Ben Axelrod

Ben Axelrod School Projects
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Masters Project Georgia Tech's entry in the RoboCup Rescue competition has become my master's project. Click here for more pics and videos. Grand Challenge I participated in a class to help with the DARPA Urban Grand Challenge. I primarily worked on lane finding though example. GNATs Research I did some research with Keith O'Hara, under Tucker Balch, on a distributed sensor network platform called the GNATs. I investigated techniques to allow the GNATs to choose which program to run (or state to be in) depending on their neighbors. I also investigated time-synchonization schemes with Karsten Schwan. Computer Vision This is an overview of a few of the projects I did in a computer vision class with Frank Dellaert. Machine Learning I developed a new machine learning algorithm called P-BOT with Steve Campos and Can Envarli for my machine learning class (cs7641) under Charles Isbell. It is a perceptron tree. (It is a decision tree with a perceptron network in the nodes of the tree). Here are some slides to further explain. We wrote it in C++ from scratch. Genetic Algorithm I wrote a GA to evolve bursting pacemaker neurons and determine the minimal number of ion chanels and other parameters needed. Artificial neurons are usefull in legged robot locomotion with CPGs. This work was done at the University of Illinois with Davil Goldberg, while I was working at Iguana Robotics. Report here. Senior Design Robot I was the team leader of my senior design project in which we built an eight legged hobby servo driven robot. The 3 other mechanical engineers on my team were Nick Romeo, John Tacklyn, and Gary Poon. Here is a brief report about our work and the robot. And here is a full size picture. Triangle Matrix Helper This is a small function I wrote to cut the amount of storage required for a 2D triangular matrix in half. A triangular matrix is when you have a distance matrix, or some other symmetric data where the matrix is equal to its own transpose. For example, cell (1,2) is equal to cell (2,1). With this function, you can use a 1D array to store only half of the matrix. There are actually two functions, one for each of two cases, when the row index is allowed to be equal to the column index, and when it isn't. TI-83 Programs Although not really for school, I wrote a large number of programs for my TI-83 graphing calculator. They are mostly engineering related, and several are very advanced. I have programs that can: find the nodal displacements, reactions at the supports, stresses, and strains in all the axial force members of a 2D statically indeterminate truss find the displacements and reactions at the support of an axially loaded column find the centroid and second moment of cross-section (composed of elementary shapes) perform mesh analysis on planar circuits provide a 9x9 board to play Go on (pictured above) play the classic game of Simon

Ben Axelrod School Projects

Masters Project
Georgia Tech's entry in the RoboCup Rescue competition has become my master's project. Click here for more pics and videos.

Grand Challenge
I participated in a class to help with the DARPA Urban Grand Challenge. I primarily worked on lane finding though example.

GNATs Research

I did some research with Keith O'Hara, under Tucker Balch, on a distributed sensor network platform called the GNATs. I investigated techniques to allow the GNATs to choose which program to run (or state to be in) depending on their neighbors. I also investigated time-synchonization schemes with Karsten Schwan.

Computer Vision

This is an overview of a few of the projects I did in a computer vision class with Frank Dellaert.

Machine Learning

I developed a new machine learning algorithm called P-BOT with Steve Campos and Can Envarli for my machine learning class (cs7641) under Charles Isbell. It is a perceptron tree. (It is a decision tree with a perceptron network in the nodes of the tree). Here are some slides to further explain. We wrote it in C++ from scratch.

Genetic Algorithm

I wrote a GA to evolve bursting pacemaker neurons and determine the minimal number of ion chanels and other parameters needed. Artificial neurons are usefull in legged robot locomotion with CPGs. This work was done at the University of Illinois with Davil Goldberg, while I was working at Iguana Robotics. Report here.

Senior Design Robot

I was the team leader of my senior design project in which we built an eight legged hobby servo driven robot. The 3 other mechanical engineers on my team were Nick Romeo, John Tacklyn, and Gary Poon. Here is a brief report about our work and the robot. And here is a full size picture.

Triangle Matrix Helper

This is a small function I wrote to cut the amount of storage required for a 2D triangular matrix in half. A triangular matrix is when you have a distance matrix, or some other symmetric data where the matrix is equal to its own transpose. For example, cell (1,2) is equal to cell (2,1). With this function, you can use a 1D array to store only half of the matrix. There are actually two functions, one for each of two cases, when the row index is allowed to be equal to the column index, and when it isn't.

TI-83 Programs

Although not really for school, I wrote a large number of programs for my TI-83 graphing calculator. They are mostly engineering related, and several are very advanced. I have programs that can:

find the nodal displacements, reactions at the supports, stresses, and strains in all the axial force members of a 2D statically indeterminate truss
find the displacements and reactions at the support of an axially loaded column
find the centroid and second moment of cross-section (composed of elementary shapes)
perform mesh analysis on planar circuits
provide a 9x9 board to play Go on (pictured above)
play the classic game of Simon