Autonomous Systems and Control Laboratory (ASCL)

The Autonomous Systems and Control Laboratory (ASCL) in the Mechanical Engineering Department of The City College of New York develops methodologies for the analysis, design, and control of autonomous systems, with a particular emphasis on autonomous vehicles and robotic networks. Our fundamental and applied research on autonomous systems and controls aims to enable greater autonomy for explorations of land, sea, and sky. The lab focus is on a wide range of research efforts which include

• Nonlinear control theory

• Underactuated and nonholonomic systems

• Autonomous vehicles

• Networked autonomous systems

• Underactuated robotics

• Learning-based control

• Optimization

The lab director is Dr. Bo Wang, Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering. Current projects deal with theoretical and experimental investigation of networked underactuated multi-vehicle systems and source seeking control design.

Source Seeking for Planar Underactuated Vehicles

Autonomous vehicles that operate without GPS or INS benefit from source seeking capabilities. In this work, we develop novel source seeking strategies for generic force/torque-controlled planar underactuated vehicles. We provide a theoretical foundation for underactuated extremum seeking algorithms based on symmetric product approximations, averaging, passivity, and partial-state stability theory. The source seeking controller does not require any position or velocity measurements but only real-time measurements of the source signal at the current position. The semi-globally practically asymptotically stable is proven for the closed-loop source seeking systems. Potential application scenarios include distance-based localization, avalanche victim search, chemical/gas leakage location, etc.

Selected Publications:

• B. Wang, S. Nersesov, H. Ashrafiuon, P. Naseradinmousavi, and M. Krstic, “Underactuated Source Seeking by Surge Force Tuning: Theory and Boat Experiments,” IEEE Transactions on Control Systems Technology, Volume 31, Issue 4, July 2023, pp. 1649-1662. [pdf]

Formation Stabilization and Tracking Control of Planar Underactuated Vehicles

The advantages of multi-vehicle systems over single vehicles include higher efficiency, robustness, and flexibility. This research is devoted to developing distributed control approaches that are applicable to heterogeneous underactuated multi-vehicle systems. We presente a distributed control framework to simultaneously address the formation stabilization and tracking control problem for heterogeneous planar underactuated vehicle networks without global position measurements. Potential applications include reconnaissance, mine clearance, and search and rescue missions.

Selected Publications:

• B. Wang, H. Ashrafiuon, and S. Nersesov, “Leader-Follower Formation Tracking and Stabilization Control for Heterogeneous Planar Underactuated Vehicle Networks,” Systems & Control Letters, Volume 156, 2021, Paper 105008. [pdf]

• B. Wang, S. Nersesov, and H. Ashrafiuon, “Formation Regulation and Tracking Control for Nonholonomic Mobile Robot Networks Using Polar Coordinates,” IEEE Control Systems Letters, Volume 6, 2022, pp. 1909-1914. [pdf]

Autonomous Systems and Control Laboratory

The City College of New York

Department of Mechanical Engineering

Marshak Science Building, Room 705

160 Convent Avenue, New York, NY 10031