The RESL Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) case study is a laboratory platform used for researching new methods and techniques for embedded software and system controls. The platform is a networked system of hardware components and supports experimentation for remote users.
CPS Week 2013 Tutorial Description: Experimenting For Everyone With a Hexacopter: Getting Practical Data for your Research
The case study consists of a six-rotor helicopter with on-board inertial and positioning sensors, as well as a QNX based flight control computer. The aircraft will link to a hardware-in-the-loop simulator that allows for the analysis of, for instance, the sensors, control laws, CPU scheduling, as well as the implementation of new techniques like run-time monitoring and verification.
The aircraft uses inertial sensors from Microstrain and Hoskin Scientific, dual frequency GPS units from Novatel and open-source ground station software. It can lift 2.5kg of payload to a Transport Canada allowed altitude of 100ft for up to 25 minutes.
The entire system is being specifically designed for research on real-time embedded software. The design, the source code, and the electronics will be properly documented, available, and open for modification. Injection points will permit simulating artificially created faults throughout the aircraft. Proper instrumentation of the system will permit measuring various metrics of interest.
Opportunities
Looking for motivated students (undergrads and grads) interested in working on embedded software and systems research. Mail Sebastian Fischmeister for further information.