People, Innovation, Excellence

Research Goal

Utilize the Theory-Computation-Experiment paradigm to research Low Cost Attritable Aircraft Technology (LCAAT) with autonomy to establish trust, providing a game changing capability that transforms the way manned and unmanned air, space, and ground systems are designed, controlled, and operated to effectively accomplish missions and tasks. VSCL is thus focused on synergistic strategies for the analysis, control, validation & verification of complex autonomous vehicle and sensor systems operating in challenging environments.

The Vehicle Systems & Control Laboratory is directed by Dr. John Valasek.

Graduate Research Assistant Positions Available

The Vehicle Systems & Control Laboratory (VSCL) has multiple fully funded Ph.D. positions in Aerospace Engineering that are available. Interested students are encouraged to apply for research in the following areas:
– Autonomous and Nonlinear Control of Cyber-Physical Air, Space, and Ground Systems
– Vision Based Sensors and Navigation Systems
– Cybersecurity for Air and Space Vehicles
– Air and Space Vehicle Control and Management
– Advanced Cockpit/UAS Systems and Displays
– Control of Bio-Nano Materials and Structures
– Human-in-the-Loop Artificial Intelligence for Coordinated Autonomous Unmanned Air Systems

More information and details for applying can be found here.

UAS Research and Flight Testing by the Numbers

  • 21 Years of Fixed-Wing UAS Flight Testing under FAA Auspices
  • 26 Externally Funded UAS Research Programs (1999 – Present)
  • 400+ Flights with an operational tempo of 133 thermal IR and multi-spectral data collection flights in the field over 12 months (2015 – 2016)
  • 24 Certified UAS Flight Testers Currently on Staff
  • 3 Certified UAS Pilots Currently on Staff
  • 13 UAS Vehicles in Current Fleet

Research Project Spotlight

Project: System Identification for Unmanned Air Systems

Sponsor: National Science Foundation (NSF) Center for Autonomous Air Mobility & Sensing (CAAMS)

Purpose: System Identification is a process to develop a mathematical representation of the dynamics of a physical system from measured data. Accurate models enable prediction of performance and dynamics of a system.

Challenges: Models for sUAS are generally not available as manufacturers do not have models for commercial sUAS and models for military sUAS are not typically available. Modeling and control systems are often vehicle dependent and not easily portable across sUAS. Many commercial autopilots do not provide data needed for online system identification

Our Approach: Utilizing the Observer Kalman Filter Identification algorithm with the Developmental Flight Test Instrumentation 2 framework, full state space models can be identified in near-real time onboard the vehicle utilizing data from a variety of sensors.

Recent News

VSCL Graduate Student Chris Leshikar Awarded PhD Graduate Excellence Fellowship

Posted on by

Chris Leshikar ’20, a graduate research assistant in the Vehicle Systems & Control Laboratory (VSCL), has been awarded the PhD Graduate Excellence Fellowship for Spring/Summer 2021. This competitive fellowship awards $20,000 over the span of 8 months , in addition to covering tuition and fees. All graduate research assistants within the department of aerospace engineering pursuing a PhD starting in Spring 2021 were considered for this Fellowship.

Leshikar has been an active member of VSCL since Spring 2017, focusing on system identification and nonlinear multiple-time-scale control theory. He graduated with a B.S. degree in Aerospace Engineering with Engineering Honors in December 2020. As a graduate research assistant in VSCL, Leshikar will be focusing his research on control of uncertain nonlinear multiple-time-scale systems and near real-time online system identification. Dr. John Valasek will serve as his research Advisor and Chair of dissertation committee.

