In the department of Electrical Engineering at Tuskegee University, the PI and three students (two graduates and one undergraduate) are conducting research in the area of Smart Control Systems. The following two projects are underway: robust optimal control using a recurrent dynamic neural network, and compensation of global feedback linearization control of nonlinear systems using neural networks. However, these research activities are confined to theoretical investigations and applications to computer simulated system models using Matlab/Simulink software from the MathWorks Inc. No physical plants and corresponding real-time implementation software are currently available to test the smart control algorithms and refine them. The requested instrumentation to be acquired includes the ACE1103PX4CLP prototyping system from dSPACE Inc., which contains powerful hardware and comprehensive software tools for development of real-time control systems. In order to apply the dSPACE products to actual plants, we are in addition requesting the acquisition of the following electromechanical apparatuses from ECP, a leading manufacturer of mechanisms for research in control: the Rectilinear Mass/Spring/Damper (ECP Model 210), the Industrial Plant Emulator (ECP Model 220), the Inverted Pendulum (ECP Model 505), the Magnetic Levitator (ECP Model 730), and the Control Moment Gyroscope (ECP Model 750). The acquired instrumentation will contribute to greatly advancing the above-listed research projects by providing the possibility of implementing the current Matlab/Simulink codes and models of the neural controllers on dSPACE hardware, and testing them in real-time as applied to actual electromechanical apparatuses, as well as checking the robustness of the neural controllers in the presence of noise and disturbances. The feedback obtained from the actual implementation of the various neural algorithms will contribute to significantly evaluating, refining, and improving the smart controllers design. The intellectual merit of this proposal resides in the fact that, if funded, the smart control research at Tuskegee University would be greatly enhanced, which in turn would affect the global research community in the area of artificial intelligence and control, since several journal and conference publications have resulted thus far from this research, and more would result with higher quality if the instrumentation is acquired. Broader impacts of the requested instrumentation include introduction of a new graduate course in Advanced Control Design at Tuskegee University, which is an HBCU committed to the high quality education of African-American students. Moreover, the acquired equipment will boost the research level and researchers motivation and learning experience and contribute to attracting new graduate students to Tuskegee University that are interested in the area of smart control systems. The development of this area that is expected to occur due to the requested instrumentation will have the additional impact of attracting research funding from industry and government agencies. Furthermore, the experience that students will have with dSPACE products will be very beneficial for their future career, since these products are used in major industries worldwide. Finally the acquired equipment will encourage the multidisciplinary trend in the College of Architecture, Engineering, and Physical Sciences at Tuskegee University by being made equally available to the faculty and students of the Aerospace, Chemical, Electrical, and Mechanical Engineering departments, which all offer courses in control systems.
