A way to generate and track a random trajectory/pathway in 3d space

I am doing a project where I need to use Simulink to simulate a "laser mosquito shooter" (https://www.preprints.org/manuscript/202101.0412/v1) where a system would track a "simulated mosquito" (either radar or computer vision through cameras) in 3d space and rotate and elevate the laser turret accordingly. Is there a way to model this flight path and the tracking of this flight path in simulink?

Answer 1

[Vidhi Agarwal]

Hi JingChong Ning,

I understand your query is regarding a way to model a flight path and the tracking of this flight path in Simulink. You can follow the given approach to get started:

• Modelling the mosquito flight path: Start by creating a MATLAB script to generate a 3D path simulating the mosquito's erratic flight. Given below is the sample code that can help you:

% Number of steps in the simulation
numSteps = 1000;

% Initialize vectors to store the mosquito's position
x = zeros(1, numSteps);
y = zeros(1, numSteps);
z = zeros(1, numSteps);

% Initial position of the mosquito
x(1) = 0;
y(1) = 0;
z(1) = 0;

% Parameters for the mosquito's movement
speed = 0.1; % Maximum distance moved per step
turnAngle = pi/4; % Maximum angle change per step

% Generate the flight path
for i = 2:numSteps
    % Randomly change direction
    angleXY = rand()*2*pi;
    angleZ = (rand()*2 - 1) * turnAngle;
    
    % Move the mosquito
    x(i) = x(i-1) + speed*cos(angleXY)*cos(angleZ);
    y(i) = y(i-1) + speed*sin(angleXY)*cos(angleZ);
    z(i) = z(i-1) + speed*sin(angleZ);
end

% Plot the flight path
figure;
plot3(x, y, z);
xlabel('X');
ylabel('Y');
zlabel('Z');
title('Simulated Mosquito Flight Path');
grid on;

• Using the "From Workspace" block in Simulink to import the generated 3D path.
• Implement a tracking system by leveraging MATLAB and Simulink's capabilities; use the Phased Array System Toolbox for radar-based tracking to model and simulate radar systems aimed at determining the mosquito's position, and employ the Computer Vision Toolbox along with the Video and Image Processing Blockset for computer vision-based tracking to implement object detection and tracking algorithms to follow the mosquito.
• Control the laser turret by modeling its mechanics in SimMechanics, focusing on rotation (pan) and elevation (tilt) movements driven by servo motors, and design a control system, potentially starting with PID controllers, that processes the mosquito's tracked position to calculate and execute the turret's aiming movements.
• Simulate the entire system by integrating the mosquito flight path model, tracking system, and turret control system into a unified Simulink model, ensuring proper data flow and dependencies, and use Simulink's visualization tools, including scopes and 3D animation, to simulate and visualize the system's real-time performance in tracking and aiming at the mosquito.