Deterministic Sampling for Nonlinear Dynamic State Estimation


Book Description

The goal of this work is improving existing and suggesting novel filtering algorithms for nonlinear dynamic state estimation. Nonlinearity is considered in two ways: First, propagation is improved by proposing novel methods for approximating continuous probability distributions by discrete distributions defined on the same continuous domain. Second, nonlinear underlying domains are considered by proposing novel filters that inherently take the underlying geometry of these domains into account.




Advances in Robotics Research


Book Description

The German Workshop on Robotics is a convention of roboticists from academia and industry working on mathematical and algorithmic foundations of robotics, on the design and analysis of robotic systems as well as on robotic applications. Selected contributions from researchers in German-speaking countries as well as from the international robotics community compose this volume. The papers are organized in ten scientific tracks: Kinematic and Dynamic Modeling, Motion Generation, Sensor Integration, Robot Vision, Robot Programming, Humanoid Robots, Grasping, Medical Robotics, Autonomous Helicopters, and Robot Applications. Due to an extensive review and discussion process, this collection of scientific contributions is of very high caliber and promises to strongly influence future robotic research activities.




Towards Service Robots for Everyday Environments


Book Description

People have dreamed of machines, which would free them from unpleasant, dull, dirty and dangerous tasks and work for them as servants, for centuries if not millennia. Service robots seem to finally let these dreams come true. But where are all these robots that eventually serve us all day long, day for day? A few service robots have entered the market: domestic and professional cleaning robots, lawnmowers, milking robots, or entertainment robots. Some of these robots look more like toys or gadgets rather than real robots. But where is the rest? This is a question, which is asked not only by customers, but also by service providers, care organizations, politicians, and funding agencies. The answer is not very satisfying. Today’s service robots have their problems operating in everyday environments. This is by far more challenging than operating an industrial robot behind a fence. There is a comprehensive list of technical and scientific problems, which still need to be solved. To advance the state of the art in service robotics towards robots, which are capable of operating in an everyday environment, was the major objective of the DESIRE project (Deutsche Service Robotik Initiative – Germany Service Robotics Initiative) funded by the German Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) under grant no. 01IME01A. This book offers a sample of the results achieved in DESIRE.




Fundamentals of Spacecraft Attitude Determination and Control


Book Description

This book explores topics that are central to the field of spacecraft attitude determination and control. The authors provide rigorous theoretical derivations of significant algorithms accompanied by a generous amount of qualitative discussions of the subject matter. The book documents the development of the important concepts and methods in a manner accessible to practicing engineers, graduate-level engineering students and applied mathematicians. It includes detailed examples from actual mission designs to help ease the transition from theory to practice and also provides prototype algorithms that are readily available on the author’s website. Subject matter includes both theoretical derivations and practical implementation of spacecraft attitude determination and control systems. It provides detailed derivations for attitude kinematics and dynamics and provides detailed description of the most widely used attitude parameterization, the quaternion. This title also provides a thorough treatise of attitude dynamics including Jacobian elliptical functions. It is the first known book to provide detailed derivations and explanations of state attitude determination and gives readers real-world examples from actual working spacecraft missions. The subject matter is chosen to fill the void of existing textbooks and treatises, especially in state and dynamics attitude determination. MATLAB code of all examples will be provided through an external website.




Nearest Neighbor Search:


Book Description

Modern applications are both data and computationally intensive and require the storage and manipulation of voluminous traditional (alphanumeric) and nontraditional data sets (images, text, geometric objects, time-series). Examples of such emerging application domains are: Geographical Information Systems (GIS), Multimedia Information Systems, CAD/CAM, Time-Series Analysis, Medical Information Sstems, On-Line Analytical Processing (OLAP), and Data Mining. These applications pose diverse requirements with respect to the information and the operations that need to be supported. From the database perspective, new techniques and tools therefore need to be developed towards increased processing efficiency. This monograph explores the way spatial database management systems aim at supporting queries that involve the space characteristics of the underlying data, and discusses query processing techniques for nearest neighbor queries. It provides both basic concepts and state-of-the-art results in spatial databases and parallel processing research, and studies numerous applications of nearest neighbor queries.




