S. Raj Pandian

               Associate Professor
               Department of Computer Science and Industrial Technology
               Southeastern Louisiana University
               110-2 Anzalone Hall
                                        200 Tennessee Avenue
                                        Hammond, LA 70402

Phone: (985) 549-2871 (Office); x2082 (Lab)
Fax: (985) 549-5532
Email:  spandian@selu.edu
 

Biography

Born:     Mochikulam, Tamil Nadu, India
Family:   Married (to Dr. Meenakshi Vijayaraghavan, Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Tulane University), with two kids (Sundar and Vani)

Educational:

• B.S.     in Electronics and Communication Engineering, Madurai-Kamaraj University, India
• M.S.    in Electrical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, India
• Ph.D.   in Electrical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, India

Experience:

• 1984-85: Lecturer, Department of Electrical Engineering, Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pant Nagar, India.
• 1990-92: Research Engineer, Center for Robotics, Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, India.
• 1992-00: Research Associate and Full-time Lecturer, College of Science and Engineering, Ritsumeikan University, Kusatsu, Japan.
• 2001-03: Assistant Professor of Engineering Science, University of Michigan-Flint, Flint, MI.
• 2003-07: Assistant Professor, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Tulane University

Research Interests:

• Intelligent Control Systems
• Robotics
• Mechatronics
• Rehabilitation Systems
• Renewable Energy Conversion

Major Awards and Distinctions:

• Senior Member, IEEE
• Inventions on human power conversion featured in Discovery Channel Canada, SBS Television Korea, and other media
• Nominated a finalist for the Louisiana Innovator of the Year award (2004).
• Invention of human power system based on children's play was selected by New York Times as among the best ideas of the year 2003.
• Short-listed for Best Paper Award at the 1995 IEEE Int. Conf. Robotics and Automation, Nagoya (1995).
• Received the Japanese Ministry of Education Research Fellowship (1992-94).

Selected Grants and Funds:  

• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Education Grant of $30,000 for project “Playful Learning: Environmental Education using Underwater Robots” (2005-08)

• Southeastern Louisiana University Tech Fee Grant of $5,000 for project “Development of Remote Environmental Monitoring System for the Study of Sea Turtle Reproductive Behavior” (2007)
• Southeastern Louisiana University Tech Fee Grant of $5,000 for project “Development of Infrastructure for Project-Based Learning in Intelligent Robots and Systems” (2007)

• UM-Flint Research Excellence Fund Grant of $25,000 for research on “Design, Development, and Control of an Underwater Robot for Environmental Monitoring” (2002)
• Recipient of one million yen research grant from the Japanese Hydraulics and Pneumatics Association (1997).
• One of seven Project Coordinators, for 42.75 million yen Japan Society for Promotion of Science research project (1996).

Publications: 68 (16 in Journals, 28 in International Conferences, and 34 in National Conferences)

 Patents: S.R. Pandian, 2006, “Pneumatic human power conversion system based on children’s play”, U.S. Patent No. 7,005, 757.

Courses offered:

Fall 2007

• IT442 – CAD/CAM/Robotics
• IT405 – Work Methods and Measurement

• IT405 – Work Methods and Measurement
• CS491/ISAT591: Computer Interfacing and Control

 Selected Publications:

• S.R. Pandian, 2008, “Neuro-fuzzy force control of a pneumatic cylinder actuator”, Presented at the Int. Fluid Power Expo Technical Conference, Las Vegas, NV.
• M. Vijayaraghavan, S.R. Pandian, and M. Asoodeh, 2008, “Playful learning: Environmental education using underwater robots”, Proc. Int. Conf. Underwater Intervention, New Orleans, LA.
• B. Xu, S.R. Pandian, M. Inoue, N. Sakagami, and S. Kawamura, 2006, “Model-based sliding mode control of underwater robot manipulators”, Int. J. Offshore and Polar Engineering, 16, pp. 210-217.
• Y. Hayakawa, S.R. Pandian, and S. Kawamura, 2004, “Development of an autonomous transfer machine using pneumatic actuators”, JSME International Journal, Series C, 47 (2), pp. 602-609.
• S.R. Pandian, 2004, “A human power conversion system based on children’s play”, Proc. IEEE Int. Symp. Technology and Society, Worcester, MA, 2004.
• S.R. Pandian, F.Takemura, Y. Hayakawa, and S. Kawamura, 2002, “Pressure observer-controller design for pneumatic cylinder actuators”, IEEE Trans. Mechatronics, 7, pp. 490-499.
• F.Takemura, H.Mizutani, S.R. Pandian, Y. Hayakawa, and S. Kawamura, 2000, “Design and Control of a Vane-type Pneumatic Motor”, Trans. of Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers, 68-C, pp. 117-124 [in Japanese].
• S.R. Pandian, Y. Hayakawa, Y.Kanazawa, Y.Kamoyama, and S. Kawamura, 1997, “Practical design of a sliding mode controller for pneumatic actuators”, Trans. ASME J. Dynamic Systems, Measurement, and Control, 119, pp. 664-674.

 Research

My current research projects include

• Development and Intelligent Control of an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle-Manipulator System

Environmental monitoring of lakes, rivers, and other ecosystems has become a major economic, social, and academic concern. This is in large part due to the damaging effects of industrial pollution and over-use by population growth, suburban sprawl, and the effects of climate change due to Global Warming. Underwater robotics plays an important role in the monitoring of environment, due to advantages of low-cost, safety, and convenience.

New Orleans and Louisiana have rich and versatile aquatic environments. New Orleans is surrounded by Lake Pontchartrain, Mississippi River, and the Gulf of Mexico. This project aims to develop an autonomous underwater vehicle-manipulator system (AUVMS) as a test bed for research in intelligent robots and systems. Currently, we have developed low-cost, prototype underwater remotely operated vehicles and a three-link robot manipulator for environmental monitoring.

•  Human Power Conversion

 Human power conversion has attracted the attention of researchers and public alike in recent years. It is environment-friendly, and has applications in a wide range of fields. I have invented a human power conversion system based on children's play. The system is based on pneumatic and electric generators, with advantages of safety, simplicity, low-cost, and environment-friendliness. It is hoped that this system can be used in schools and public places, particularly in developing countries, where technologies such as solar and wind energy are still far too expensive to be affordable. When large numbers of children play on equipment such as teeter-totter, swing, or merry-go-round, part of the energy of their play can be converted into energy to power low-power equipment such as lights, fans, etc. I have extended this power generation system to exercise bicycle-video game power generation systems which can be implemented in school environments as a renewable backup power source as well as to reduce obesity in school children.

• Development of Assistive Technologies

With the coming of the Ageing Society in many parts of the world, both developed and developing, it has become imperative to develop assist and rehabilitation technologies which help the elderly and disabled realize their full potential. Pneumatic systems are well-suited to these tasks, due to their safety, simplicity, and low-cost. However, there are problems with regard to their portability due to their low energy efficiency and large size. Research is needed into various aspects of rehabilitation engineering, including rehabilitation robotics and soft mechatronics.

 
This webpage is maintained by S. Raj Pandian, and was last updated on April 21, 2008.