We give an overview of the EPFL indoor flying project, whose goal is to evolve neural controllers for autonomous, adaptive, indoor micro-flyers. Indoor flight is still a challenge because it requires miniaturization, energy efficiency, and control of nonlinear flight dynamics. This ongoing project consists of developing a flying, vision-based micro-robot, a bio-inspired controller composed of a...

Nonlinear dynamic responses of a Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) mirror with sidewall electrodes are presented that are in close agreement with previously-reported experimental data. An analysis of frequency responses reveals softening behavior, and secondary resonances originated from the dominant quadratic nonlinearity. The quadratic nonlinearity is an electromechanical coupling effec...

In linear transport, the fluctuation-dissipation theorem relates equilibrium current correlations to the linear conductance coefficient. Theory and experiment have shown that in small electrical conductors the non-linear I-V-characteristic of two-terminal conductor exhibits terms which are asymmetric in magnetic field and thus micro-reversibility is manifestly broken. We discuss a non-equilibri...

We demonstrate locking of an on-chip, high-Q toroidal-cavity to a pump laser using two, distinct methods: coupled power stabilization and wavelength locking of pump laser to the microcavity. In addition to improvements in operation of previously demonstrated micro-Raman and micro-OPO lasers, these techniques have enabled observation of a continuous, cascaded nonlinear process in which photons g...

Grid-connected solar micro-inverter is a highly nonlinear and time-varying system, so it is difficult to achieve good control effect using traditional PI controller. In this paper, small signal analysis model of micro-inverter is established, grid-connected current control strategy composed of fuzzy PI controller and grid voltage feed-forward is put forward, and the initial parameters of PI con...

Micro-simulation is an approach to analyze the impact of economic and social policy on the distribution of target variables, not just on the means. It easily includes the true policy instruments and handles highly nonlinear relations. Most models currently used in policy analysis are static and they do not include behavioral response to policy changes, just their first order effects. There is, ...

This paper presents a nonlinear robust control design procedure for a micro air vehicle, which uses the singular value (μ) and μ-synthesis technique. The optimal robust control law that combines parametric and lumped uncertainties of the micro UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) which are realized by serial connection of the Kestrel autopilot and the Gumstix microprocessor. Thus, the robust control f...

In this research, a functionally graded microbeam bonded with piezoelectric layers is analyzed under electric force. Static and dynamic instability due to the electric actuation is studied because of its importance in micro electro mechanical systems, especially in micro switches. In order to prevent pull-in instability, two piezoelectric layers are used as sensor and actuator. A current amplif...

We describe stable symmetry-breaking states in systems with two coupled nonlinear cavities, using coupled-mode theory and rigorous simulations. Above a threshold input level the symmetric state of the passive Kerr system becomes unstable, and we show how this phenomenon can be employed for switching and flip-flop purposes, using positive pulses only. A device with compact photonic crystal micro...

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