About us



Founded in March 2001 by a group of engineers from UCLA, we are expert in the development and integration of real-time, fault-tolerant navigation, guidance, and control solutions and systems, particularly in aerospace applications. We can build advanced controls and estimation techniques and algorithms into existing system and design and develop systems from scratch.



SEReNa



Software Engine for Relative Navigation



Distilled and rebuilt from developments for the military and NASA, SEReNa is our proprietary software for enabling high-precision, relative navigation. Applying our expertise in estimation, our software is able to make reliable use of data from consumer-level electronics. At its heart, SEReNa is an integer ambiguity resolution algorithm, like the venerable M-LAMBDA method however, we have a higher tolerance for data quality. This means RTK GPS (real-time kinematic GPS) or differential carrier-phase GPS (DCP GPS) using low-cost equipment.

It's RTK GPS for the rest of us.


Precision Navigation and Landings of a Pixhawk Quadcopter



We mounted a GPS receiver, an XBee radio, and a BeagleBone board an S500 frame quadcopter with a Pixhawk flight controller, and we used Mission Planner to have the Pixhawk repeatedly fly a precise path and land on 2ft by 2ft pads. This is the same mission as the multiple landings demonstration, but with a pole to fly around.


No modification to the ArduCopter firmware, no collision avoidance sensor: just high-precision positions as calculated by SEReNa.


We are collaborating with Up Sonder on this effort.


SEE video

GPS receiver used: NovAtel OEMSTAR-10HZ
GPS antenna used: Maxtena MIA-GPS-25



Multiple Precision Landings of a Pixhawk Quadcopter



We mounted a GPS receiver, an XBee radio, and a BeagleBone board an S500 frame quadcopter with a Pixhawk flight controller, and we used Mission Planner to have the Pixhawk repeatedly land on these 2ft by 2ft pads.


No modification to the ArduCopter firmware: just feeding it high-precision position as calculated by SEReNa.


We are collaborating with Up Sonder on this effort.


SEE video

GPS receiver used: NovAtel OEMSTAR-10HZ
GPS antenna used: Maxtena MIA-GPS-25



Precision Driving a Pixhawk Wild Thumper



We strapped a GPS receiver, an XBee radio, and a BeagleBone board to a Dagu Wild Thumper controlled by a Pixhawk, and we used Mission Planner to drive a precise, repeated path.


No modification to the ArduRover firmware on the Pixhawk: just feeding it high-precision position as calculated by SEReNa.

The gates are only 6.5 ft (2 m) apart.


see video

GPS receivers used: NovAtel OEMSTAR-10HZ, u-blox NEO-M8T
GPS antenna used: Maxtena MIA-GPS-25



Precision Landing a DJI Phantom 4 on a Moving Platform



We taped a box with a GPS receiver, an XBee radio, and a BeagleBone board to a DJI Phantom 4 to land it autonomously... on a moving platform.


We did not replace or modify the autopilot. With the help of Silverdyn Software, we used a tablet to send DJI VirtualStick commands from a laptop. The set up added the additional challege of nearly a 1.2 sec lag, but we designed a guidance law to compensate and "stick the landing."


We are collaborating with Up Sonder on this effort.


SEE video

GPS receiver used: NovAtel OEMSTAR-10HZ
GPS antenna used: Maxtena MIA-GPS-25



Precision Landing a DJI Phantom 4



Same set up as the moving landing, but on a smaller platform. The hardware on the Phantom 4 is more refined - still cardobard boxes and tape. We put the Phantom 4's camera back on to return it to stock.


Feedback control commands are calculated on a laptop and sent to a tablet app, designed by Silverdyn Software, which then issues the DJI VirtualStick commands to the drone. As before, this set up suffers from a 1.2 sec lag, but we are able to autonomously land the drone.


see video

GPS receiver used: NovAtel OEMSTAR-10HZ
GPS antenna used: Maxtena MIA-GPS-25



Phase Ruler



The simplest form of navigation: how far apart are two sticks?


This demonstration is an easy-to-use but accurate device (to within a quarter of an inch) that could sell for around just a $1,000.


See video

GPS receiver used: NovAtel OEMSTAR-1HZ
GPS antenna used: Maxtena MIA-GPS-25



Expertise





We specialize estimation and feedback control theory, development, and integration. Our high-precision solutions have been used in many applications from the first Autonomous Formation Flight (AFF) in 2001 to navigation software used in the Autonomous Aerial Refueling (AAR) program in 2006 and the 2007 DARPA System F6 project in 2010.


In addition to our relative navigation systems, SySense, Inc. has developed numerous analytical redundancy methods using dissimilar instruments. By computing the integrity of the entire system, they allow for significant savings in total system cost without sacrificing integrity. We have further refined the fault-toleraant algorithms to be come standalone fault detection, isolation, and identification (FDI) algorithms and systems. Our FDI approach has been supported by various NASA research centers and is capable of detecting defects in hardware that would usually be lost in the noise. SySense, Inc. has also developed a suite of guidance algorithms for periodic flight which can be applied to either hypersonic soar vehicles or to extend the loitering time of jet aircraft or UAVs.



Adpative Control



Fault Detection, Identification, and isolation



Formation Flight (Relative GNC)



Periodic Optimization



contact us



info@sysense.com | Phone: 310.322.7973
128 Sierra Street Suite C, El Segundo, CA 90245