VSCL graduate student Hannah Lehman inducted into the AIAA Intelligent Systems Technical Committee

Posted on by

VSCL Graduate Research Assistant and Ph.D. student Hannah Lehman has been inducted into the AIAA Intelligent Systems Technical Committee (ISTC).  The ISTC is a group within AIAA that addresses the application of Intelligent System (IS) technologies and methods to aerospace systems, the verification and validation of these systems, and the education of the AIAA membership in the use of IS technologies in aerospace and other technical disciplines. Lehman was inducted due to her technical experience in IS and involvement with AIAA. She was previously a member of the AIAA Software Technical Committee.

Lehman’s undergraduate research experience and doctoral research aligns with the ISTC’s activities.  She is the recipient of the AIAA Foundation Cary Spitzer Digital Avionics Scholarship for her research contributions in Reinforcement Learning for the intelligent control of Unmanned Air Systems, and a Co-Inventor with Collins Aerospace on two patents for IS applied to airplane ground operations at airports.  Lehman researched IS for the 2019 NSF Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program, and for a 2020 summer internship with Sandia National Laboratories.  Her doctoral dissertation is sponsored by Sandia National Laboratories on the project Tightly Integrated Navigation and Guidance for Multiple Autonomous Agents.

Lehman earned her bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering Summa Cum Laude in 2020 from Texas A&M University as a University Scholar, Engineering Honors, and 2019 Gathright Phi Kappa Phi Outstanding Junior in the College of Engineering.  As a first year graduate student Lehman was awarded the College of Engineering Graduate Merit Doctoral Fellowship for 2020-2023.  She has been conducting research in the Vehicle Systems & Control Laboratory with her research Advisor and Chair of dissertation committee, Dr. John Valasek, since her sophomore year.

 

Two New Graduate Students Join VSCL in Spring 2021

Posted on by

VSCL is proud to welcome two new graduate research assistants:

Esteban Gomez is a MEng student in the aerospace engineering department. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering from Texas A&M University in December 2020. During his time as an undergraduate, Esteban assisted with sensor integration, as well as flight test validation of UAS (unmanned air systems) across multiple VSCL projects. He has been an active member of VSCL since Spring 2019 and will begin working on his masters in January 2021. Esteban’s main interests include flight test engineering, embedded systems, and aircraft dynamics.

 

 

 

 

Christopher Leshikar is a Ph.D. student in the aerospace engineering department.  Chris has been an active member of VSCL since Spring 2017, working on non-linear multiple-time-scale control theory and system identification.  As an undergraduate, he attained internships with the Texas A&M University System Office of Federal Relations and the Defense Intelligence Agency (cancelled due to COVID-19).  Chris graduated with a B.S. in aerospace engineering with Engineering Honors in December 2020.  As a Graduate Research Assistant, he will be researching control of nonlinear multiple time-scale systems, and online near real-time system identification, which is sponsored by the National Science Foundation.

The Number 50: VSCL Graduate Students Achieve Graduate Degree Milestone

Posted on by

The 50th graduate degree has been earned by a VSCL graduate student. Jin Suzuki earned the first degree, an M.S. in 1997, and Dr. Vinicius Goecks earned the fiftieth degree, a Ph.D. in May 2020. Several VSCL graduates students have earned both the M.S. and the Ph.D. degrees during this span, and Dr. Valasek has served as advisor to all 50 degrees. The list of students and dates can be viewed here.

Four New Ph.D. Graduate Students Join VSCL in Fall 2020

Posted on by

VSCL is proud to welcome four new Ph.D. graduate research assistants:

Shelby Hackett is a Ph.D. student in the aerospace engineering department. She graduated in May 2020 from the University of Florida with B.S. degrees in mechanical and aerospace engineering. During her undergraduate studies, she completed an honors thesis on range optimal control for an aircraft, looking at methods for solutions that lie on a singular arc. While in school, she completed internships at Sandia National Laboratories and GE Oil & Gas as a Research & Development intern and a Manufacturing Engineering intern, respectively.  Shelby is currently interning at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, NM as a Research & Development intern. She will be a member of the Guidance, Navigation, and Control II group, working on improving GPS systems for defense vehicles. This is her second summer interning with Sandia. In the fall, Shelby will research Tightly Integrated Navigation and Guidance for Multiple Autonomous Agents, which is sponsored by Sandia National Laboratory.

