UC Irvine Postdoctoral Researcher Kévin Garanger, PhD, presented Reconfigurable Aerial Robots: Reconciling performance and versatility October 28, 2022 i.
Abstract: There is no free lunch in vehicle design, since vehicle efficiency and versatility are two characteristics that are almost inherently opposed. The design of aerial vehicles in particular is especially challenging because of fundamental principles of lift generation. They require a strong emphasis on efficiency and offer limited possible compromise for versatility. Therefore, the tradition in aviation is to create various purpose-built vehicles based on precise specification requirements. For a task to be performed, the appropriate vehicle can then be selected. In this seminar, we will go over some of the inconveniences of this method and review the fundamental reasons behind the dichotomy between efficiency and versatility of aerial vehicles. Then, a potential solution for designing vehicles that are versatile in nature and reasonably efficient will be introduced through the concept of modular, reconfigurable vehicles. The use case of transporting diverse cargo types with a single modular system will be studied in detail. Some of the mathematical tools that can be used for the design optimization of such a modular system will be described and tested prototypes will be presented.
Bio: Dr. Kevin Garanger is a postdoctoral scholar in the department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at UC Irvine. His research interests include autonomous vehicles, control theory, structural mechanics, and mathematical optimization. In his research, Kevin attempts to combine these areas to support the design and analysis of novel aerospace vehicles. Specifically, a focus of his work has been to use methods of optimization for the design of modular aerospace vehicles based on their dynamical and structural properties. Before joining UC Irvine, Kevin attended Georgia Tech where he obtained a master in aerospace engineering in 2016 and a PhD in robotics in 2022. He completed his undergraduate studies at École polytechnique in France. He is also an aircraft pilot and holds a commercial pilot certificate with an instrument rating.
October 28, 2022