I/UCRC: Center for Unmanned Aircraft Systems, Phase II Site

Brigham Young University, Provo UT

Investigators

Abstract

The Center for Unmanned Aircraft Systems (C-UAS) addresses the issues common to the unmanned aircraft system (UAS) industry that limit widespread application across national security, scientific, civil, and commercial domains. Research within the UAS industry is driven by both technical gaps existing for specific high-value applications and the current under-developed regulatory framework that is needed for integration of UAS into the national airspace. The full value of unmanned aircraft systems, especially for a broad range of scientific and civil applications, cannot be realized without significant multidisciplinary research efforts such as those proposed here. Toward that goal, C-UAS investigates and develops new algorithms, architectures, and operational procedures for unmanned aircraft systems. The center contributes to the advancement of the state of the art for UAS through its research at the center's universities and by training graduate students in areas supporting the advancement of UAS. The research pursued in C-UAS has potential application to unmanned aircraft of all sizes. The primary focus of research activities, however, is on small unmanned aircraft systems (SUAS), which feature aircraft with wingspans in the 1 ft to 8 ft range. C-UAS university sites have distinguished themselves with their experimental flight test demonstrations on these smaller platforms. The research interests and needs of industry in the area of UAS align well with the skills, knowledge, and background of the university participants in the center. Research focus areas for the Brigham Young University site can be described in terms of (1) technical areas and (2) application areas. Technical topic areas in which the Brigham Young University has particular strength and interest include: (i) Aerodynamics and dynamics of UAS with multiple propellers in close proximity, (ii) Anomaly detection from airborne imagery, (iii) Target tracking algorithms utilizing visual features and dynamic models, (iv) Cooperative control for teams of heterogeneous vehicles, (v) Probabilistic programming for perceptually driven autonomous agents, and (vi) Navigation in cluttered environments with intermittent or degraded GPS. Application topic areas in which the Brigham Young University has particular strength and interest include: (i) Autopilot innovation for small UAS, (ii) Radar-based detection and avoidance of other aircraft, (iii) Robust tracking of ground targets, and (iv) Monitoring of large-scale infrastructure and post-earthquake damage assessment. Specific research projects proposed by Brigham Young University faculty members in these technical and application areas are selected annually by the Industry Advisory Board (IAB).