Welcome to the website of the Laboratory for Autonomy, GNC, and Estimation Research (LAGER) at the University of Alabama (UA)
This laboratory is dedicated to research in wide variety of disciplines including:
Design and analysis of autonomous vehicles, including groups/teams/swarms cooperating together
Guidance, navigation, and control (GNC) systems for vehicle systems, as well as extensions to tracking and planning
Related estimation algorithms to support autonomy, power system operation, and GNC using advanced statistical modeling techniques
Featured News
Isaiah Newell of Slocomb among UA Students to Win National Robotic Mining Competition
The UA Astrobotics team earned a ninth win in NASA’s Lunabotics Challenge, a robotic mining competition held in a simulated lunar environment. Teams are judged on their robot’s performance alongside deliverables turned in throughout the year: a project management plan, systems engineering paper, a technical presentation slide show, an outreach paper, and finally, a “proof of life” video of their functional rover. The team won first place in robot autonomy, second place in mining/construction, and second place for their technical paper for a first-place finish overall.
Read more at: UA News Center
Published: June 3rd, 2024
GROWING THE GULF COAST: University of Alabama researchers use powerful drones to conserve coastal ecosystems
MOBILE, Ala. (WKRG) — Students from the University of Alabama Laboratory for Autonomy, GNC, and Estimation Research (LAGER) program are taking to the skies to survey our local beaches in a unique way. Researchers use large, powerful drones to collect valuable research data that can be used to protect our coastal ecosystems…
Read More at: www.wkrg.com
Overcoming Obstacles: Remote Sensing Center Completes Deployment to Isolated Area in Colorado
Published: June 29th, 2023
A group of researchers from The University of Alabama College of Engineering recently completed a critical field deployment to Gothic, Colorado, to conduct leading-edge research on snowpack density in conjunction with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
The deployment was a multidisciplinary project between UA’s Remote Sensing Center and nine faculty, undergraduate student, and graduate student researchers from the department of electrical and computer engineering (ECE) and the department of aerospace engineering and mechanics (AEM). The project field team was led by ECE assistant professor Dr. Drew Taylor and AEM assistant professor Dr. Jordan Larson. The team was also comprised of four doctoral students, Shriniwas Kolpuke, Feras Abushakra, Omid Reyhanigalangashi and Deepak Elluru, and three undergraduate student researchers, Aabhash Bhandari, Zac Herring and Isaiah Newell.
The goal of the deployment was to perform radar measurements over snow…
Read More at: Engineering News
Zachary Herring Featured in National Ad Campaign: Where Legends are Made
Working on his second bachelor’s degree from UA, aerospace engineering student Zac Herring is developing specialized drone technology and traveling to test his work in varying terrains around the country. Through experiential learning, UA has taken Zac’s opportunities to heights he never thought possible.
Zac’s YouTube Story: LAUNCH YOUR MISSION
Campaign Website: Where Legends Are Made
National Ad Campaign: Where Legends Are Made
The University of Alabama Program uses drones for Grand Mesa snowpack study
Published: Feb 16, 2023
Tuan Luong hasn’t had a lot of experience with snow in his life, growing up in mostly tropical Vietnam before enrolling at the University of Alabama for its aerospace engineering and mechanics program. That’s changed in the past two years, however, because of his visits to Grand Mesa.
That’s changed in the past two years, however, because of his visits to Grand Mesa – visits that have served as integral snowpack research and drone experimentation for Alabama’s Laboratory for Autonomy, GNC, and Estimation Research (LAGER), as well as its Remote Sensing Center, where he is a research assistant.
Luong who’s spent the past few weeks in the Grand Valley with fellow Alabama Remote Sensing Research Assistant Zac Herring, said that they’ve been using a frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW) radar on a drone to measure the snowpack in the area surrounding Powderhorn Mountain Resort……
Our Partners
Bolder Flight Systems
Bolder Flight Systems was founded to advance aeronautics and autonomy research, technology development, and commercialization. As researchers and engineers, we experienced firsthand the need for high-quality flight control and data acquisition systems. As pilots, we also recognized the potential safety improvements that introducing advanced sensing and data logging into general aviation and flight training could have.
LAGER utilizes Bolder Flight Systems in new designing/fabrication of sUAS and ground vehicles by providing a platform for rapidly developing, flight testing, and validating flight software and control laws.
Website: Bolder Flight Systems
Aster Labs
For over a decade, Aster Labs has been a technology and research laboratory, specializing in advanced solutions for space, air, terrestrial, and personal applications. Aster Labs primarily focuses upon research for advanced topics in the aerospace industry and provides engineering consulting and prototype development for numerous customers. Research and development within the company is concentrated on the analysis of aerospace systems and sub-systems with potential for significant contributions to related technology, such as space vehicle systems, medical sensor development, and personal consumer products. Aster Labs has pursued environmental analysis for applications related to the topics above, including energy harvesting and generation systems, and water purification. Aster Labs has also have an established record of utilizing our research to support science and engineering education, with active students regularly integrated into their work environment.
GALLERY
