Modeling and Control of a Bio-inspired Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (STARFISH)

Organization: Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE), National University of Singapore, Acoustic Research Lab (ARL) and Defense Science and Technology Agency (DSTA)

Approved Budget: SG $ 4,187,000

Position: PhD Scholar

Period: 01/2011 – 02/2015

Details: Develop the component technologies for an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) and demonstrate a multi-AUV team mission in the field. The project involved exploration in the following areas: online system identification for self-learning control, improved autonomy and obstacle avoidance, use of vectored thrusters for combined propulsion and control, biomimetic technologies for efficient and maneuverable AUVs, energy efficient mission planning, cooperative positioning in teams of AUVs, target tagging for re-acquisition and emergent behavior in multiple teams of AUVs.

Role: Develop and implement algorithms for dynamics and control of bioinspired AUV propulsion. Active participation in execution of engineering solutions, planning & execution of field trials.

Funding: Jointly supported by NATO Undersea Research Center (NURC) and the Defense Science and Technology Agency (DSTA), under the Ministry of Defense (Singapore), Government of Singapore MINDEF-DSTA for Underwater Vehicle Technology Project STARFISH.