Research Publications

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Open Access
High-Speed Path Tracking of a Small Mobile Robot Using PD and ADRC Controllers with Experimental Validation
(Faculty of Engineering, 2025-09-09) Pasan Senarath, K; Jayawickrama, C.K
This paper presents the development, modeling, and validation of a compact ground-based mobile robot designed for high-speed trajectory tracking with low-cost hardware and advanced control strategies. Originally designed for micromouse competitions, the platform was upgraded with a vacuum-assisted friction enhancement mechanism and a lightweight sensor fusion system comprising Time-of-Flight (ToF) sensors, infrared (IR) proximity sensors, a 6-axis IMU, and wheel encoders. Due to the lack of manufacturer-provided system parameters, a data-driven system identification approach was employed to derive a MIMO state-space model representing the robot's dynamics. Two control strategies, Proportional-Derivative (PD) and Active Disturbance Rejection Control (ADRC) were implemented and evaluated through both numerical simulations and real-world experiments across three benchmark trajectories: straight-line, 90° smooth turn, and figure-eight. The results show that both controllers achieved trajectory tracking within 5% RMSE, with ADRC offering improved heading accuracy and energy efficiency. Experimental observations indicate that ADRC reduces battery current fluctuations, although current modeling was not included in the control design. The proposed platform and methodology offer a cost-effective and robust solution for mobile robot control in constrained environments, with future work focusing on energy-aware control integration.
Open Access
LEXISGURU: Mobile Application for Learning Basic Lexis in English for Kids
(Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH, 2021-11-05) Jayasinghe, M. J. W; Hennayaka, W. H. M. A. D. H; Fernando, M. P. M; Thilakarathne, K. N. U; Samarakoon, U; Kumari, S
Lexis is an essential part of English vocabulary that puts a good foundation on a child’s English knowledge. In this rapidly globalizing world, it is fundamentally essential to learn English from a young age. In recent years eLearning, mobile applications have been developed for teaching Lexis to children. The market of educational mobile apps, especially for English language learning, has been rapidly growing. Especially in a country like Sri Lanka, English is not the mother tongue, it is the second language. So, when that second language is not taught right the child will lose interest in learning that language. The problem is that the existing lexical learning mobile applications does not aim at keeping the child interested and interactive in the learning process and in Sri Lanka, children find it difficult to understand these lexical parts. As a result, teachers and parents had to spend a lot of time to teach them those lexical parts. We designed and developed a mobile application called “LexisGuru” that uses interactive and effective ways to teach three lexical parts that are homophones, synonyms, and antonyms to children aged between 8–10 in Sri Lanka. This mobile application uses Machine Learning (ML), Image Processing (IP), gamification that includes collaborative environments, and speech recognition techniques. The developed mobile application was introduced to primary level learners, and they were all very attracted and interested while using this application. The attractive user interfaces, the pretests, and posttests, notifying the child when he loses focus while learning, using interesting stories and activities to teach lexis, playing a game with multiple players, and asking questions from the lesson and taking the voice inputs gave a new experience and showed that making the mobile application interactive as possible is an effective way to teach lexis to children.

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