This award supports the mechanical engineering doctoral dissertation research of the PI's student Mr. Joshua Vaughn in the area of mobile crane research. The research involves experimental evaluation of control algorithms for a novel mobile crane in the robotics lab of Dr. Shigeo Hirose of Tokyo Institute of Technology in Japan. Current crane technology faces at least two significant limitations: payload sway and lack of mobility. Mr. Vaugh's Ph.D. research aims to develop a rapidly deployable mobile crane and to test the effectiveness of command shaping on cranes mounted on mobile platforms. Four specific research objectives were formed to achieve this goal: 1) modify a portable tower crane at Tokyo Tech and mount it on a mobile platform; 2) experimentally evaluate methods of moving the mobile crane without payload sway; 3) study the operational effectiveness when both the mobile base and crane jib move simultaneously; and 4) study coupling between base crane motion and payload sway. The research will be conducted during a four-month period in Japan from November 2006-Feburary 2007.
