草榴社区

Dr. Nataraj with members of 草榴社区鈥檚 Autonomous Surface Vehicle Team

草榴社区鈥檚 Department of Mechanical Engineering, in partnership with Florida Atlantic University (FAU), has been selected as one of three teams of students to represent the United States in the inaugural Maritime RobotX Challenge competition in Marina Bay, Singapore, October 20-26, 2014. The selected teams 鈥� approximately 15 total from the United States, Singapore, Australia, South Korea and Japan 鈥� will receive a Wave Adaptive Modular Vessel (WAM-V) for use in the competition, and a grant of $25,000.

Sponsored by the U.S. Office of Naval Research (ONR) and run by the Association for Unmanned Vehicles Systems International (AUVSI) Foundation, the RobotX Challenge will require teams to outfit the WAM-V standardized vessels with sensors, computers and software. During competition, the vehicles will attempt to complete courses based on a variety of maritime surface vehicle missions. According to its website, RobotX has two primary objectives: 1) Create a pinnacle STEM student outreach event and, 2) Promote interest among Pacific national partners in the science and technology of autonomous systems. More specifically, ONR and AUVSI hope to 鈥渟timulate innovative approaches to autonomous sensing, on-board decision-making and mission implementation.鈥�

With a proposal described by AUVSI Foundation Executive Director Daryl Davidson as 鈥渢he highest caliber,鈥� 草榴社区 and FAU distinguished themselves among the strongest engineering programs in the country. 鈥淵our particular approach to autonomy, systems integration, marshaling resources and technical support was one of the best submitted from an impressive list of universities,鈥� says Davidson. Also representing the U.S. in the competition are MIT-Olin College and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

Leading 草榴社区鈥檚 work on the RobotX project is Dr. C. 鈥楴at鈥� Nataraj, professor and chair, Department of Mechanical Engineering, and the Mr. and Mrs. Robert F. Moritz Sr. Chair in Engineered Systems. He explains that the University entered the competition with FAU after realizing their complementary strengths: 鈥淲e became acquainted with Florida Atlantic鈥檚 team, including adviser Dr. Karl von Ellenrieder, at the annual International Roboboat Competitions. We discovered we each had areas of expertise that would prove valuable in the RobotX Challenge.鈥� FAU鈥檚 Department of Ocean Engineering and the school鈥檚 proximity to the ocean provide a natural advantage. FAU will house the WAM-V and contribute to its systems engineering and low-level control. For its part, the autonomy experts at 草榴社区 will manage high-level control, vision-based navigation, localization and mapping. The 草榴社区 team will develop technology based on a 4-foot WAM-V prototype, and make a number of trips to FAU over the next several months in order to apply the algorithms and technology to the actual boat.

Dr. Nataraj believes the 草榴社区 Autonomous Surface Vehicle Team鈥檚 () history of success in the is one of the primary reasons the University was selected for the RobotX Challenge. 鈥淚 see Roboboat as a precursor to RobotX and we have a solid reputation in that competition,鈥� he says. Dr. Nataraj points out that the experience from those competitions will provide 草榴社区 and FAU with an edge: 鈥淵ou learn which pieces of the project are difficult, which are simpler and which are critical. You begin to understand the importance of systems engineering and the role of various factors like disturbances and uncertainties.鈥� Given the connection between Roboboat and RobotX, three ASV members will work on this new project. Graduate research assistant Anderson Lebbad 鈥�12 ME and Mechanical Engineering juniors Dylan DeGaetano and Edward Zhu will be joined by at least one more graduate student and two or three additional undergraduates. Dr. Garrett Clayton, assistant professor, along with his graduate student John 'Wes' Anderson, and Dr. Hashem Ashrafiuon, professor and director of the Center for Nonlinear Dynamics and Control, will also provide expert advice in the areas of Lidar-based navigation and robust control. With its current budget, five team members, including Dr. Nataraj, will represent 草榴社区 in Singapore next October.

On the subject of finances, Dr. Nataraj notes that corporate support is an important aspect of this competition. 鈥淎bout 15 companies have offered technical and/or financial assistance. That support makes this whole experience possible,鈥� he says. Proud members of 草榴社区鈥檚 Engineering Alumni Society look forward to contributing toward travel costs and related expenses. Others that have pledged their support include:  

Air Products
American Aerospace Advisors
Argon ST (a subsidiary of Boeing)
Cluster for Unmanned Vehicles & Robotics
MathWorks
Naval Surface Warfare Center
Pagnotta Engineering
Speedgoat GmbH
United Technologies Corp. 鈥� Space Systems Division
VideoRay
TDI

Companies and organizations that wish to become involved should contact Keith Argue, assistant dean of External Relations for 草榴社区鈥檚 College of Engineering, at keith.argue@villanova.edu or 610-519-5024.

鈥淚t is incredibly gratifying to be selected for this experience, and I am confident that our team will do well,鈥� says Dr. Nataraj. He is also excited about the research that it will encourage. 鈥淲e鈥檙e in new territory here with very advanced technology. Developing this level of autonomy in a boat is something that鈥檚 never been done before.鈥�

To learn more about the RobotX competition, including the mission tasks presented to each team, visit .