RPI CATS - Research Focus

CATS Research Areas

The Center for Automation Technologies and Systems (CATS) provides a means for industry to utilize an extensive pool of knowledge and expertise at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in the science and technology of automation. More than 30 faculty members in nine departments at Rensselaer participate in the research and educational programs of the Center. With annual funding from the State of New York, the CATS pursues a mission of research excellence and service to industry, with a focus on applying these core technologies to a broad range of applications.

The traditional engineering of automated systems is frequently addressed by conservative over-design or by experience-based trial and error. However, the steady advances in computational power and miniaturized sensors and actuators make feasible new strategies: the broad application of an integrated systems approach, which promises higher performance, efficiency, robustness, and reliability. The CATS works with industrial partners to pursue such strategies, advancing model-based methods and applying them to design, optimization, control, and monitoring for challenging and high impact real-world problems.

Example CATS Industrial Projects