In this thesis, the viability of decentralized, noncooperative multi-robot path planning algorithms is tested. Three algorithms based on the Batch Informed Trees (BIT*) algorithm are presented. The first of these algorithms combines Optimal Reciprocal Collision Avoidance (ORCA) with BIT*. The second of these algorithms uses BIT* to create a path which the robots then follow using an artificial potential field (APF) method. The final algorithm is a version of BIT* that supports replanning. While none of these algorithms take advantage of sharing information between the robots, the algorithms are able to guide the robots to their desired goals, with the algorithm that combines ORCA and BIT* having the robots successfully navigate to their goals over 93% for multiple environments with teams of two to eight robots.

In this thesis, a discussion on the effectiveness of acoustic design in public spaces is made. The auditory properties of a location have noteworthy implications on the success of a building's design and how a room is perceived. Depending on the requirements of each location, either a reverberant or sound-absorbing approach is best suited for the environment. Moreover, public health is negatively affected by long-term involuntary noise exposure. Because of this, there is an obvious demand for continued and expanded study in acoustic design. This thesis aims to challenge interior design choices made in four testing locations: a classroom, a musical practice room, an ambient performance space, and an office. Reverberation time is tested at each site using both a Digital Sound Level Meter application (Decibel X) and a 732A Digital Sound Level Meter paired with a series of external source sounds at set testing frequencies. Depending on the results of each trial, an evaluation of possible improvements to each location's aural properties is made.

Industrial programs written on Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs) have become an essential component of many modern industries, including automotive, aerospace, manufacturing, infrastructure, and even amusement parks. As these safety-critical systems become larger and more complex, ensuring their continuous error-free operation has become a significant and important challenge. Formal methods are a potential solution to this issue but have traditionally required substantial time and expertise to deploy. This usability issue is compounded by the fact that PLCs are highly proprietary and have substantial licensing costs, making it difficult to learn about or deploy formal methods on them. This thesis presents the OPPP (Open-source Proving of PLC Programs) system as a solution to this usability issue. The OPPP system allows the end-to-end creation and verification of PLC programs from within the development environment. The system is created with an emphasis on being easy to use, with formal constraints presented in English phrases that require no special knowledge to understand. The system uses entirely open-source components, including modified versions of both the OpenPLC development environment and the PLCverif verification platform. The OPPP system is then demonstrated to formalize the requirements of two college-level introductory PLC programming problems. It is further demonstrated to correctly find errors in and verify the correctness of a known good and known bad solution to each problem.

As requirements related to vehicle fuel economy and emissions continue to increase, automakers are developing complex hybrid powertrain control systems to meet these requirements. With the increase in powertrain complexity and performance requirements of a hybrid vehicle, embedded control systems have become an integral part of these vehicles. A hybrid’s ability to recapture energy normally lost as heat during braking situations can account for an increase in efficiency of up to 28%. This study explores the use of a grade adaptive regeneration strategy for improving a hybrid vehicle’s energy recapture capability. The concept of the grade adaptive regeneration strategy was developed using a computer aided simulation model and then implemented on the Mississippi State University Challenge X hybrid vehicle. The real-time performance of the system was evaluated through chassis dynamometer and on-road tests. Substantial improvements over the native hybrid control strategy, including fuel-economy and energy recapture, have been achieved.

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Requirements exist for a unique type of underwater acoustic source. The transducer is in the form of a linear array of discrete elements and is required to have a constants transmitting voltage response and carefully controlled directivity characteristics over a two octave bandwidth. A generalized model of a linear array of cylindrical piezoelectric ceramic acoustic radiators is developed and applied to the design of a prototype which operates over approximately one half of the required bandwidth. The prototype transducer was built and the measured results are compared with those predicted by the model. Recommendations are made for improving the performance of both the prototype and the array required to meet the full bandwidth specified.

Aircraft modeling and simulation has become increasingly important in the aviation world. Simulations allow for safer and more economical training prior to flight testing. In this project, a three degree-of-freedom control simulation coded in a MATLAB environment is used to assess and simulate the dynamic stability of group three unmanned aircraft system. By calculating, evaluating, and simulating the static and dynamic stability derivatives of the aircraft, this project will allow for the estimation of the handling qualities of an unmanned aircraft system. This can help mitigate risks that come along with altering the mass and aerodynamic properties of an aircraft, therefore creating a safer environment for flight testing.