UNA4CAREER
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie grant agreement Nยบ 847635.
910793. Group of Systems Engineering, Control, Automation and Robotics
Department of Computer Architecture and Systems Engineering
Facultad de Informática
ISCAR (Systems Engineering, Control, Automation and Robotics) is a multidisciplinary group of researchers of the Departments of Computer Architecture and Automation, and Software Engineering and Artificial Intelligence of the University Complutense of Madrid.
Its main research lines are:
Modeling and Control. Obtaining models through analytical, intelligent and heuristic techniques for: marine and aerial vehicles; renewable energy devices; industrial systems; or logistics processes. Developing regulators for vehicle trajectory tracking and formation keeping, controlling micro-satellites attitude, or for the aviation industry.
Multisensor fusion and Computer Vision. Developing multisensor fusion strategies for delayed measures and complex systems, and cutting-edge techniques (deep learning) for object recognition and perception systems for autonomous vehicles.
Optimization and Machine Learning. Solving complex industrial problems (logistics optimization for REPSOL and ENAGAS, unmanned vehicle trajectory planning for AIRBUS) and applying machine learning (support vector machines, neural or bayesian networks, fuzzy logic) to different fields (biometrics, precision agriculture, intelligent control, nuclear fusion signal analysis).
Developing autonomous vehicle and mobile robotics applications. Examples are surface vehicles to detect and contain sea spills, tractor fleets for precision agriculture, or a maritime surveillance, search and rescue system.
ISCAR has access to the following spaces and material:
– The Automation and Robotics Research Laboratory of the University Complutense of Madrid (UCM), equipped with PCs and laptops, a 3D printer, and software tools.
– Several Unmanned Surface Vehicles (USVs). Examples are: automated zodiacs for missions in big reservoirs, and small catamarans (100 y 60 cm) built and automated by ISCAR researchers to test algorithms in medium/small reservoir missions. These USVs can be equipped with computer and communication units, available sensors (cameras, sonars, radars, GPS) and existing applications (e.g. object detection, navigation, control, planning).
– A small floating off-shore wind turbine prototype and a wind tunnel.
– A collaboration agreement with Madrid water suppliers (Canal de Isabel II) to carry out experiments with USVs in different reservoirs.
– UCM Research Support Center (specifically the Mechanical, Delineation, Glass and Electronic Research Workshop) and libraries.
The current projects and contracts of ISCAR group focus on: 1) the cooperation of surface vehicles for water quality monitoring; 2) the development of a hybrid marine power generation system (which extracts energy from the waves and wind); 3) the cooperation of unmanned aerial vehicles for search, surveillance and rescue; 4) the development of editing and communication tools for people with visual and hearing disabilities; 5) the development of a logistics planning and optimization system to predict gas consumption demands; and 6) the development of sensory technologies (RGB cameras, thermal, multi-spectral, lidar) and advanced data processing methods (3D, deep-learning) for autonomous vehicles.
In order to power-up the marine research topics of energy generation and missions involving cooperative surface vehicles, research proposals related with both lines or the technologies required to increment their autonomy behavior are welcome.
A few examples (others could be suggested by the candidates) are:
Within the technologies scope:
– Artificial intelligent-based approaches for modelling and controlling a hybrid marine energy generation system
– Perception and computer vision approaches for autonomous surface vehicles
– Path planning and/or cooperative control of autonomous surface vehicles in missions with uncertainty
Proposals related with new applications:
– New structural control strategies of renewable energy generation systems.
– New missions for autonomous vehicles.
