Modeling and Control of Tensegrity Structures in Marine Systems

The project is financed through the IntelliSTRUCT programme organized as a cooperation between Centre for Ships and Ocean Structures and SINTEF Fisheries and Aquaculture. The programme aims at developing new technology and methods for fishery and aquacult ure in the future. The research activities addressed will mainly be dealing with the application of new theory on modeling and effective simulation of large multibody systems. Research is now focusing on the development of models of cable dynamics, mode ls of net dynamics, mooring systems and aquaculture installations. We have established a close cooperation with the Structural Systems and Control Laboratory (SSCL) at University of California, San Diego (UCSD). The Director of SSCL, Professor Robert E. Skelton, is a mentor in the field of modeling and control of structures and has a broad academic and industrial background from the US space industry. He has been visiting CeSOS this summer holding a two days seminar and a workshop on future marine syste ms. He presented novel ideas on mathematical modeling of complex structures to make effective simulations. We foresee that our cooperation will lead to new methods in the design, simulation and control of complex systems used in fishery technology and aqu aculture. I have been invited for a six and a half months research stay at SSCL, UCSD the spring 2006. UCSD will be an active research partner throughout the whole project and for both CeSOS and SINTEF Fisheries and Aquaculture for the years to come. Th e developments we foresee from this cooperation will have a large impact on both academic work and several Norwegian industries as fishery, aquaculture, oil and gas, offshore and space industry.