SGER: The Use of Autonomous Airships as a Mobile Cell Phone Network for Temporary Communication Restoration in Large-Scale Disasters

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Project SummaryThis project proposes to use autonomous airships as a mobile cell phone network fortemporary communication restoration in the case of large-scale disasters such as a flood,earthquake, hurricane, or terrorist attack. The Nonlinear Control Research Laboratory(NCRL) will study attitude and formation control of the airships when used in a cellphone network along with the necessary equipment and technologies needed to convert agroup of airship to a mobile cell phone network.The NCRL is currently developing the mathematical model of a candidate airshipalong with the simulation environment for formation control research. This mathematicalmodel is based on flight test data that was generated using the Gait Analysis andInnovative Technologies Laboratory. The research being proposed in this project willencompass three tasks that will extend our current research effort over a one-year period,1. Modeling and Airship Design2. Formation Control and Attitude Stability Design Airship implementation andvalidation3. Cell Phone Network Simulation and Small-scale implementationIntellectual Merit: Upon accomplishing the objectives of the present research,significant advances will be made in the understanding of autonomous airship controlusing model predictive control techniques while configured to operate as a temporarymobile cell phone network. The use of model predictive control for aerodynamics is anew area of research due to the fast dynamics encountered on aircraft. The results of ourresearch will make significant advances in applying model predictive control to theproblem of autonomous airships and in aerodynamics in general.Broader Impact Statement: The following are the broader impact to society that thisresearch would bring to society: 1) The implementation of an autonomous airship cellphone network will allow for the temporary restoration in an area that has suffereddamage to its communication infrastructure. 2) Control and stability issues will beaddressed which will have wide-ranging applications in the area of autonomous vehiclesthat are operating in a cooperative formation. 3) The proposed study will help train andsupport undergraduate students whose research interest is focused mainly on autonomousairships. 4) The results of this study will be disseminated through presentations atnational and international conferences and publications in peer-reviewed journals.