Real-time sensing and multi-sensor fusion are fundamentally important issues for signal processing, monitoring and control of various engineering systems. Intelligent real-time data acquisition, effective multi-sensor fusion, and efficient signal processing would achieve reliable and accurate information for the engineering systems, and result in high performance and efficient operation of the engineering systems. In this talk, I will start with a very brief introduction of the various intelligent approaches. Then I will present our recent research on several innovative applications of advanced intelligent systems to agricultural, biomedical, robotic and other engineering systems, such as an electronic nose system for real-time livestock odor monitoring and control, which is based on novel e-noses and wireless sensor networks; a real-time intelligent system for ginseng drying, which is based on a computer vision system and an embedded intelligent controller; a real-time intelligent system for flue-curing barns, which is based on the image features of tobacco leaves from cameras, smells from an electronic-nose system, and a neuro-fuzzy control system; and a real-time intelligent monitoring and control system for meat drying process with efficient energy consumption, where an improved psychrometer is developed for accuracy relative humidity measurement and a neuro-fuzzy system is developed for decoupled temperature and humidity control. Finally, I will talk about intelligent sensing and signal processing of intelligent harvesting robotic systems for agricultural products, and intelligent navigation of behavior-based mobile robots in unstructured field environments.

Prof. Simon X. Yang received the B.Sc. degree in engineering physics from Beijing University, China in 1987, the first of two M.Sc.  degrees in biophysics from Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China in 1990, the second M.Sc. degree in electrical engineering from the University of Houston, USA in 1996, and the Ph.D. degree in electrical and computer engineering from the University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada in 1999. Prof. Yang joined the School of Engineering at the University of Guelph, Canada in 1999. Currently he is a Professor and the Head of the Advanced Robotics & Intelligent Systems (ARIS) Laboratory at the University of Guelph in Canada. 

 

Prof. Yang has diversified research expertise. His research interests include intelligent systems, robotics, control systems, sensors and multi-sensor fusion, wireless sensor networks, intelligent communications, intelligent transportation, machine learning, and computational neuroscience. He has published over 550 academic papers, including over 350 journal papers. Prof. Yang he has been very active in professional activities. Prof. Yang has served as the Editor-in-Chief of Intelligence & Robotics, and some other journals; and an Associate Editor of IEEE Transactions on Cybernetics, IEEE Transactions on Artificial Intelligence, and several other journals. He has been involved in the organization of many international conferences.