Planning Grant: Engineering Research Center: Aerospace Autonomy Center of Excellence (AACE)

Duke University, Durham NC

Investigators

Abstract

The Planning Grants for Engineering Research Centers competition was run as a pilot solicitation within the ERC program. Planning grants are not required as part of the full ERC competition, but intended to build capacity among teams to plan for convergent, center-scale engineering research. Recent advances in sensors like global position satellites and computer vision, as well as in software-based flight control techniques have accelerated the pace of innovation in the aerospace industry not seen in more than 40 years. Onboard autonomy is such a transformative innovation. It is not only seen in commercial aviation, but it is the lynchpin for growing commercial drone services, emerging air taxi industries and many civilian space applications. Aerospace companies are however struggling to develop, certify and integrate new autonomous technologies into all aspects of commercial space and aviation. They are hampered by the risks associated with current science and technology of autonomy and by a shortage of a knowledgeable scientists and engineers in autonomous systems. This NSF Engineering Research Center planning grant lays the groundwork for the Aerospace Autonomy Center of Excellence (AACE), which has the goal of transforming the aerospace community by (1) advancing basic autonomy research and its application in aerospace as well as developing new software security and certification protocols, (2) educating a diverse workforce, (3) engaging the stakeholder community, regulators, and general public, (4) creating an environment to encourage technology transfer for autonomy systems, leading to innovations and entrepreneurship in aerospace industries, and (5) making aerospace systems better and safer for society. This center would enable engineering students and faculty to work in close collaboration with policy and law students and faculty, as well as regulators and industry to achieve an integrated policy-technology program and curriculum in a diverse, inclusive setting of an ERC center. It would facilitate exploration of the intersection among diverse areas and disciplines, including computer science, cyber-human systems, aerospace engineering, and control theory as well as policy and regulation for safe, certified autonomous systems. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.