This paper shows roll and pitch feedback control on a coaxial mini helicopter equipped with a center of gravity steering mechanism. The helicopter carries a minimal set of sensors to measure yaw rate, distance to ground and roll and pitch angle. While yaw rate and distance to ground control are already realized on the helicopter, roll and pitch control including the necessary signal filtering a...

This paper describes a semi-global exponentially stable output feedback control law for automatic heading control of ships described by a nonlinear model. Only compass (yaw angle) feedback is used. The yaw rate signal is reconstructed by a linear observer. A wave lter is included in the observer to reduce wear and tear on the rudder servo due to 1st-order wave-induced disturbances. Integral act...

In this paper we address the design of a fuzzy flight controller that achieves stable and robust “aggressive” manoeuvrability for an unmanned helicopter. The fuzzy flight controller proposed consists of a combination of a fuzzy gain scheduler and linguistic (Mamdani-type) controller. The fuzzy gain scheduler is used for stable and robust altitude, roll, pitch, and yaw control. The linguistic co...

This paper is devoted to the development of a map matching algorithm for a train positioning system. Due to the nonsteerable truck design associated with rail vehicles, rail track curvatures are reasonably small. Consequently, track signatures, such as curves, are difficult to identify using low-cost sensors. The algorithm proposed in this work takes full advantage of the inherited “one-dimensi...

Articulated liquid cargo vehicles transporting inflammable fuels and dangerous chemical products require special consideration when traveling on urban roads or cruising at highway speeds. The road safety and handling of these kinds of vehicles may be adversely affected when negotiating sharp turns or travelling on slippery roads, which may result in either lateral instabilities or complete roll...

This paper presents a controller based on fuzzy-logic to ensure simultaneously vehicle handling and stability. The developed controller generates the suitable yaw moment which is obtained from the difference of the brake forces between the front wheels so that the vehicle follows the target values of the yaw rate and the side slip angle. The simulations results show the effectiveness of the pro...

Abstract: A car driver needs at least five hundred milliseconds before he can react to unexpected yaw motions. During this time the uncontrolled car may produce a dangerous yaw rate and sideslip angle. Automatic steering control for disturbance rejection is designed such that it bridges over the driver reaction time, but returns the full steering authority to the driver thereafter. The solution...

The contribution to spatial awareness of adding a roll degree-of-freedom (DOF) to telepresence camera platform yaw and pitch was examined in an experiment where subjects judged direction and rotation of stationary target markers in a remote scene. Subjects viewed the scene via head-slaved camera images in a head-mounted display. Elimination of the roll DOF affected rotation judgment, but only a...

The translational vestibulo-ocular reflex (tVOR) stabilizes an image on the fovea during linear movements of the head. It has been suggested that the tVOR may share pathways with the pursuit system. We asked whether the tVOR and pursuit would be similar in their behavior relative to Listing's Law. We compared torsional eye velocity as a function of vertical orbital position during interaural tr...

We propose a locomotion technique for a legged robot that is high-centered, i.e., a robot stuck on a block with its legs dangling in air. By using its legs as reaction masses, the robot might be able to rock and roll on its stomach and incrementally move forward off the block, a form of legless locomotion using halteres. With locomotion of high-centered robots using body attitude oscillations a...