 

 

 

Hannah Lehman  is a Ph.D. student in the aerospace engineering department.  Hannah has been an active member of VSCL since Fall 2017, focusing on human-machine interaction and the control of UAS with Machine Learning. As an undergraduate, she participated in internships with Rockwell Collins, Collins Aerospace, and the REU program. She graduated with the B.S. degree in Aerospace Engineering from Texas A&M University as a University Scholar, University Honors, and Engineering Honors in May 2020. As a Graduate Research Assistant Hannah researches Tightly Integrated Navigation and Guidance for Multiple Autonomous Agents, which is sponsored by Sandia National Laboratory. She is also participating in a remote 2020 summer internship at Sandia National Laboratory with a focus on machine learning.

 

 

 

 

Nidhin Ninan is a Ph.D. student in the aerospace engineering department. He graduated from the University of Kansas with a B.S. degree in aerospace engineering. During his undergraduate studies, Nidhin worked on Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) based navigation using depth sense camera and edge detection using reinforcement learning for a Mars rover prototype being built at KU for the Mars Society’s University Rover Challenge. AT VSCL, Nidhin will be working on the Agile Technology Development (ATD)  – Air-Ground Coordinated Teaming, which is sponsored by the Army Futures Command.

 

 

 

 

 

Ravi Kumar Thakur is a Ph.D. student in the aerospace engineering department.  His interest is in the field of aerospace robotics and autonomy. He graduated with an MS(Research) degree in Electronics and Communication from the Indian Institute of Information Technology Sri City, Chittoor in 2019. For his thesis, he worked on developing machine learning-based models for estimating scene flow from stereo images. He earned his BS in Engineering Physics from National Institute of Technology Calicut in 2014. In the past, he was a machine learning engineer at Ford Motor Company,  where he worked on driver assistant technology with a focus on visual odometry and object tracking. Before that, he worked at the Indian Institute of science working on the development of an endoscopy simulator. At VSCL, Ravi will be working on the project Enhancing the Cycle-of-Learning for Autonomous Systems to Facilitate Human-Agent Teaming which is sponsored by Army Research Laboratory.

VSCL graduate student Garrett Jares joins AIAA Aerospace Cybersecurity Working Group

Posted on by

VSCL Graduate Research Assistant and Ph.D. student Garrett Jares has joined the AIAA Aerospace Cybersecurity Working Group (ACWG).  The ACWG is involved with aerospace cybersecurity within the overall vision and mission of AIAA.  It is composed of cybersecurity interested members from across the AIAA and provides opportunities to educate those involved with conceptualization, design, development, testing, deployment, operations, maintenance, and management of aerospace systems. ACWG seeks to engage in active information exchange among those involved in aerospace related cybersecurity, documenting the results, and making those results available to the broader aerospace systems community. The goal of the working group is to enable organizations to improve the confidentiality, integrity and availability of aerospace systems and data.

Garrett is a recipient of the 2020 NSF Graduate Research Fellowship, which is supporting his doctoral dissertation on  investigating cyber-attacks designed that are designed to take control of an aircraft by targeting the vehicle’s sensor data.  This research will help identify and better understand the vulnerabilities in current systems and develop safeguards against such attacks.  Garrett is a recipient of the Crawford & Hattie Jackson Foundation Scholarship, the Edward C. Clay ’47 Memorial Scholarship, and the 2018 Lechner Graduate Fellowship.

 

Valasek Inducted Into Cal Poly Engineering Hall of Fame

Posted on by

Dr. John Valasek, professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering at Texas A&M University and director of the Vehicle Systems & Control Laboratory, has been inducted into the Engineering Hall of Fame, College of Engineering, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona.