Flowing Matter


Book Description

This open access book, published in the Soft and Biological Matter series, presents an introduction to selected research topics in the broad field of flowing matter, including the dynamics of fluids with a complex internal structure -from nematic fluids to soft glasses- as well as active matter and turbulent phenomena. Flowing matter is a subject at the crossroads between physics, mathematics, chemistry, engineering, biology and earth sciences, and relies on a multidisciplinary approach to describe the emergence of the macroscopic behaviours in a system from the coordinated dynamics of its microscopic constituents. Depending on the microscopic interactions, an assembly of molecules or of mesoscopic particles can flow like a simple Newtonian fluid, deform elastically like a solid or behave in a complex manner. When the internal constituents are active, as for biological entities, one generally observes complex large-scale collective motions. Phenomenology is further complicated by the invariable tendency of fluids to display chaos at the large scales or when stirred strongly enough. This volume presents several research topics that address these phenomena encompassing the traditional micro-, meso-, and macro-scales descriptions, and contributes to our understanding of the fundamentals of flowing matter. This book is the legacy of the COST Action MP1305 “Flowing Matter”.







Optimal and Robust Estimation


Book Description

More than a decade ago, world-renowned control systems authority Frank L. Lewis introduced what would become a standard textbook on estimation, under the title Optimal Estimation, used in top universities throughout the world. The time has come for a new edition of this classic text, and Lewis enlisted the aid of two accomplished experts to bring the book completely up to date with the estimation methods driving today's high-performance systems. A Classic Revisited Optimal and Robust Estimation: With an Introduction to Stochastic Control Theory, Second Edition reflects new developments in estimation theory and design techniques. As the title suggests, the major feature of this edition is the inclusion of robust methods. Three new chapters cover the robust Kalman filter, H-infinity filtering, and H-infinity filtering of discrete-time systems. Modern Tools for Tomorrow's Engineers This text overflows with examples that highlight practical applications of the theory and concepts. Design algorithms appear conveniently in tables, allowing students quick reference, easy implementation into software, and intuitive comparisons for selecting the best algorithm for a given application. In addition, downloadable MATLAB® code allows students to gain hands-on experience with industry-standard software tools for a wide variety of applications. This cutting-edge and highly interactive text makes teaching, and learning, estimation methods easier and more modern than ever.




Advanced Fluid Mechanics


Book Description

Fluid mechanics is the study of how fluids behave and interact under various forces and in various applied situations, whether in liquid or gas state or both. The author of Advanced Fluid Mechanics compiles pertinent information that are introduced in the more advanced classes at the senior level and at the graduate level. "Advanced Fluid Mechanics courses typically cover a variety of topics involving fluids in various multiple states (phases), with both elastic and non-elastic qualities, and flowing in complex ways. This new text will integrate both the simple stages of fluid mechanics ("Fundamentals) with those involving more complex parameters, including Inviscid Flow in multi-dimensions, Viscous Flow and Turbulence, and a succinct introduction to Computational Fluid Dynamics. It will offer exceptional pedagogy, for both classroom use and self-instruction, including many worked-out examples, end-of-chapter problems, and actual computer programs that can be used to reinforce theory with real-world applications. Professional engineers as well as Physicists and Chemists working in the analysis of fluid behavior in complex systems will find the contents of this book useful. All manufacturing companies involved in any sort of systems that encompass fluids and fluid flow analysis (e.g., heat exchangers, air conditioning and refrigeration, chemical processes, etc.) or energy generation (steam boilers, turbines and internal combustion engines, jet propulsion systems, etc.), or fluid systems and fluid power (e.g., hydraulics, piping systems, and so on)will reap the benefits of this text. - Offers detailed derivation of fundamental equations for better comprehension of more advanced mathematical analysis - Provides groundwork for more advanced topics on boundary layer analysis, unsteady flow, turbulent modeling, and computational fluid dynamics - Includes worked-out examples and end-of-chapter problems as well as a companion web site with sample computational programs and Solutions Manual




Systems, Patterns and Data Engineering with Geometric Calculi


Book Description

The intention of this collection agrees with the purposes of the homonymous mini-symposium (MS) at ICIAM-2019, which were to overview the essentials of geometric calculus (GC) formalism, to report on state-of-the-art applications showcasing its advantages and to explore the bearing of GC in novel approaches to deep learning. The first three contributions, which correspond to lectures at the MS, offer perspectives on recent advances in the application GC in the areas of robotics, molecular geometry, and medical imaging. The next three, especially invited, hone the expressiveness of GC in orientation measurements under different metrics, the treatment of contact elements, and the investigation of efficient computational methodologies. The last two, which also correspond to lectures at the MS, deal with two aspects of deep learning: a presentation of a concrete quaternionic convolutional neural network layer for image classification that features contrast invariance and a general overview of automatic learning aimed at steering the development of neural networks whose units process elements of a suitable algebra, such as a geometric algebra. The book fits, broadly speaking, within the realm of mathematical engineering, and consequently, it is intended for a wide spectrum of research profiles. In particular, it should bring inspiration and guidance to those looking for materials and problems that bridge GC with applications of great current interest, including the auspicious field of GC-based deep neural networks.