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Heterogeneous System Challenges in Control, Coordination, and Communication: A Case Study with Unmanned Ground - Aerial Vehicles

Dr. Kimon P. Valavanis
Professor
Deputy Director, Center for Robot-Assisted Search & Rescue (CRASAR)
Computer Science and Engineering, University of South Florida

ABSTRACT

Heterogeneous system design, modeling and testing requires that concepts and ideas from the diverse disciplines of Distributed Artificial Intelligence, Multi Agent Systems and Generalized System Theory be brought together under a common framework. Multi layer, hybrid, open architectures need be designed to manage distributed objects, services and modules between system components and support overall system functionality. Issues that need be addressed include, among others, individual component control, component coordination and communication, as well as overall system functionality in the presence of communication failures.

This presentation considers the case of heterogeneous teams of unmanned ground - aerial robots operating in uncertain / hostile environments. It discusses aspects of distributed system architecture; it addresses fundamental control and communication problems and recommended solutions to distributed task allocation using unmanned ground - aerial vehicles; it examines asset recruitment with and without communication failures.

Experimental studies and demos related to demining applications and traffic monitoring and emergency response have been conducted and they will be discussed.

 

SPEAKER'S BIOGRAPHY

Dr. Valavanis received the Diploma in Electrical and Electronic Engineering (5 years of study) from the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA), Greece, and the M.Sc. degree in Electrical Engineering and the Ph.D. degree in Computer and Systems Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI). Over the past twenty years, he has held various positions at RPI; Northeastern University, Boston; University of Louisiana at Lafayette, and Technical University of Crete, Greece. Since 2003, he has been with the Department of Computer Science and Engineering and the Center for Robot-Assisted Search and Rescue (CRASAR), University of South Florida, where he serves as Professor and Deputy Director of CRASAR. He is also Guest Professor in the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing, Department of Telecommunications, University of Zagreb, Croatia, and an Adjunct Professor at The Center for Advanced Computer Studies (CACS) at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Dr. Valavanis' research interests are focused in the area of Robotic Systems, Automation, Distributed Intelligence Systems and Intelligent Machines. He has published over 250 book chapters, technical journal / transactions and conference papers. Dr. Valavanis is a former Fulbright Scholar (Senior Lecturing/research Award), was a Distinguished Speaker in the IEEE Robotics and Automation Society (- 2003) and a Senior member of IEEE.

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