Multi-Domain Modeling Critical to Unmanned Vehicle Designs

One significant challenge they face, given the multifaceted nature of their products, is in the design and modeling of the systems. “Each inter-related system has to be modeled separately and integrated into the final design,” says Ryan Gariepy, CTO of Clearpath Robotics. “We work with different domains at the same time, and there is a great deal of modeling and prototyping involved in each of the systems. Maplesoft’s MapleSim is an incredibly attractive tool for highly efficient multi-domain systems modeling, and it has the potential to completely change the way we design robots.



Clearpath frequently needs to design robots based on an entirely new set of requirements – different surface conditions, different size and shape of the robot, or different performance criteria. Since MapleSim models can be highly parameterized, MapleSim gives them an ideal rapid prototyping environment for creating new designs. They build base models in which many elements that would be traditionally assigned a fix value are actually implemented as symbolic parameters, so that they can easily explore the effects of changing these design elements without the need to create a new model. Using these base models, they can adjust the parameters to meet the new conditions, and immediately get a starting point for the new design which they can then further refine.##IMAGE_3_R##



“MapleSim models have fewer equations than others. It’s symbolic approach takes care of the grunt work and computes quickly. It's all that we're looking for in a tool,” says Gariepy.



Read the full article Multi-Domain Modeling Critical to Unmanned Vehicle Designs.



Do you want to learn more?



Watch the recorded Maplesoft and NASA Tech Briefs webinar with Ryan Gariepy from Clearpath Robotics:



Modeling and Simulation Techniques for Unmanned Vehicle System Research and Development