Thesis: Ph. D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Mechanical Engineering, 2014. / Cataloged from PDF version of thesis. / Includes bibliographical references (pages 163-179). / Motivated by inspection applications for marine structures, this thesis develops algorithms to enable their autonomous inspection. Two essential parts of the inspection problem are (1) path planning and (2) surface reconstruction. On the first problem, we develop a novel analysis of asymptotic optimality of control-space sampling path planning algorithms. This analysis demonstrated that asymptotically optimal path planning for any Lipschitz continuous dynamical system can be achieved by sampling the control space directly. We also determine theoretical convergence rates for this class of algorithms. These two contributions were also illustrated numerically via extensive simulation. Based on the above analysis, we developed a new inspection planning algorithm, called Random Inspection Tree Algorithm (RITA). Given a perfect model of a structure, sensor specifications, robot dynamics, and an initial configuration of a robot, RITA computes the optimal inspection trajectory that observes all surface points on the structure. This algorithm uses of control-space sampling techniques to find admissible trajectories with decreasing cost. As the number of iterations increases, RITA converges to optimal control trajectories. A rich set of simulation results, motivated by inspection problems for marine structures, illustrate our methods. Data gathered from all different views of the structure are assembled to reconstruct a 3D model of the external surfaces of the structure of interest. Our work also involved field experimentation. We use off-the-shelf sensors and a robotic platform to scan marine structures above and below the waterline. Using such scanned data points, we reconstruct triangulated polyhedral surface models of marine structures based on Poisson techniques. We have tested our system extensively in field experiments at sea. We present results on construction of various 3D surface models of marine structures, such as stationary jetties and slowly moving structures (floating platforms and boats). This work contributes to the autonomous inspection problem for structures and to the optimal path, inspection and task planning problems. / by Georgios Papadopoulos. / Ph. D.

Thesis (Sc.D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Chemical Engineering, 1950. / Vita. / Bibliography: leaves 225-228. / by Pao-chen Wu. / Sc.D.

Thesis--University of Wisconsin--Madison. / Typescript. Vita. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 273-294).

Thesis (B.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Physics, 1961. / Includes bibliographical references (leaf 24). / by Max Johann Keck. / Thesis (B.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Physics, 1961.

Thesis (M.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Physics, 1942. / by Perry Orson Crawford, Jr. / Thesis (M.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Physics, 1942.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Physics, 1990. / On t.p. "y" is subscript. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 136-143). / by Chih-Yung Chen. / Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Physics, 1990.

Thesis (Ed.D.)--Boston University / PLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis or dissertation. It is therefore not openly accessible, though it may be available by request. If you are the author or principal advisor of this work and would like to request open access for it, please contact us at open-help@bu.edu. Thank you. / This study was designed to investigate student understanding of fundamental concepts in the engineering course, signals and systems. The aim of this study was threefold: (1) to identify faulty reasonings students invoke in their study of signals and systems; (2) to identify the reasoning resources that explain the origin of student faulty reasonings; and (3) to identify consistencies in students' invocation of reasoning resources across different signals and systems topics. Fifty-one undergraduate students majoring in aerospace engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology participated in this study. Seven oral problems were designed to test student understanding of central topics in the study of continuous-time linear, time-invariant systems. Participants were divided into seven cohorts and each cohort was interviewed on a different problem. Interview transcriptions were analyzed based from a complex systems perspectiv to identify the knowledge elements of reasoning resources that characterize student reasoning in signals and systems. [TRUNCATED] / 2031-01-02

Thesis (M.Arch)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 1984. / MICROFICHE COPY AVAILABLE IN ARCHIVES AND ROTCH. / This thesis comprises a series of impressions of the Department of Architecture, garnered after a long absence from M.I.T. These impressions are meant as an intervention in the Department's current self-analysis and debate over the future of architectural education. Comments are drawn from the experience of several visits, from discussions with students and faculty, and from a reading of a number of the texts produced as part of the on-going process of curricular review. Additional commentary is provided on the author's sense of the portrait of the Department currently dominant in the profession generally. Finally, a number of suggestions as to possible futures for the Department are provided. / by Michael David Sorkin. / M.Arch

Thesis (B.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, 1913 / Includes bibliographical references (leaf 11). / by H. K. Chow, S. S. Keh. / Thesis (B.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, 1913

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Chemical Engineering, 1990. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 274-284). / by Arun Suresh Chandavarkar. / Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Chemical Engineering, 1990.