Dr. Daniel Toal

Faculty Of Science & Engineering

Dept. Of Electronics & Computer Engineer

Position: Professor, Chair of Electrical Engineering and Robotics.

Email: daniel.toal@ul.ie

Tel: +353 61 202264

Address(es)

Electronic & Computer Eng Dept.

University of Limerick

Limerick V94 T9PX

URL(s)

www.cris.ul.ie

Biography

Daniel Toal is Chair of Electrical Engineering and Robotics in the ECE Department at UL and Director of the Centre for Robotics & Intelligent Systems. Born in Dublin, Dan is a chartered engineer in Electrical and Systems Engineering: (Hons Dip Elec Eng, Dublin Institute of Technology; BSc (eng) University of Dublin (TCD) 1984; MSc - Manufacturing Systems Engineering, Cranfield University, UK, 1986; PhD Marine Robotics, University of Limerick (UL) 2004). He has worked in the Electrical Power and High Voltage sector with GEC in Britain. He has worked in Automation Research and Systems Engineering including major systems engineering reorganization projects in the UK and Ireland and has worked in AMT consultancy in the electronics industry sector. Dan has taught: Automation, Robotics, Instrumentation, Avionics, Sensors, Electrical Machines. His research interests include renewable energy integration and field robotics for challenging environments (land-based, marine, airborne / ROVs, AUVs, UAVs). Successes in research are the result of hard work driven by the vision that the Marine Technology, Ocean Environment; Renewable Energy Sectors will grow in crucial importance. Daniel is the founder and director of CRIS the Center for Robotics & Intelligent Systems at the University of Limerick and is Co PI of the SFI Centre MaREI - Marine and Renewable Energy Ireland www.marei.ie. With the CRIS research team, Dan has led the design/build and operation of robotic platforms in the field including smart vehicles, ROV Latis, ROV Étaín and ROV Éad, unmanned airborne systems and many other platforms. On-going research addresses unique challenges of operating in 'high energy' wind, wave and tidal regimes of marine renewable and airborne wind energy. Research also addresses robotic platform development for response in offshore marine incidents, search and rescue (SAR) and marine salvage. Dan is collaborating with research and industrial partners in Ireland, across Europe and North America. He has been chief scientist for numerous offshore research surveys on Celtic Explorer, Celtic Voyager, INS LÉ Eithne, and other vessels. Dan has been awarded the Denny Medal - best journal paper award 2007/2008 - Journal of Marine Engineering Technology. He has given numerous Plenary talks internationally. Dan has published numerous journal articles, books/book chapters, conference papers and conference proceedings, invention disclosures, and has granted patents in sonar technology and renewable energy. For more information on his publications, check his ORCID profile:

orcid.org/0000-0003-3601-9216.

Research Interests

Marine technology: Renewable ocean energy: Marine, airborne systems & land based robotics: Controller design; Controller & payload sensor systems development and integration; Obstacle avoidance & imaging sonar; Camera and vision systems, Seabed / Deep ocean mapping.Robot motion control - articulation of limbs and novel control approaches to their implementation. Intervention robotics (for inspection, repair and maintenance (IRM) in challenging marine and remote environments. The emphasis of the research application domain focus is in the marine environment and other remote and challenging environments where robot deployment will enable access where not possible before.

Professional Activities

Employment

2018 University of Limerick - Professor, Chair of Electrical Engineering & Robotics
2015 University of Limerick - Associate Professor
2007 ECE, UL - Senior Lecturer.
1998 Wismar Hochschule, Germany. - Visiting Lecturer, Erasmus Mundus
1996 University of Limerick - Lecturer
1994 ECE, UL. - Assistant Lecturer
1988 AMT Research Unit, UL - Project Manager & AMT Consultant
1988 AMT Research Unit, UL. - Part-time Lecturer
1985 GEC Switchgear, Manchester. - High Voltage Test Engineer & Manufacturing Systems Engineer

Patent

2017 EP2647098. - Improvements in relation to wind farms
2012 EP 2,165,214 - A method and apparatus for determining the topography of a seafloor and a vessel comprising the apparatus
2012 US 8,305,841 B1 - Method and apparatus for determining the topography of a seafloor and a vessel comprising the apparatus

Award

2008 - Denny Medal, Award for best paper 2007/'08 - Journal of Marine Engineering & Technology

Association

2006 Member, IEEE, Institution of Electronic & Electrical Engineers
1988 MIEI, CEng, Internatiuonal Register of Professional Engineers , Engineers Ireland

Education

2004 University of Limerick - Ph.D.
1986 Cranfield Institute of Technology - M.Sc.
1984 TCD - B.Sc.(eng)
1984 DIT - Hon Dip Elec Eng

Committee

1899 IFAC TC on Marine Systems (International Federation of Automatic Control Technical Committee on Marine Systems),

Peer Reviewed Journals

2020

Geometric insight into the control allocation problem for open-frame ROVs and visualisation of solution

Omerdic E.;Trslic P.;Kaknjo A.;Weir A.;Rao M.;Dooly G.;Toal D. (2020) Geometric insight into the control allocation problem for open-frame ROVs and visualisation of solution. Robotics

