Mission

The mission of the Center for Automation, Robotics and Distributed Intelligence (CARDI) is to pursue advanced engineering and computer science research in signal processing, control systems, robotics, sensing, sensor/actuator development, machine learning and intelligence. Applications are to problems of concern at CSM, including the environment, energy, natural resources, materials, transportation, structures, geotechnical, information, communications, networking, medicine, and data mining. Problems that require a multi-disciplinary systems approach to integrate technologies from the different disciplines are typically researched.

Research Agenda

The Center for Automation, Robotics, and Distributed Intelligence has the following research agenda, as shown in the figure below.  The three broad areas of robotics, automation, and distributed intelligence intersect in a variety of interdisciplinary projects.  Examples of recent projects are given at the end of this section.

Programmatically, our research activities include:

1.     Promote joint proposals and interdisciplinary research projects among members

As per its mission, the center promotes a multi-disciplinary systems approach to integrate technologies.   An example of a recent series of multi-disciplinary projects was the “Activity Identification” research done by William Hoff of EG and Jae Young Lee of MACS.  The objective was to use data mining techniques and computer vision techniques to recognize and model activities from video data.  The projects successfully combined expertise from multiple disciplines.

In 2005, a Tech Fee grant and CARDI funds were used to create a new sensor network testbed in CARDI's laboratory in Brown Hall room 154.  The testbed, called the “Casino Lab”, includes 52 sensors that can sense temperature, humidity, ambient light, and photosynthetically active light. We use the lab to study wireless communication protocols and monitoring/tracking applications. Faculty currently working with the lab (or planning to work with the lab) are Tracy Camp, Mike Colagrosso, Qi Han, William Hoff, and Kevin Moore.

2.     Monthly meetings

A CARDI meeting is held once a month, over lunch (a box lunch is provided by CARDI).  The purposes of the meetings include:

• Make sure that members are aware of each other’s research.  We typically have one person provide a short, informal presentation of their research.  This often leads to new ideas and joint proposals.
• Discuss business issues, such as the use of the budget, center policies, and upcoming events.
• Describe and introduce opportunities for collaboration.  For example, we occasionally have guests from industry or other research groups that are interested in collaboration.

In addition, we have an annual end-of-year luncheon with members, students, and guests where we celebrate our accomplishments and promote interaction.

3.     Sponsor colloquia series

CARDI sponsors a colloquium at least once a semester.  Occasionally we will bring in distinguished speakers, and these are advertised widely.  Examples of past speakers have included:

• Lofti Zadeh – founder of the field of fuzzy logic
• James Albus – director of autonomous systems at NIST
• Ray Harrigan – director of robotics at Sandia National Labs
• Mubarak Shah – distinguished professor in computer vision, from UCF

We recently hosted a meeting of the AIAA Technical Committee on Space Automation and Robotics, where many distinguished speakers from JPL, NASA, Lockheed Martin, and other agencies gave talks on space robotics.

4.     Promote CSM and CARDI to visitors, industry, and funding agencies

Promoting CSM and CARDI to visitors, industry, and funding agencies is an important goal of our agenda.  This is important to make potential sponsors aware of our capabilities, recruit graduate students, and raise the reputation of faculty members (especially untenured professors).  To achieve these goals, we bring in speakers, maintain a website, and host visitors from industry.

CARDI also hosts visiting scholars, attracted by our reputation and multidisciplinary research activities.  For example, Professor Wan-Joo Lee of Yong-In University, South Korea, is spending his sabbatical year working with CARDI faculty from 2006-2007.

Finally, CARDI submits a copy of each center publication to the Arthur Lake Library, to be bound and cataloged.  These include tech reports, final project reports, and conference proceeding articles.  This helps to provide widespread awareness of CARDI research activities as well as improve the access to the materials.

5.     Examples of Recent Research Projects

·       “NeTS-NR: Allow Improved Access in the Network via Cooperation and Energy Savings (ALLIANCES)”, Tracy Camp and Michael Colagrosso, $159,997, NSF.

·       “Architecture for Subsystem Fault Detection in Networked Sensors”, Tyrone Vincent, $14,252, NSF/ITN Energy Systems Inc.

·       “Self Consolidating Concrete Demonstration”, Panos Kiousis, $152,586, Colorado Department of Transportation.

·       “Adaptive Protocols for Mobile Ad hoc Networks”, William Navidi and Tracy Camp, $36,500, NSF.

·       “Dismounted Augmented Reality Training System”, William Hoff and Tyrone Vincent, $15,939, US Navy/Pathfinder Systems Inc.

·       “Video Aided Navigation”, William Hoff, $32,994, Air Force/PercepTek Inc.

·       “Universal Activity Theory”, William Hoff and Jae Young Lee, $60,000, Lockheed-Martin.

·       “IRES: Research and Education Experiences for Students to Examine Earthquake Hazard Mitigation in Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation”, Richard Christenson, $104,825, NSF.

Educational Agenda

Education is a key element of the CARDI agenda.  CARDI faculty are actively involved in graduate and undergraduate education at CSM.  The incorporation of our most recent research agenda results into our course material helps to create up-to-date, vital courses.

1.     Promote undergraduate and graduate research in CARDI projects

The center promotes undergraduate and graduate research in CARDI projects, by publicizing the research of members, and directly hiring undergraduate and graduate students.

2.     Undergraduate minor in robotics, automation, and distributed intelligence

In 1989, the curriculum committee approved two interdisciplinary minors, one in robotics and the other in robotics and artificial intelligence.  The required courses are primarily a combination of Engineering and MACS courses.  The minors are still on the books, but we would like to update them.  We are working on a new “robotics and automation” minor and a “distributed intelligence” minor. 

Although discussions are still in progress, we have tentatively identified a set of courses that would be included in the distributed intelligence minor.  These include courses in computer networks, artificial intelligence, distributed computing, and machine learning.  For the robotics and automation minor, tentative courses include introduction to robotics, information systems science, feedback control, and microcomputer architecture.

We believe that offering minors in these areas are important in order to foster the interest and learning of students at CSM who are interested in these topics.  For example, robotics and automation is a multi-disciplinary area and as such, requires the student to develop skills and knowledge in several traditional fields, specifically, electronics, sensing, controls, software, and mechanisms. We recognize that students will want to take courses from different departments and specialties in order to promote their learning in this important area.