Dr Joel Ferguson
Lecturer
School of Engineering
- Email:joel.ferguson@newcastle.edu.au
- Phone:(02) 4921 7848
Career Summary
Biography
Dr Joel Ferguson is a lecturer and research associate in the School of Engineering. He received his bachelors degree in mechatronic engineering and PhD in nonlinear control theory from the University of Newcastle in 2013 and 2018, respectively.
Throughout his time at the university, Joel has been engaged with local industry, providing consultancy on automation projects. This has provided a wealth of experience in all area of automation, including control, estimation and object recognition.
Joel's research interests are centred around developing energy-based methods for nonlinear control. This is primarily done within the port-Hamiltonian framework where he is developing methods of controlling physical systems that are robust against parametric uncertainty. His thesis, which was based on this topic, explored methods for applying integral action to pH systems, achieving exponential stability of mechanical systems and set-point regulation of nonholonomic systems with drift.
Research interests:
- Port-Hamiltonian systems
- Nonholonomic systems
- Robotics
Qualifications
- PhD, University of Newcastle
- Bachelor of Engineering (Mechatronics), University of Newcastle
Keywords
- control theory
- nonholonomic systems
- port-Hamiltonian systems
- robotics
Fields of Research
| Code | Description | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| 090602 | Control Systems, Robotics and Automation | 70 |
| 010204 | Dynamical Systems in Applications | 30 |
Professional Experience
UON Appointment
| Title | Organisation / Department |
|---|---|
| Lecturer | University of Newcastle School of Engineering Australia |
Publications
For publications that are currently unpublished or in-press, details are shown in italics.
Journal article (3 outputs)
| Year | Citation | Altmetrics | Link | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 |
Ferguson J, Donaire A, Ortega R, Middleton RH, 'Matched Disturbance Rejection for a Class of Nonlinear Systems', IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control, 65 1710-1715 (2020) [C1]
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| 2019 |
Ferguson J, Donaire A, Middleton RH, 'Kinetic-Potential Energy Shaping for Mechanical Systems With Applications to Tracking', IEEE Control Systems Letters, 3 960-965 (2019) [C1]
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| 2017 |
Ferguson J, Donaire A, Middleton RH, 'Integral Control of Port-Hamiltonian Systems: Nonpassive Outputs Without Coordinate Transformation', IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON AUTOMATIC CONTROL, 62 5947-5953 (2017) [C1]
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Conference (7 outputs)
| Year | Citation | Altmetrics | Link | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 |
Ferguson J, Donaire A, Ortega R, Middleton RH, 'Robust integral action of port-Hamiltonian systems', IFAC-PapersOnLine, Valparaíso, Chile (2018) [E1]
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| 2018 |
Ferguson J, Donaire A, Middleton RH, 'Discontinuous energy shaping control of the Chaplygin sleigh', IFAC-PapersOnLine, Valparaíso, Chile (2018) [E1]
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| 2018 |
Serra D, Ferguson J, Ruggiero F, Siniscalco A, Petit A, Lippiello V, Siciliano B, 'On the Experiments about the Nonprehensile Reconfiguration of a Rolling Sphere on a Plate', MED 2018 - 26th Mediterranean Conference on Control and Automation, Zadar, Croatia (2018) [E1]
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| 2017 |
Ferguson J, Donaire A, Ortega R, Middleton RH, 'Matched disturbance rejection for energy-shaping controlled underactuated mechanical systems', 2017 IEEE 56TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE ON DECISION AND CONTROL (CDC), Melbourne, AUSTRALIA (2017) [E1]
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| 2017 |
Ferguson J, Donaire A, Knorn S, Middleton RH, 'Decentralized control for l(2) weak string stability of vehicle platoon', IFAC PAPERSONLINE, Toulouse, FRANCE (2017) [E1]
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| 2016 |
Ferguson J, Donaire A, Middleton RH, 'Switched Passivity Based Control of the Chaplygin Sleigh', IFAC-PapersOnLine (2016) [E1] © 2016 In this paper, a switched controller for the Chaplygin Sleigh system based on passivity and energy shaping is presented. The Chaplygin sleigh cannot be asymptotically stabi... [more] © 2016 In this paper, a switched controller for the Chaplygin Sleigh system based on passivity and energy shaping is presented. The Chaplygin sleigh cannot be asymptotically stabilised with a smooth control law, since Brockett's necessary conditions for smooth stabilisation is not satisfied. To asymptotically stabilise the origin, two potential energy shaping control laws are developed that render the system asymptotically stable to two equilibrium manifolds, which intersect at the origin. A switching strategy between the energy shaping controllers is derived that ensures the system converges to the intersection of the equilibrium manifolds.
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| 2015 |
Ferguson J, Middleton RH, Donaire A, 'Disturbance rejection via control by interconnection of port-Hamiltonian systems', 2015 54TH IEEE CONFERENCE ON DECISION AND CONTROL (CDC), Osaka, JAPAN (2015) [E1]
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| Show 4 more conferences | |||||||||||
Grants and Funding
Summary
| Number of grants | 2 |
|---|---|
| Total funding | $454,412 |
Click on a grant title below to expand the full details for that specific grant.
20202 grants / $454,412
Robotic rail isolation device$304,412
Funding body: Australasian Centre for Rail Innovation
| Funding body | Australasian Centre for Rail Innovation |
|---|---|
| Project Team | Doctor Joel Ferguson, Professor Craig Wheeler, Associate Professor Adrian Wills, Doctor Michael Carr |
| Scheme | PF34 - Trackside Robotic Devices |
| Role | Lead |
| Funding Start | 2020 |
| Funding Finish | 2020 |
| GNo | G1901599 |
| Type Of Funding | C2110 - Aust Commonwealth - Own Purpose |
| Category | 2110 |
| UON | Y |
Robo-Laser: A Novel System for Remediation of Marine Corrosion in Confined Spaces Within Naval Platforms Using Laser Carrying Spider Robots$150,000
Funding body: NSW Department of Industry
| Funding body | NSW Department of Industry |
|---|---|
| Project Team | Professor Behdad Moghtaderi, Doctor Jafar Zanganeh, Professor Robert Melchers, Associate Professor Adrian Wills, Doctor Joel Ferguson, Professor Assaad Masri, Dr Matthew Dunn, Dr Shima Taheri |
| Scheme | Defence Innovation Network Pilot Project |
| Role | Investigator |
| Funding Start | 2020 |
| Funding Finish | 2020 |
| GNo | G1901315 |
| Type Of Funding | C2210 - Aust StateTerritoryLocal - Own Purpose |
| Category | 2210 |
| UON | Y |
Dr Joel Ferguson
Positions
Lecturer
School of Engineering
Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment
Casual Academic
School of Electrical Engineering and Computing
Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment
Contact Details
| joel.ferguson@newcastle.edu.au | |
| Phone | (02) 4921 7848 |
Office
| Room | ES432 |
|---|---|
| Building | ES |
| Location | Callaghan University Drive Callaghan, NSW 2308 Australia |
