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Autonomous Systems

Duke MEMS researchers are at work on new control, optimization, learning, and artificial intelligence (AI) methods for autonomous dynamical systems that can make independent intelligent decisions and learn in uncertain, unstructured, and unpredictable environments. We design autonomous systems that span robotics, cyber-physical systems, internet of things, and medicine.

Duke students hold a robotic vehicle

Research Areas

  • Autonomous medical devices and systems
  • Control theory and optimization
  • Cyber-physical systems
  • Human-autonomy systems
  • Machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI)
  • Networked and distributed systems
  • Robotics, autonomous systems, surgical robotics
  • Nonlinear dynamics and systems

Major Centers & Initiatives

Externally funded efforts in autonomy which Duke leads, or is a partner, include:

Related Study Opportunities

PhD

Specializations include:

Master of Science (MS) or Master of Engineering (MEng)

Concentrations include:

Associated Faculty

Leila Bridgeman

Assistant Professor in the Thomas Lord Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science

Research Interests: Robust and optimal control, linear matrix inequalities (LMIs), model predictive control (MPC), delayed systems, input-output stability, passivity.

Daniel Buckland

Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine

Boyuan Chen

Assistant Professor in the Thomas Lord Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science

Research Interests: Robotics, computer vision, machine learning, AI for science

Patrick James Codd

Associate Professor of Neurosurgery

Henri P. Gavin

Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Research Interests: Structural dynamics, earthquake engineering, seismic hazard mitigation for building contents, nonlinear dynamics, system identification, optimal control with application to systems with controllable damping.

Brian Mann

Professor in the Thomas Lord Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science

Research Interests: Nonlinear dynamics and vibration utilizing analytical, numerical, and experimental techniques. Fundamental investigations of phenomenon and application areas where dynamical systems theory plays an important role.

Xiaoyue Ni

Assistant Professor of the Thomas Lord Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science

Research Interests: Flexible electronics, precision measurement, non-destructive testing, deformation physics of random media, mechanical metamaterials, robotic materials and smart structures, machine learning

Siobhan Rigby Oca

Assistant Professor of The Practice in the Thomas Lord Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science

Research Interests: Robotics Education, Medical Robotics, Human Robot Interaction, Engineering Education

Miroslav Pajic

Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering

Research Interests: Design and analysis of autonomous cyber-physical systems (CPS), and in particular, embedded systems, AI, learning and controls, CPS security and high-assurance autonomy, with various application domains including robotics, automotive, and medical systems

Rebecca Simmons

Professor of the Practice in the Thomas Lord Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Sci

Lawrence N. Virgin

Professor in the Thomas Lord Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science

Research Interests: Study of the behavior of nonlinear dynamical systems, including the investigation of the fundamental nature of nonlinear systems based on a mathematical description of their underlying equations of motion and the application of recent results from nonlinear dynamical systems…

Michael Zavlanos

Professor in the Thomas Lord Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science

Research Interests: Control theory, optimization, and learning; in particular, robotics and autonomous systems, networked and distributed control systems, and cyber-physical systems.