Research Initiation Award: Operationalizing Autonomy, Induction of Autonomous Systems in Real-Life Applications

Central State University, Wilberforce OH

Investigators

Abstract

Non-technical Abstract: Autonomous systems and their applications have seen dynamic growth over the past few decades. With advancements in technology, the concepts that used to be over-ambitious a few years ago have already been applied in several industries. The fact that, unlike industry, academia is not specifically motivated by financial gains, makes its role in proposing novel ideas and proving emerging concepts at the prototype levels in academic laboratories vital in keeping the costs for maturing the autonomous systems for their use in real-world applications low. Furthermore, academic research serves as a continuous pipeline for training the workforce required in industry and enables individuals in a way that they can maintain pace of the vibrant growth in the autonomous industry. This project catalyzes initiating academic research in the field of autonomy at Central State University. The research conducted under this project focuses on the exploration of ways to induct autonomous systems into different suitable segments of the traditional laborious procedures for inspecting the health of bridges. The goal of this research is to explore an optimal set of arrangements to improve the overall efficiency of the procedures, reduce overall inspection time and logistic costs, and improve the safety of the involved personnel. The broader impacts of this project include the induction of autonomous systems for their real-world applications and training the students belonging to underrepresented communities to develop and implement autonomy solutions and become part of a better-prepared diverse future workforce. Technical Abstract: The project involves the implementation of a Human-In-the-Loop system for conducting Unmanned Aerial Vehicle-assisted bridge inspections. This system will allow the bridge inspectors to have the same view of what the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle shows on the pilot’s screen and hence aid the bridge inspector in conducting efficient bridge inspections. This seed money will be used to acquire essential equipment for the autonomous systems laboratory, establish research related to autonomy, and involve undergraduate students from underrepresented minority groups in implementing autonomy solutions. These students will be equipped with knowledge and skills through training, workshops, and field exercises providing them with opportunities to use commercial-grade Unmanned Aerial Vehicles for applied research. Bridge inspection exercises will be conducted periodically to collect imagery data that will then be used to further analyze to produce bridge inspection reports. The results produced will be published for further research investigations and consumption by the general public. 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.