John Bird, Ph.D.Assistant Professor, Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering Department, University of Texas at El Paso
Friday, November 3, 2023, 3:00 - 4:00 PM
In Person JH-109
Title: Controlling Observability: Gathering Informative Data Through Design and Operation of Intelligent Systems
ABSTRACT: Observability, the analysis of whether a piece of information about a dynamical system can be obtained from available data, is critical to intelligent systems. If information about the system is not observable it cannot be reliably controlled or managed. Classic estimation theory and nonlinear extensions can analyze whether a system is observable from given data. For the linear case this is the end of the story, but for nonlinear systems observability is dependent on the states visited, providing an opening for steering the system to gain maximum information. This "targeted observation" can be accomplished by humans and intelligent systems alike, can be implemented during operation or at the time a system is created, and can enable diverse use cases ranging from robotic science to implicit communication between autonomous agents.
BIO: John Bird is an assistant professor in the aerospace and mechanical engineering department at the University of Texas at El Paso. He is an expert in targeted observation and online learning systems. Dr. Bird has been involved in the development and field deployment of intelligent autonomous aircraft designed to operate independently over very long distances, to autonomously locate atmospheric phenomena, and to gather observations from severe storms. His current projects include designing systems that actively manage the information they convey through their actions.
