused on sensor networks including issues related to vehicular ad hoc networks (VANET), wireless ad hoc networks and sensor networks, cross-layer network design, dependable computing and communication systems, as well as network resource allocation & management. Most recent activity has been focused on tireless network security: cyber security assessment, systematic security design as well as vulnerability analysis and trust models for wireless ad hoc and sensor networks. |
Robotics and Embedded Systems Laboratory The robotics and embedded systems laboratory conducts research on large scale networked system of distributed robotics and sensors, body sensor networks and sensor network applications in intelligent transportation systems. Current lines of inquiry include scalable coordination for hybrid sensor/actuator networks, multi-robot and sensor coordination, body sensor networks, sensor network localization using mobile robots, mobile sensor navigation in hybrid sensor networks, and real-time protocols for sensor networks. |
Wide-Band Magnetoelectric Interactions in Single Crystal Multiferroic Bilayers Materials that are capable of magnetic field-to-electric field conversion are potentially useful for a variety of technologies. There are few such magneto-electric materials in nature and most of them have a low efficiency when converting fields. This research is aimed at artificial composite materials with excellent conversion properties. The composites will be made by bonding plates of ferrites, which deform in a magnetic field, together with ferroelectrics, which produce an electric field when deformed. The field conversion properties will be studied over a wide frequency range for information on their use in consumer electronics, communication devices, and radar systems. These projects will provide research training for personnel at all levels, from high school sophomores to post doctoral associates.
A comprehensive research program is planned on wide-band magnetoelectric (ME) interactions in bilayers of single crystal ferrites and ferroelectrics. The electromagnetic coupling in such systems is mediated by mechanical stress: magnetostriction induced mechanical deformation and the piezoelectric effect induced electric fields. Theories predict orders of magnitude stronger ME interactions in single crystals compared to polycrystalline multilayers. The primary tasks and goals are as follows. (i) The fabrication of bilayers consisting of spinel ferrites and piezoelectrics by bonding techniques. (ii) Measurement and analysis of ME dispersion characteristics, including Maxwell-Wagner relaxation, and low-frequency ME effects. (iii) Investigations on resonant ME effect when the electric and magnetic subsystems show resonance behavior. Human resource development will involve personnel at all levels, from high school students to research associates. The ME materials are potential candidates for magnetoelectric memory devices, magnetic field sensors, electrically controlled magnetic devices, and magnetically controlled piezoelectric devices. |
Automotive Antenna Measurement Instrumentation This project creates a near-field antenna measurement system, for use in research and education on automobile antennas. The system will be a spherical near-field antenna measurement system capable of measuring on-vehicle antenna performance in the frequency range 800 MHz to 6 GHz for a variety of vehicle platforms. Major components include: (1) positioning and control equipment, which controls the motion of the vehicle platform; (2) signal source and receiver component, which generates the radio frequency test signal and measures the coupling between the desired source antenna and the antenna under test; and (3) the data collection and processing component. The research will involve vehicle-level measurement techniques, development of mathematical models for on-vehicle antennas and vehicle-integrated antenna designs. This equipment allows Oakland to contribute to the growing field of automotive telematics, which has relevance to safety (e.g. broadcasting location and occurrence of events like collisions and airbag deployment), to security operations (e.g. track or disable stolen vehicles), and to convenience (e.g., concierge services, navigation assistance, etc.). Industrial collaborations and support will be major aspects of this project. The equipment will also be used heavily in undergraduate education, in student training, and in outreach to minorities in the Pontiac, Michigan and Detroit, Michigan public schools. |
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