Main Page

From FZwiki

Control & Dynamical Systems	[edit] Francisco A. Zabala California Institute of Technology Ph.D. Student (G1) Control and Dynamical Systems
	Research Projects Publications

Research

Application of control, and dynamical systems theory to the characterization of sensory-motor transformations that are used by organisms to perform complex navigation tasks. Reverse engineering these relations for designing and developing biomimetic algorithms suited for implementation in next-generation robotic platforms. At present, I am focused in the characterization of flight dynamics and control in fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster) under the advise of Prof. Michael H. Dickinson and Prof. Richard M. Murray.

Neurobiology & Biomechanics

Projects

© Will B. Dickson	© Michael H. Dickinson	© Gwyneth M. Card
Dynamics of Insect Flight	Control of Insect Flight	A Case Study: Takeoff

---

ARCHIVE

Publications

Journal Articles

• Flight dynamics and control of evasive maneuvers: the fruit fly's takeoff [preprint]

F. A. Zabala, G. M. Card, E. I. Fontaine, R. M. Murray and M. H. Dickinson (2009)
To appear. IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering Letters (invited article for special issue on Biorobotics).

• Wing and body motion during flight initiation in Drosophila revealed by automated visual tracking [link]

E. I. Fontaine, F. Zabala, M. H. Dickinson, and J. W. Burdick (2009)
Journal of Experimental Biology, 212, 1307-1323, 2009.

Refereed Conference Papers

• Directionality Control and Flight Stability of Takeoff [preprint]

F. A. Zabala (2009)
To appear. 2009 IEEE Intl. Conf. on Robotics and Automation (ICRA '09). Kobe, Japan, May 2009.

• Dynamics of Escaping Flight Initiations of Drosophila melanogaster [pdf]

F. A. Zabala, G. M. Card, E. I. Fontaine, R. M. Murray, and M. H. Dickinson (2008)
In Proc. 2008 IEEE RAS/EMBS Int. Conf. on Biomedical Robotics and Biomechatronics (BioRob '08), Piscataway, NJ: IEEE Press, 2008, pp. 1-7.

Funding & Awards

• California Institute of Technology (2009, 2010)
  • Betty & Gordon Moore Minority Fellowship, Fellow

• Institute for Collaborative Biotechnologies (2009)
  • Graduate Research Fellowship, Fellow

• U.S. Department of Transportation
  • Dwight David Eisenhower Transportation Fellowship, Fellow (2007)

• National Science Foundation
  • NSF Graduate Research Fellowship, Honorable Mention (2007)

• California State University
  • California Pre-Doctoral Fellowship, Fellow (2006)
  • College of Engineering and Computer Science Research Project Grant, Recipient (2005, 2006)
  • CSU Research Competition, 2nd Place (2006)
  • Rockwell-Collins Inc. IFES R&D Competition, 1st Place Team (2006)
  • Outstanding Senior Project Award, Recipient (2006)
  • Scholar-Athlete Scholarship [NCAA Div. I Soccer] (2003, 2004)

Media

• College of Engineering and Computer Science Highlights Fall, 2006
  Sections: Research Conference, Flying Robot, and Rockwell-Collins Summer Engineering Program
  
• Dwight David Eisenhower Transportation Fellows December, 2006; by Debra Cano Ramos
  
• Autonomous Aerial Vehicle Development April, 2006; by Linda Capplette
  
• CSUF Soccer Team 2003–2005

CV

[zabala_cv.pdf]

Contact

Control and Dynamical Systems
California Institute of Technology
1200 E California Blvd MC 107-81
Pasadena, CA 91125
Office: (626) 395-3368