Javier González-Rocha

Dr. Javier González-Rocha is a UCR Chancellor's Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. Prior to joining UCR, Dr. González-Rocha earned both a B.S. and M.S. degree in mechanical engineering from CSU-Sacramento, and a Ph.D. degree in aerospace engineering from Virginia Tech. His research leverages system identification, flight dynamic modeling, state estimation, and low-cost sensors to engineer aerial robotic systems capabilities to sense wind, turbulence, and air composition within the atmospheric boundary layer. Dr. González-Rocha also engages actively with initiatives to increase diversity and inclusion in STEM fields. For these efforts, Dr. González-Rocha has been recognized with the California State University Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation Award for Outstanding Alumnus & Service/Leadership and the Virginia Tech Aspire Award for Self-Understanding and Integrity.

Research Interests

Aerial Robotic Systems, Dynamics, Control, Estimation, System identification, Aerodynamic Modeling, Urban Mobility, Ag Technology, Atmospheric Sensing, Environmental Monitoring

Research Highlights

Selected Publications

Coordinated unmanned aircraft system (UAS) and ground-based weather measurements to predict lagrangian coherent structures (LCSs)

Concentrations of airborne chemical and biological agents from a hazardous release are not spread uniformly. Instead, there are regions of higher concentration, in part due to local atmospheric flow conditions which can attract agents. We equipped a ground station and two rotary-wing unmanned aircraft systems (UASs) with ultrasonic anemometers. Flights reported here were conducted...

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"Coordinated unmanned aircraft system (UAS) and ground-based weather measurements to predict lagrangian coherent structures (LCSs)" P. J. Nolan, J. Pinto, J. González-Rocha, A. Jensen, C. N. Vezzi, S. C. C. Bailey, G. de Boer, C. Diehl, R. Laurence III, C. W. Powers, H. Foroutan, S. D. Ross, D. G. Schmale III. Sensors, 18(2), 4448, https://doi.org/10.3390/s18124448

Sensing wind from quadrotor motion

This paper presents a comparison of three model-based algorithms to estimate the wind vector from quadrotor motion, based on increasingly refined models. The three vehicle motion models are the kinematic particle model, dynamic particle model, and rigid-body model. These motion models were characterized using results from wind-tunnel experiments and flight tests. The frequency response characteristics...

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"Sensing wind from quadrotor motion" J. González-Rocha, C. A. Woolsey, C. Sultan, and S. F. J. De Wekker. AIAA Journal of Guidance, Control, and Dynamics, 42(4), 836-852, https://doi.org/10.2514/1.G003542

Intercomparison of Small Unmanned Aircraft System (sUAS) Measurements for Atmospheric Science during the LAPSE-RATE Campaign

Small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS) are rapidly transforming atmospheric research. With the advancement of the development and application of these systems, improving knowledge of best practices for accurate measurement is critical for achieving scientific goals. We present results from an intercomparison of atmospheric measurement data from the Lower Atmospheric Process Studies at Elevation...

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"Intercomparison of Small Unmanned Aircraft System (sUAS) Measurements for Atmospheric Science during the LAPSE-RATE Campaign" L. Barbieri, S. T. Kral, S. C. C. Bailey, A. E. Frazier, J. D. Jacob, J. Reuder, D. Brus, P. B. Chilson, C. Crick, C. Detweiler, A. Doddi, J. Elston, H. Foroutan, J. González-Rocha, B. R. Greene, M. I. Guzman, A. L. Houston, A. Islam, O. Kemppinen, D. Lawrence, E. A. Pillar-Little, S. D. Ross, M. Sama, D. G. Schmale III, T. J. Schuyler, A. Shankar, S. W. Smith, S. Waugh, C. Dixon, S. Borenstein, and G. de Boer. Sensors, 19(9), 2179, https://doi.org/10.3390/s19092179

Wind profiling in the lower atmosphere from wind-induced perturbations to multirotor UAS

We present a model-based approach to estimate the vertical profile of horizontal wind velocity components using motion perturbations of a multirotor unmanned aircraft system (UAS) in both hovering and steady ascending flight. The state estimation framework employed for wind estimation was adapted to a set of closed-loop rigid body models identified for an off-the-shelf quadrotor. The quadrotor models used...

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"Wind profiling in the lower atmosphere from wind-induced perturbations to multirotor UAS" J. González-Rocha, S. F. J. De Wekker, S. D. Ross, and C. A. Woolsey. Sensors, 5, 1341, https://doi.org/10.3390/s20051341

Multirotor-assisted measurements of wind induced drift of objects in aquatic environments

Ocean hazardous spills and search and rescue incidents are becoming more prevalent as maritime activities increase across all sectors of society. However, emergency response time remains a factor due to the lack of information available to accurately forecast the location of small objects. Existing drifting characterization techniques are limited to objects whose drifting properties are not affected by...

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"Multirotor-assisted measurements of wind induced drift of objects in aquatic environments" J. González-Rocha, A. Sosa, R. Hanlon, A. A. Allen, I. Rypina, David G. Schmale III, and S. D. Ross. Applied Ocean Research, 110, 102538, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apor.2021.102538