January 23, 2025, David Hanley, University of Edinburgh

Postdoctoral Research Associate, Surgical and Interventional Robotics Group, University of Edinburgh
2:15 p.m.
310 Kelly Hall

"Applied State Estimation Across Domains and Opportunities in Space Systems"

Abstract:  State estimation and sensing, whether applied in space systems, robotics, mobile devices, or medical devices, raises recurring design questions when translated to practice. In this talk, we will survey work in state estimation across several domains and will highlight common themes that recur, often in system theoretic terms. These themes present opportunities to advance the field. We will focus, in particular, on recent work on fiber optic shape sensing (applied to medical devices) and recent work on state estimation and sensing on small satellites. With respect to work on small satellites, we will cover contributions to distributed inertial sensing and future work these contributions motivate. With respect to work on fiber optic shape sensing, we will cover contributions to multiplexing fiber Bragg gratings and opportunities to bring this technology into the space domain.

Bio:  Dr. David Hanley is a Postdoctoral Research Associate with the Surgical and Interventional Robotics Group at the University of Edinburgh. While at Edinburgh, his research has focused on fiber optic shape sensing in robotic bronchoscopy. He received Translational Innovation awards from the UK Research and Innovation Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council and the Wellcome Trust. Before this role, Dr. Hanley was at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign where he received a Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering, an M.S. in Aerospace Engineering, and a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering. His work at the University of Illinois was focused on state estimation across several domains, including robotics, mobile devices, and space systems. At Illinois, he was awarded a Space Grant Consortium Fellowship, a Mavis Future Faculty Fellowship, and an Aerospace Engineering Graduate Teaching Fellowship.