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Research

Controls

We lead controls research, the design of algorithms and techniques to enable systems to independently perceive, reason, and act within their environment.

We offer courses in the guidance, navigation, and control of unmanned aerial systems as well as the optimization and control of networked systems. We are leaders in research in control of autonomous systems, bio-inspired engineering, model predictive control, dynamical modeling, and estimation for single and distributed systems. We develop tools that address the temporal, spatial and nonlinear challenges posed by autonomy.

A&A undergrad and graduate students have the opportunity to explore practical applications for autonomy by gaining hands-on flight-testing and field operations experience with interdisciplinary collaborators and partners.

Behçet Açikmeşe

Key research areas

  • Automatic control
  • Autonomous vehicle control
  • Control theory
  • Dynamics and optimization
  • Flight operations
  • Underwater vehicle design
  • Unmanned aerial systems

Associated faculty

Research highlights

A successful Mars rover landing ends with a crash

A&A’s Behcet Açıkmeşe helped develop hurling algorithms to land NASA's rovers Curiosity and Perseverance. 

A&A's Research Takes Flight

A&A research will get the rare opportunity to fly in real flight conditions on the 2021 Boeing ecoDemonstrator.

Hide and Seek

The Autonomous Flight Systems Lab builds a drone-based machine learning dataset to find those lost in the wilderness.

Award-winning student team

A&A’s Charlie Kelly and Taylor Reynolds launched the A&A CubeSat Club, with support from Aeroject Rocketdyne. The club is developing its first satellite, SOC-i, that will reconcile constraints in its orientation and imaging systems. With these capabilities, SOC-i will be a step toward comprehensive environmental monitoring.

Related News

Sarah Li standing on a hill overlooking a river

Wed, 01/13/2021 | UW Aero & Astro

Sarah Li named Amelia Earhart Scholar

Ph.D. student Sarah Li wins Amelia Earhart Scholarship for her dynamic games approach to autonomous networks.

hawkmoth

Wed, 10/21/2020 | UW Aero & Astro

Hawkmoth research yields lessons in agile flight

A&A research of the biological sensing mechanisms of the hawkmoth informs the advancement of aerospace systems.

Fri, 08/07/2020 | UW Aero & Astro

Hide and seek

A&A's Autonomous Flight Systems Lab is building a drone-based machine learning dataset to find those lost in wilderness.

Mon, 05/18/2020 | UW Aero & Astro

Modeling COVID-19 transmission: Apply aerospace

A&A alum Dan Klein draws on his controls training to model the transmission of COVID-19 in King County.