Abstract: Aerial robotics have become ubiquitous, but (like most robots) they still struggle to operate at high speed in unstructured, cramped environments. I will present some of our group's recent work on pushing vehicles' capabilities with two distinct approaches. First, I will present algorithmic work aiming to enable motion planning at high speed through unstructured environments, with a specific focus on standard multicopters. The second approach is to modify the vehicle's physical characteristics, to create a fundamentally different vehicle for whom the problem is easier to the changed physics. Specific designs presented will include a highly collision resilient drone; a passively morphing drone capable of significantly reducing its size; and a preview of a passively morphing system capable of reducing its aerodynamic loads.
Bio: Mark W. Mueller is an assistant professor of Mechanical Engineering at UC Berkeley where he leads the High Performance Robotics Laboratory (HiPeRLab). His research focuses on the design and control of aerial robots. He joined the mechanical engineering department at UC Berkeley in September 2016, after spending some time at Verity Studios working on a drone entertainment system, installed in the biggest theater on New York's broadway. He completed his PhD studies at the ETH Zurich in Switzerland in 2015, and received an MSc there in 2011. He received a bachelors degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Pretoria in South Africa.
Location: We will meet only virtually. Please use the following zoom meeting information to join us:
https://illinois.zoom.us/j/84677224909?pwd=bHQ3bUZBaXlIWEliUkM4WmhhdDVOZz09
Meeting ID: 846 7722 4909
Password: 961445
