Group Core Focus:
The Intelligent Control Group focuses on developing advanced, data-driven, and model-based control solutions for complex mechanical, energy, and marine systems. The group’s research spans optimal predictive control, AI-enabled fault detection, and robust and adaptive control strategies for real-world applications such as heating and cooling systems, transcritical CO₂ refrigeration, wind turbines under cyber threats, and marine vessel stabilization. By combining dynamic modelling, simulation, optimization, and experimental validation in a state-of-the-art cyber-physical laboratory, the group aims to create intelligent, secure, and energy-efficient control architectures that improve system performance, reliability, and sustainability across multiple industrial domains.
Key Competences and Expertise:
- Model-based and data-driven control design
- Optimal and predictive control (MPC)
- AI- and machine-learning–based control and fault detection
- Robust, adaptive, and fault-tolerant control systems
- Dynamic modelling and simulation of energy and mechanical systems
- Control of heating, cooling, and CO₂ refrigeration systems
- Secure control under cyber-physical threats
- Optimization of energy systems, including heat pumps and refrigeration
- Intelligent control of marine systems and vessel stabilization
- Implementation and testing on experimental cyber-physical platforms
List of Lab Equipment:
- Heat Flow Experiment: Thermal control rig with blower and heater for studying delays and disturbances.
- Rotary Flexible Link: Servo-driven flexible arm for vibration and compliant-structure dynamics.
- 3D Crane: Gantry crane controlling payload motion in x–y–z with swing dynamics.
- Aero (2-DOF Helicopter): Dual-rotor platform modeling pitch and yaw flight dynamics.
- Tower Crane: Rotary crane with radial trolley for payload lifting and construction dynamics.
- Pneumatic System: Compressed-air actuators and valves for fluid-power control studies.
- 6-DOF Manipulator (MICO): Open-architecture robotic arm for advanced manipulation and HRI.
- Multi-DOF Torsion Control: Disk-and-coupling setup for torsional vibration simulation.
- Active Suspension: Quarter-car model simulating road profiles and chassis dynamics.
- 3D Gyroscope: Three-axis rotation platform for attitude control and angular momentum studies.
- Multiple-Tanks System: Hydraulic setup with interconnected tanks for nonlinear level control.
- Qube Inverted Pendulum: Compact servo-pendulum for balance and stability control experiments.
- Gyroscope / Stable Platform: Single-axis gyroscope for disturbance rejection and base stabilization.
- QCar 2: 1/10-scale autonomous car with NVIDIA, LIDAR, and cameras for self-driving research.
