Dr. Craig Woolsey

Dr. Craig WoolseyPh.d., Princeton University
Associate Professor
217-D Randolph Hall
(540) 231-8117
cwoolsey@vt.edu
http://www.aoe.vt.edu/~cwoolsey

Education

Ph.D., 2001, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Princeton University
M.A., 1997, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Princeton University
B.M.E., 1995, Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology.

Awards and Honors

NSF CAREER Award, 2002
ONR Young Investigator Program Award, 2002
VT College of Engineering Faculty Fellow, 2003
SAE Ralph R. Teetor Educational Award, 2007

Professional Leadership

AIAA - Associate Fellow
IEEE - Senior Member

Research Interests

Nonlinear Control of Mechanical Systems

Nonlinear control design is necessary when a control system's behavior is not well-modeled by linear ordinary differential equations. Nonlinear control can improve performance for systems described by nonlinear differential equations and can expand their performance envelope. Nonlinear control is useful in aerospace and ocean engineering because modern ocean, atmospheric, and space vehicles are expected to perform complicated, aggressive maneuvers which are poorly modeled by linear equations. While nonlinear control design is quite challenging, in general, mechanical systems, including vehicles, exhibit a great deal of structure which can be exploited for control design and performance analysis. Ongoing research focuses on the development of nonlinear control techniques based on energy shaping and their application to vehicles and other mechanical systems of practical importance.

Autonomous Marine Vehicles

Autonomous marine vehicles, including robotic boats and underwater vehicles, are used by scientists, industry, and the military for a variety of applications, typically those that are considered too “dirty, dull, or dangerous” for humans. As these vehicle systems mature, there is an increasing need for robust and reliable autonomy – the decision-making authority that enables the systems to perform missions with little or no human supervision. Ongoing efforts to improve autonomy for marine vehicles include energy efficient motion control strategies for autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs), including underwater gliders, and motion planning strategies for marine vehicles operating in currents.

Unmanned Air Vehicles

Like autonomous marine vehicles, unmanned air vehicles (UAVs) are also used by scientists, industry, and the military for “dirty, dull, or dangerous” missions. Recent and ongoing research efforts related to UAVs include the development of UAV flying qualities criteria, to aid certifying agencies, and the development of techniques for “designing in” reliability for low-cost UAV systems. Collaborative research efforts include the use of UAV networks to collect airborne pathogens, accounting explicitly for atmospheric dynamics in path planning and coordination.

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