Valasek was one of nine engineering alumni so honored.  The college’s Hall of Fame recognizes, honors, and preserves the outstanding accomplishments and contributions of alumni engineers and engineering technologists who have distinguished themselves in the community through leadership and professional achievement. From helping usher in the era of digital television to guiding the development of California’s most recognizable structures, each inductee has made meaningful contributions deserving of honor and preservation.

Valasek graduated with the B.S. degree in aerospace engineering from Cal Poly, Pomona in 1986.  While a student at Cal Poly he served as Chairman of the AIAA Student Branch, and was the Student Chairman of the 1985 AIAA Region VI Student Paper Conference.  He worked part-time during his senior year in the Flight Controls Research Group at Northrop Corporation, Aircraft Division, before joining that group at Northrop upon graduation.

Valasek Appointed to Dean’s Leadership Board

Posted on by

Valasek, John

Dr. John Valasek, professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering at Texas A&M University and director of the Vehicle Systems & Control Laboratory, has been appointed to the Dean’s Leadership Board (DLB) of the College of Engineering, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. The DLB is an advisory board of high-level executives that bring their expertise and knowledge in their respective engineering fields. This group of alumni and industry experts secure resources for the college and to help define its strategies and goals.

 

Valasek graduated with the B.S. degree in aerospace engineering from Cal Poly, Pomona in 1986.  While a student at Cal Poly he served as Chairman of the AIAA Student Branch, and was the Student Chairman of the 1985 AIAA Region VI Student Paper Conference.  He worked part-time during his senior year in the Flight Controls Research Group at Northrop Corporation, Aircraft Division, before joining that group at Northrop upon graduation.

VSCL Alumnus Dr. Dipanjan Saha Joins Northeastern University as a Postdoc

Posted on by

Dr. Dipanjan Saha, a December 2018 Ph.D. graduate of VSCL, has started a new position as a Postdoctoral Fellow with the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Northeastern University, effective 01 July 2020. Dipanjan has been selected to be part of Northeastern’s newly launched Experiential Artificial Intelligence (EAI) postdoc program. This program is meant to prepare the postdoctoral fellows towards a future career in Machine Learning (ML) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) through courses and research. Dipanjan is mentored by Prof. Taskin Padir, and his research will develop novel AI techniques targeted at specific applications including robotics and healthcare. His Ph.D. dissertation investigated novel theories of control design for nonlinear, nonstandard multiple-time-scale systems with uncertainties and output feedback. Prior to his current position, he has pursued postdoctoral research at Texas A&M University on tensegrity systems and uncertainty quantification. He has also been the instructor of record for AERO 321 (Dynamics of Aerospace Vehicles) for three semesters, and a member of the AIAA Guidance, Navigation and Control Technical Committee.

VSCL Alumni Vinicius G. Goecks Receives Best Student Paper Award

Posted on by

VSCL paper “Combining Visible and Infrared Spectrum Imagery using Machine Learning for Small Unmanned Aerial System Detection”, by Vinicius G. Goecks, Grayson Woods, and John Valasek, has been selected as the winner of the 2020 SPIE Automatic Target Recognition Best Student Paper Award. This paper presented a novel approach to combine data from RGB and long-wave infrared (LWIR) cameras to detect drones through previously difficult environments such as flying above and below the treeline/horizon, in the presence of birds, and glare from the sun.

“The main insight of our approach is that it enables detection and tracking of vehicles at any time of the day, around-the-clock, and in real-time.” says Dr. Goecks. “It also can be built on top of any existing camera system with minimal computation overhead.”

A summary video of the system can be found here, along with videos with all predictions for the single-vehicle case and multiple-vehicle case.

The paper was presented at the 2020 SPIE Defense + Commercial Sensing Conference Digital Forum held 27 April – 8 May 2020. The paper is available at the SPIE Digital Library and the preprint version is available at arXiv.

Long-wave Infrared and Visible Spectrum sensors