Meet the Lab
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Mission Statement
The Unmanned Systems Lab brings together a diverse collection of researchers to a common facility dedicated to autonomous and remotely operated systems development and integration. Areas of expertise include:
- air and ground vehicle design
- ground control stations
- vision and LIDAR systems
- robotics
- image and signal processing
- communications
- vehicle testing
- acoustics
It is the goal and four-year track record of the Unmanned Systems Laboratory to offer turnkey solutions. From design to fabrication to test - let us solve your problems!
News
USL and VT Police Dept. Receive Powered Parachute
October 1, 2011 -- The Unmanned Systems Laboratory and the Virginia Tech Police Department have received a powered parachute for research work. Read the full story here: Powered Parachute takes crime-fighting to new heights (WDBJ7 News)
Ground Robot Deployment and Tension Control
April 26, 2011 -- One of the Unmanned System's Laboratory's most recent flights demonstrated, for the first time, deployment of a robotic ground vehicle which has been under development at the lab. The robot is paired with a helicopter-mounted winch system, which raises and lowers the robot and provides emergency release functionality. Watch the video for details (available in HD)!
Stereovision Data Collection Flight
April 14, 2011 -- Today's brilliantly sunny April weather gave the USL the perfect opportunity to conduct a stereovision test flight. During this flight, at the Kentland Farms location outside of Blacksburg, the stereo boom system (two cameras and an IMU) gathered data and took a series of pictures for 3D reconstruction back at the lab. Check out the video to see the flight and results (available in HD).
Designing an Unmanned Chopper for Nuclear Disasters
Analysis by Clark Boyd | Fri Mar 12, 2010 09:47 AM ET
This is Yamaha's RMAX unmanned aerial vehicle, which according to the company's website is "to be used in agriculture for the purpose of crop dusting, and also to serve...for observation/monitoring." Now, the Virginia Tech Autonomous Aerial Robotic Team is modding these choppers out with specialized equipment that would take them far beyond the realm of crop-dusting. The idea, horrible as it is to think about, is to make these vehicles capable of entering difficult areas in difficult situations. One possible scenario that has been put forward: The choppers could be deployed after a nuclear strike, or a dirty bomb explosion, to search for survivors, monitor radiation levels, and assess damage. The team leader at Virginia Tech is Dr. Keven Kochersberger. Despite the fact that some of the work is classified (the research is being funded by the US government), Dr. Kochersberger agreed to an interview via email... Full Story
Engineering team developing helicopter that would investigate nuclear disasters
By Steven Mackay
BLACKSBURG, Va., March 10, 2010 -- Students at Virginia Tech's Unmanned Systems Laboratory are perfecting an autonomous helicopter they hope will never be used for its intended purpose. Roughly six feet long and weighing 200 pounds, the re-engineered aircraft is designed to fly into American cities blasted by a nuclear weapon or dirty bomb... Full Story
More About the Lab....
The lab has worked with numerous sponsors, including Pacific Northwest National Labs (PNL), Savannah River National Labs (SRNL), the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA), AAI corp. and others.
The lab operates under the Mechanical Engineering Department at Virginia Tech. It serves as a base for numerous senior design and graduate research projects. A brief summary of select projects may be viewed in the Projects section of the website.