PhD Research Studentships
Computational Design and Control of Bio-inspired Legged Systems
| Supervisors: | Ketao ZHANG and Ildar FARKHATDINOV |
| Apply by: | 31 January 2024 |
| Start in: | September (Semester 1) |
Description
Taking advantage of the ability to interact at a deeper level with the environment for achieving higher versatility and advanced walking performances, legged machines are pushing the boundary of autonomous systems, particularly on bio-inspired solutions that aim to mimic the leg morphology and velocity and dexterity performances of terrestrial animals. The major challenge in developing autonomous legged machines is represented by the complexity of designing leg mechanisms and controller of the system. The main goal of this project is to develop a computational design and control framework for reconfigurable leg mechanisms aimed at achieving high performances in both velocity and versatility. The computational design and control of the leg mechanisms require innovation and major technical contributions in three main domains, i.e., modelling, hardware and autonomy. The task of this research project is to investigate how locomotion performance is affected by the leg mechanical design by exploiting bio-inspired mechanisms which allows us to simplify the control complexity. The outcome of this project will be a computational design approach and advanced controllers for a proof of concept prototype of the proposed leg mechanism.
Funding
Funded by: China Scholarship CouncilCandidate will need to secure a CSC scholarship.
Under the scheme, Queen Mary will provide scholarships to cover all tuition fees, whilst the CSC will provide living expenses and one return flight ticket to successful applicants.
Eligibility
- The minimum requirement for this studentship opportunity is a good honours degree (minimum 2(i) honours or equivalent) or MSc/MRes in a relevant discipline.
- If English is not your first language, you will require a valid English certificate equivalent to IELTS 6.5+ overall with a minimum score of 6.0 in Writing and 5.5 in all sections (Reading, Listening, Speaking).
- Candidates are expected to start in September (Semester 1).
- SEMS and Principal-funded studentships: this studentship arrangement covers home tuition fees and provides an annual stipend for up to three years (currently set at the 2023/24 stipend rate of £20,622 pa)
- Note that Queen Mary Research Studentships cover home-rated tuition fees only (See: www.welfare.qmul.ac.uk/money/feestatus/ for details)
- Overseas applicants would be required to meet the difference between home and international tuition fees
Contact
For informal enquiries about this opportunity, please contact Ketao ZHANG or Ildar FARKHATDINOV.
Apply
Start an application for this studentship and for entry onto the PhD Mechanical Engineering full-time programme (Semester 1 / September start):
Please be sure to quote the reference "SEMS-PHD-540" to associate your application with this studentship opportunity.
| Related website: | https://www.robotics.qmul.ac.uk/ | |
| SEMS Research Centre: | ||
| Keywords: | Control Systems, Mechanical Engineering, Mechanics, Mechatronics, Robotics |