Biography

Research Interests

Professional Activities

Employment

Patent

Award

Association

Education

Committee

Publications

Peer Reviewed Journals

Geometric insight into the control allocation problem for open-frame ROVs and visualisation of solution

Vision based autonomous docking for work class ROVs

Vision-Based Localization System Suited to Resident Underwater Vehicles

Neuro-fuzzy dynamic position prediction for autonomous work-class ROV docking

Underwater image enhancement and mosaicking system based on A-KAZE feature matching

Experimental rig investigation of a direct interconnection technique for airborne wind energy systems

A Low-Cost Motion Capture System for Small-Scale Wave Energy Device Tank Testing

Analysis of direct interconnection technique for offshore airborne wind energy systems under normal and fault conditions

Real-Time Secure/Unsecure Video Latency Measurement/Analysis with FPGA-Based Bump-in-the-Wire Security

Interdisciplinary methodology to extend technology readiness levels in SONAR simulation from laboratory validation to hydrography demonstrator

An efficient implementation of FPGA based high speed IPSec (AH/ESP) core

Real-Time Video Latency Measurement between a Robot and Its Remote Control Station: Causes and Mitigation

An efficient implementation of FPGA based high speed IPSec (AH/ESP) core

An efficient implementation of FPGA based high speed IPSec (AH/ESP) core

Fully automatic visual servoing control for work-class marine intervention ROVs

Real-Time Underwater StereoFusion

Collision Detection for Underwater ROV Manipulator Systems

Fault-Tolerant Control for ROVs Using Control Reallocation and Power Isolation

Bump in the wire (BITW) security solution for a marine ROV remote control application

Bump in the wire (BITW) security solution for a marine ROV remote control application

Bump in the wire (BITW) security solution for a marine ROV remote control application

Power Control of Direct Interconnection Technique for Airborne Wind Energy Systems

A secure end-to-end IoT solution

Development and Testing of a Control System for the Automatic Flight of Tethered Parafoils

Underwater Depth and Temperature Sensing Based on Fiber Optic Technology for Marine and Fresh Water Applications

An Optical Fibre Depth (Pressure) Sensor for Remote Operated Vehicles in Underwater Applications

Secure and Efficient Key Coordination Algorithm for Line Topology Network Maintenance for Use in Maritime Wireless Sensor Networks

Analysis of active power control algorithms of variable speed wind generators for power system frequency stabilization

Unmanned vehicles for maritime spill response case study: Exercise Cathach

Unmanned vehicles for maritime spill response case study: Exercise Cathach

Measurement of Network Latency in Remote Presence Applications

UUV's in maritime spill response Exercise Cathach

Non-Reversing Generators in a Novel Design for Pumping Mode Airborne Wind Energy Farm

Modelling of a synchronous offshore pumping mode airborne wind energy farm

Analysis of active power control algorithms of variable speed wind generators for power system frequency stabilization

Real-Time Adaptive Control of Multiple Colocated Acoustic Sensors for an Unmanned Underwater Vehicle

ROV LATIS: next generation smart underwater vehicle

Analysis of parallel connected synchronous generators in a novel offshore wind farm model

Direct interconnection of offshore electricity generators

Novel multi-sonar controller and other advanced features developed and tested on Latis, a smart, remotely operated vehicle

New tools for easing system integration, deployment, monitoring and maintenance of ocean energy devices

Design of control law and control allocation for B747-200 using a linear quadratic regulator and the active set method

Multi-mode Operations Marine Robotic Vehicle - a Mechatronics Case Study

Extending ROVs  meeting the challenges in offshore science and industry

Terrain-adaptive ping sequencing of UUV integrated multibeam echosounder and sidescan sonar systems

Assistive tools for system integration, deployment, monitoring, and maintenance of ocean energy devices

ROV Latis: A new smart survey ROV

ROV Latis: A new smart survey ROV

A flexible, multi-mode of operation, high-resolution survey platform for surface and underwater operations

A low directivity ultrasonic sensor for collision avoidance and station keeping on inspection-class AUVs

Performance Optimised Reverberation Modelling for Real-Time Synthesis of Sidescan Sonar Imagery

A low directivity ultrasonic sensor for collision avoidance and station keeping on inspection-class AUVs

Neural network augmented identification of underwater vehicle models

Guidance, navigation and control system for the Tethra unmanned underwater vehicle

Neural network control of underwater vehicles

Proximal object and hazard detection for autonomous underwater vehicle with optical fibre sensors

Towards real-time simulation of the sidescan sonar imaging process

Towards real-time simulation of the sidescan sonar imaging process

On the Development of Tethra Submersible Vehicle for Autonomous and Remotely Operated Modes

Whisker Sensors Enable AUV Deployment Near Hazards

Whisker Sensors Enable Mini AUV Deployment Near Hazards

Subsumption and fuzzy-logic, experiments in behavior-based control of mobile robots

'Pull to position', a different approach to the control of robot arms for mobile robots

Books

Marine Monitoring Platforms: Paradigms for Development in Ireland

Book Chapters

Towards inspection of marine energy devices using ROVs: Floating wind turbine motion replication

Towards inspection of marine energy devices using ROVs: Floating wind turbine motion replication

Efficient and High Speed FPGA Bump in the Wire Implementation for Data Integrity and Confidentiality Services in the IoT

Extending ROVs meeting the challenges in offshore science and industry