Research

The USUV laboratory provides a platform for implementation of all research topics related to autonomy and real world applications. These topics include but are not limited to real-time control, obstacle avoidance, trajectory planning and tracking, formation and cooperative control, sliding mode and model predictive control applications, system identification and parameter estimation, uncertainty and robustness issues.

Projects

1)	Office of Naval Research, “Autonomous System Robust Path Planning, Tracking, and Coordinated Control,” Sept. 2009 – Present
2)	Office of Naval Research / NAVSEA, “Robust Control Underactuated Unmanned Surface Vessels,” Nov. 2005 – Dec. 2009
3)	Office of Naval Research & Ablaze Development Inc., “A Cable Driven Monitoring and Decontamination System,” June 2007 – Dec. 2008
4)	Office of Naval Research, “Robust Control Underactuated Unmanned Surface Vessels,” June 2004 – May 2005

 Journal Publications

1)	Soltan, R. A., Ashrafiuon, H., and Muske, K. R., “ODE based Obstacle Avoidance and Trajectory Planning for Unmanned Surface Vessels,” Robotica, vol. 29, no. 5, September 2011, pp. 691-703.
2)	Whitman, A. M., Ashrafiuon, H., and Muske, K. R., “Analytical Stability Analysis of Surface Vessel Trajectories for a Control-oriented Model,” ASME Journal of Computational and Nonlinear Dynamics, doi:10.1115/1.4002976, vol. 6, no. 3, July 2011, pp. 031010-1-10.
3)	Ghorbanian, P., Nersesov, S. G., and Ashrafiuon, H., “Obstacle Avoidance in Multi-Vehicle Coordinated Motion via Stabilization of Time-Varying Sets,” Journal of Nonlinear Systems and Applications, vol. 2, no. 1-2, 2011, pp. 1-8.
4)	Ashrafiuon, H., Muske, K. R., McNinch, L. C., and Soltan, R., “Sliding Model Tracking Control of Surface Vessels,” IEEE Transactions on Industrial Electronics SS on Sliding Mode Control in Industrial Applications, vol. 55, no. 11, November 2008, pp. 4004-4012.

Conference Proceedings

1)	Lucas McNinch, and Ashrafiuon, H., “Predictive and Sliding Mode Cascade Control for Unmanned Surface Vessels,” American Control Conference, June 29 – July 1, 2011, San Francisco, CA, pp. 184 – 189.
2)	Parham Ghorbanian, Sergey G. Nersesov, and Ashrafiuon, H., “Obstacle Avoidance in Multi-Vehicle Coordinated Motion via Stabilization of Time-Varying Sets,” American Control Conference, June 29 – July 1, 2011, San Francisco, CA, pp. 3381 – 3386.
3)	McNinch, L. C., Ashrafiuon, H., and Muske, K. R., “Experimental Tracking Control for an Autonomous Surface Vessels,” ASNE Launch and Recovery Conference, Dec. 8-9, 2010, Arlington, VA.
4)	McNinch, L. C., Ashrafiuon, H., and Muske, K. R., “Sliding Mode Setpoint Control of an Underactuated Surface Vessel: Simulation and Experiment” American Control Conference, June 30 – July 2, 2010, Baltimore, MD, pp. 5212 – 5217.
5)	McNinch, L. C., Soltan, R. A., Muske, K. R., Ashrafiuon, H., and Peyton Jones, J. C., “Application of a Coordinated Trajectory Planning and Real-time Obstacle Avoidance Algorithm,” American Control Conference, June 30 – July 2, 2010, Baltimore, MD, pp. 3824 – 3829.
6)	Ashrafiuon, H., Muske, K. R., and McNinch, L. C., “Review of Nonlinear Tracking and Setpoint Controllers for Underactuated Marine Vehicles” American Control Conference, June 30 – July 2, 2010, Baltimore, MD, pp. 5203 – 5211.
7)	McNinch, L. C., Soltan, R. A., Muske, K. R., Ashrafiuon, H., and Peyton Jones, J. C., “An Experimental Mobile Robot Platform for Autonomous Systems Research and Education,” IASTED International Conference on Robotics and Applications, pp. 413-418, Nov. 2 – 4, 2009, Cambridge, MA.
8)	Soltan, R. A., Ashrafiuon, H., and Muske, K. R., “Coordinated Trajectory Planning and Tracking Control,” ASME IDETC, DETC2009-86201, Aug. 30 – Sept. 2, 2009, San Diego, CA.
9)	Soltan, R. A., Ashrafiuon, H., and Muske, K. R., “Real-Time Obstacle Avoidance for Underactuated Unmanned Surface Vessels,” ASME IDETC, DETC2009-86987, Aug. 30 – Sept. 2, 2009, San Diego, CA.
10)	McNinch, L. C., H., Muske, K. R., and Ashrafiuon, H., “Optimal Specification of Sliding Mode Control Parameters for Unmanned Surface Vessel Systems,” American Control Conference, June 10-12, 2009, St. Louis, MO, pp. 2350-2355.
11)	Soltan, R. A., Ashrafiuon, H., and Muske, K. R., “State-Dependent Trajectory Planning and Tracking Control of Unmanned Surface Vessels,” American Control Conference, June 10-12, 2009, St. Louis, MO, pp. 3597-3602.
12)	McNinch, L. C., H., Muske, K. R., and Ashrafiuon, H., “Model-Based Predictive Control of an Unmanned Surface Vessel,” The 11th IASTED International Conference, Intelligent Systems and Control (ISC 2008), Nov. 16-18, 2008, Orlando, FL, pp. 385 – 390.
13)	Ashrafiuon, H., and Muske, K., “Sliding Mode Tracking Control of Surface Vessels,” American Control Conference, June 11-13, 2008, Seattle, WA, pp. 556-561.
14)	Muske, K., Ashrafiuon, H., Haas, G., McCloseky, R., and Flynn, T., “Identification of a Control Oriented Nonlinear Dynamic USV Model,” American Control Conference, June 11-13, 2008, Seattle, WA, pp. 562-567.
15)	Ashrafiuon, H., and Muske, K., “Trajectory Tracking Control for Recovery of Unmanned Surface Vessels,” ASNE Launch and Recovery Conference, May 19-21, 2008, Annapolis, MD.
16)	Muske, K., Ashrafiuon, H., and Nikkhah, M., “A Predictive and Sliding Mode Cascade Controller,” American Control Conference, July 11-13, 2007, New York, NY, pp. 4540-4545.
17)	Nikkhah, M., and Ashrafiuon, H., “Robust Control of a Vessel Using Camera Feedback and Extended Kalman Filter,” ASME IMECE, Nov. 5-10, 2006, Chicago, IL, paper no. IMECE2006-16164.
18)	Nikkhah, M., Ashrafiuon, H., and Muske, K., “Optimal Sliding Mode Control for Underactuated Systems,” American Control Conference, June 14-16, 2006, Minneapolis, MN, pp 4688-4693.
19)	Ren, P., and Ashrafiuon, H., “Sliding Mode Tracking Control of Underactuated Surface Vessels ,” Proceedings of the ASME IMECE, Nov. 5-11, 2005, Orlando, FL, paper no. IMECE2005-79276.
20)	Ren, P., and Ashrafiuon, H., “Sliding Mode Control for Position Tracking of Underactuated USV,” Proceedings of the ANSE Intelligent Ships Symposium VI, Jun. 1-2, 2005, Villanova, PA.