- About the Laboratory
The laboratory conducts an aggressive, integrative research and education program in intelligent robotic systems. Initiated in 1998, the centerpiece of this program is a set of yearly undergraduate design projects in which teams of senior students completely design, fabricate, test, operate, and manage high-quality robotic systems for performing a variety of scientific investigations. Past and ongoing projects include spacecraft, underwater vehicles, terrestrial rovers, airships, telescopes, and industrial robots.
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Once operational, these robotic systems are used by undergraduates, graduate students, and professional researchers to perform compelling science missions and to demonstrate advanced technology. Specific missions have included studies relating to marine archeology, coastal ecological studies, space-based photography, space environment characterization, satellite formation flying and constellation control, and autonomous operations. Collaborators for these missions have included, currently include, and/or will soon include agencies such as the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR), the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Agency (NOAA), the National Science Foundation (NSF), and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
The development and
use of these robotic systems serves as the keystone for the integrative nature
of the SCU program.
Overall, the mixing of engineers and scientists across a variety of
educational levels and from a multitude of organizations creates a particularly
stimulating environment for technical education, engineering innovation, and
scientific discovery.