TACTICAL ROBOTICS GROUP

Mission

Building the world’s smallest, most robust unmanned flying vehicle is the ultimate goal of the Tactical Robotics Group. Team members are leaders in designing unconventional aircraft and space systems. The group's focus is on developing innovative engineering solutions to autonomous vehicles that can traverse air, sea, land and space.

Core Competencies

The Tactical Robotics Group is focused on the development of novel robotic systems to create game changing capability for our commercial and government customers. The team leverages biologically inspired mechanisms to push the limits of technology. The team’s diverse background in fields, such as aircraft design, naval design, composite material fabrication, control systems and aerospace robotics, allows the team to innovate in a multidisciplinary approach.

Core competencies include: Micro Robotics, Aircraft Design, Autonomous Control and  Unmanned System Technology, and Spacecraft Components and Systems.

Laboratories

The Disruptive Technology Laboratory is equipped with a VICON Motion Capture system that can track and evaluate moving objects and a Biological Greenhouse, which is home to any number and variety of insects.

Current Research Thrusts Include:

• Dynamic Roughness Applied to MAV Boundary Layer Control
  - Sponsor: AFOSR STTR
  
  - Objectives: Improve aircraft performance by designing controllable turbulence generators across the wing surface.  Systems will use innovative smart material solutions for applications on MAVs.
  
   
• Develop Technologies Based on Biomimetic Principles Supporting Robust Micro Air Vehicles
  - Sponsor: AFOSR STTR
  
  - Objectives: Design and fabrication of aircraft that can collide with objects in flight, recover and continue flying.  These vehicles will use impact resistant materials and a fast acting control system to navigate quickly through dynamically changing environments.

• Biomimetic Control of Flying Robots

 - Sponsor: ARL

     
-  Objectives: The design and implementation of a control system for navigating a MAV quickly through a dynamically changing environment.  This system will work in a reflexive manner, which is faster than traditional control algorithms.

Area Leadership

Dr. Richard Guiler

The Tactical Robotics Group is led by Dr. Richard Guilder.  Dr. Guiler joined PSI in 2008, as a Principle Research Scientist and a program manager for UAV research and development programs and the DARPA Rapid Eye program. Since joining PSI, Dr. Guiler has led a series of US Army and US Air Force research programs focused on creating Robust Bio-inspired robots and Micro Aerial Vehicles (MAVs) which has culminated in the development of the PSI Robust MAV and the InstantEye MAV.  Before joining PSI, Dr. Guiler was an aerospace engineer with management, research, aerodynamics, propulsion, and composites experience.  Dr. Guiler earned a PhD in Aerospace Engineering at West Virginia University.  He research was on the control of a swept wing tailless aircraft through wing morphing, which was funded by NASA Dryden Flight Research Center.

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