kdFlexFlight Dynamics Simulator Demo
Discipline: Flight Mechanics
Abstract:
Engineers have long been forced to choose between speed and fidelity when modeling closed-loop aerospace and robot dynamics. The full-featured kdFlex simulation toolkit removes the need for this trade-off. kdFlex enables fast, high-fidelity simulation of rigid and flexible multibody systems with general open and closed topologies. Built on Spatial Operator Algebra (SOA), a mature minimal-coordinate framework with NASA/JPL heritage, kdFlex draws on technology that has been flight-proven across flagship NASA missions—from Mars landers and ARTEMIS I and II, to the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter and EELS snake robot.
About the Speaker(s):
Abhi is the Chief Technologist at Karana Dynamics, Inc. He is a leading researcher in the field of multibody dynamics, and formerly a Senior Research Scientist at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). He founded and led JPL's DARTS Lab for the development of advanced modeling and simulation capabilities for space and robotics missions. He is also the inventor of the Spatial Operator Algebra methodology for multibody dynamics. He has been a recipient of NASA's Exceptional Engineering Medal, and the NASA Software of the Year award.
Carl Leake is a passionate aerospace engineer skilled in flexible body modeling and multibody dynamics simulation. He holds a Ph.D. from Texas A&M University and a B.S. from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. In his current role at Karana Dynamics Inc. and previous role at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), he advanced multibody dynamics simulations and flexible body modeling, contributing to projects like the Dragonfly mission, a snake-like robot for Enceladus, a next-gen rotorcraft for Mars, and servoelastic modeling for the Space Launch System (SLS). His research interests span flexible multibody dynamics, the Theory of Functional Connections, and the intersection of Aerospace Engineering and Computer Science. Outside of work, he enjoys climbing, biking, backpacking, and the outdoors.