Facilities

 
 
SDCNLab is interested in new theory/technology development as well as the practical applications of these techniques. Since 2006, some experimental facilities have been developed in SDCNLab with various sources for hardware tests in dynamics control and navigation. The simulation environment in the SDCNLab uses MATLAB/Simulink, QUARC, ABAQUS, Microsoft Visual Studio, and C/C++ extensively. Here are some photos and videos. More photos can be found at our Photo Station. PHOTOS These two photos show the look of SDCNLab in 2006-2007.   With NSERC RTI funds, a flexible manipulator was built to study active vibration control. Here is a photo of its single-link configuration.  and the flexible manipulator was extended to a two-link flexible manipulator with one DC motor and one AC motor.  An indoor airship was purchased in 2008 to study navigation and control for airships.  We also developed cold-gas thrusters for various space applications. To characterize the thrusters, a thruster test system is built.   SDCNLab got two research contracts from the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) to investigate wrinkling problems of space membrane structures. One task is to develop effective active flatness/shape control strategies for membrane structures. Here is the membrane flatness control facility.  This picture shows a view of the complete membrane test facility.  Since January 2011, the membrane facility has been relocated to a permanent location in Petrie Building, 003D.  Recently, we purchased a VIDERE Design mobile robot platform for research on vision-based navigation and control. We also acquired a Bumblebee Stereo Vision system and Analog Devices 6-DOF IMU.  SDCNLab recently purchases a PI P-753.11C LISA nano-precision actuator/positioning stage for research on dynamics modelling and nonlinear control system design of piezoelectric actuators. Since April 2014, SDCNLab has been leading the development of a 2-D imaging Fabry-Perot spectrometer (FPS) under CSA’s FAST program to measure aerosol and surface pressure from high-altitude balloon platform. Our team includes Prof. Gordon Shepherd, Dr. Chris Sioris, Dr. Brian Solheim, and MPB Communications Inc. in addition to SDCNLab members. We plan to fly our instrument before March 2017. Here is a picture of the instrument undergoing laboratory tests.  EXPERIMENTAL VIDEOS For experiments on nonlinear consensus of multi-agent system, click here.  Membrane structure active flatness control  Mobile robot obstacle avoidance  Indoor airship line following PID control with minor disturbance  Indoor airship line following PID control with major disturbance  Vibration of flexible manipulator (without control)  Vibration control of flexible manipulator using input shaping technique http://sdcnlab.esse.yorku.ca/photo/photo_thumb.php?dir=5344434e4c616250686f746fExperiments.htmlshapeimage_3_link_0shapeimage_3_link_1