At Sydney University, current research in Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) has produced promising results towards the development of fully autonomous capabilities. The Aeronautical Engineering UAV Research Group has one of Australia’s largest and most active team of robotic aircraft researchers, comprising of up to ten academics and research students. Aircraft currently being developed and operated include the UAVs named Ariel, Brumby, TWing Tail-Sitter UAV, and the Bidule mini Air Vehicle (mAV). Originally developed to provide flight research platforms in support of the department’s various research activities, they are also used to enhance skills in airframe design and fabrication, flight instrumentation, flight control systems, and operational aspects of UAVs. They form the basis of technology demonstrators for many aspects of Aeronautical Engineering, and are now also being used to explore commercial applications for autonomous flight vehicles. Current UAV related research activities include the following:
* Autonomous Remote
Sensing using UAVs;
* Decentralised Navigation
and Control of Autonomous Flight Vehicles;
* Simultaneous Localisation
and Map Building for Autonomous Flight Vehicles;
* Design and Development
of Rapid Prototype UAVs;
* Wind-tunnel and flight
based experimental research in aerodynamics and flight performance;
* Modelling of engine/propeller
performance and aircraft stability characteristics;
* High fidelity aircraft
model development for simulation based control system validation;
* Trajectory optimisation
and autonomous guidance for unmanned aircraft;
* Sensor fusion strategies
for state estimation using multiple redundant sensors, including Global
Positioning Systems (GPS);
* Using GPS for aircraft
attitude determination;
* System Identification
methods and neural networks for fault detection and reconfiguration;
* Robustness analysis
of control laws in the presence of uncertain dynamics and wind gusts;
* Robust nonlinear
high-performance manoeuvre tracking for autonomous aircraft;
* Autonomous safe recovery
and landing of a UAV;
* Terrain Following
for autonomous flight vehicles;
* Integration of available
technologies into operational UAV systems;
* Real-time fight control
software synthesis for UAVs; and
* Design and fabrication
of airframe components using advanced composite materials.
Link to Australian UAV Special Interest Group (SIG)
Some General UAV
Papers by Dr KC Wong:
"UAV
Design Activities in a University Environment" presented at the 9th
Australian International Aerospace Congress, Canberra, Australia, 6-8 March
2001 (PDF 4.0 file)
"Design and Development of a micro Air Vehicle (mAV) Concept: Project Bidule" presented at the 9th Australian International Aerospace Congress, Canberra, Australia, 6-8 March 2001 (PDF 4.0 file)
"UAVs Over Australia - Market and Opportunities" presented to the Bristol RPV/UAV Systems Conference, Bristol, UK - 30 March to 1 April 1998 - Adobe Acrobat (PDF 3.0) file
"Aerospace
Industry Opportunities in Australia - UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLES (UAVs) -
Are
they ready this time? Are we?"
presented to the Sydney Royal Aeronautical Society - 26 November 1997 -
Adobe Acrobat (PDF 3.0) file
