The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before
sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.
The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official
website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.
The opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed are those of the Center author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.
Center Overview
CAAMS mission is to provide innovative solutions to key technical challenges and superb training for future leaders in the autonomous air mobility and sensing community through pre-competitive research.
CAAMS develops new algorithms, architectures, and operational procedures for autonomous air mobility. Its main objectives are to:
- Work with industry partners to define and solve problems of primary importance to the autonomous air mobility community.
- Provide students with the world-class, cross-disciplinary training that will allow them to become the next generation of technical leaders in the autonomous air mobility field.
- Develop knowledge and intellectual property that will help industry members maintain their competitiveness in the global economy.
Universities
- University of Michigan
- University of Colorado, Boulder
- Brigham Young University
- Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
- Pennsylvania State University
- Texas A&M University
Center Personnel
Jacob Langelaan
Site Director PSU
+1 814 863 6817
jwl16@psu.edu
Brad Whitby
Managing Director
+1 801 422 7002
brad.whitby@colorado.edu
Dimitra Panagaou
Site Director Michigan
+1 734 763 2355
dpanagou@umich.edu
Randy Beard
Site Director BYU
+1 801 422 8392
beard@byu.edu
John Valasek
Site Director TAMU
+1 979 862 6777
valasek@tamu.edu
Nisar Ahmed
Site Director CU
+1 303 492 0286
nisar.ahmed@colorado.edu
Kevin Kochersberger
Site Director VT
+1 540 231 5589
kbk@vt.edu
Eric Frew
Center Director
+1 303 735 1285
eric.frew@colorado.edu
Research Focus
CAAMS contributes to the advancement of the autonomous air mobility community through several areas of focus including:
- Assured autonomy
- Guidance navigation and control
- AI/ML for aviation
- Unmanned aircraft systems
- Air mobility and air taxi systems
- Certification, testing, and evaluation
- Sensing applications
- Safe, reliable, sustainable vehicle systems
- Multi-domain awareness
- Resilient mobile communication
- Intelligent transportation networks
- Human/machine interaction and human factors
- Aviation weather
- Aerodynamics and design
- Mobile communication and the Internet of (Flying) Things
- Data fusion
Awards
The world’s aviation industry is moving towards autonomous air mobility and sensing, where new developments in artificial intelligence, energy systems, aerodynamics, structures and materials, advanced manufacturing, and multidisciplinary design are enabling new air vehicle concepts and new ways of using aviation in the daily transport of information, people, and cargo. The Center for Autonomous Air Mobility and Sensing (CAAMS) will produce new fundamental engineering knowledge, will develop new technologies, and will train a new workforce needed by pooling the technical know-how of America’s leading engineering research universities with innovative companies ranging from startups to long-established leaders in the aerospace industry.CAAMS research focuses on improving air vehicle performance, sustainability, safety systems, manufacturability, and reliability by integrating research in traditional aerospace fields such as control, aerodynamics, structures and materials, communication, and energy storage with new disciplines including artificial intelligence, machine learning, and robotics. University of Michigan’s contributions to CAAMS include Aerospace and Robotics test facilities (indoor/outdoor motion capture labs, wind tunnels) and research specialization in autonomy with learning and safe control, multirotor concept vehicle designs, multi-aircraft systems, and human-machine interaction. Existing collaborations such as the Airbus-University of Michigan Center of Aero-Servo-Elasticity provide further opportunity for synergies in research and workforce development.Autonomous air mobility and sensing includes a broad range of vehicle concepts, integrated subsystems, supporting infrastructure, traffic management tools, and applications that exploit increasingly autonomous capabilities in aviation. These autonomous systems have the potential to improve safety and reliability, reduce costs, and enable new missions of national and global importance. The global market for autonomous aircraft is expected to reach $1.5 trillion by 2040, and CAAMS will be a key asset in enhancing US competitiveness. Center research will support dozens of students every year, giving them hands-on experience with advanced autonomous systems and direct understanding of industry perspectives and needs.Center outcomes will be broadly disseminated through archival publications, presentations at engineering and computer science conferences, and technical interchanges with aviation industry members. A single center-wide data repository will be established by the lead site with a password-protected web portal that can be accessed by all center industry members. Project data will be made available to center members annually and will be made available upon request to the public two years after the center fiscal year has ended.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.
Read More >
The world’s aviation industry is moving towards autonomous air mobility and sensing, where new developments in artificial intelligence, energy systems, aerodynamics, structures and materials, advanced manufacturing, and multidisciplinary design are enabling new air vehicle concepts and new ways of using aviation in the daily transport of information, people, and cargo. The Center for Autonomous Air Mobility and Sensing (CAAMS) will produce new fundamental engineering knowledge, will develop new technologies, and will train a new workforce needed by pooling the technical know-how of America’s leading engineering research universities with innovative companies ranging from startups to long-established leaders in the aerospace industry.CAAMS research focuses on improving air vehicle performance, sustainability, safety systems, manufacturability, and reliability by integrating research in traditional aerospace fields such as control, aerodynamics, structures and materials, communication, and energy storage with new disciplines including artificial intelligence, machine learning, and robotics. Penn State’s contributions to CAAMS include test facilities (flight, wind tunnels, simulators, and labs) and research specialization in acoustics and noise, advanced manufacturing, design, human factors and human/autonomy interaction, adverse weather, machine learning, and vehicle systems. The existing Vertical Lift Research Center of Excellence at Penn State provides further opportunity for significant synergies in research and workforce development.Autonomous air mobility and sensing includes a broad range of vehicle concepts, integrated subsystems, supporting infrastructure, traffic management tools, and applications that exploit increasingly autonomous capabilities in aviation. These autonomous systems have the potential to improve safety and reliability, reduce costs, and enable new missions of national and global importance. The global market for autonomous aircraft is expected to reach $1.5 trillion by 2040, and CAAMS will be a key asset in enhancing US competitiveness. Center research will support dozens of students every year, giving them hands-on experience with advanced autonomous systems and direct understanding of industry perspectives and needs.Center outcomes will be broadly disseminated through archival publications, presentations at engineering and computer science conferences, and technical interchanges with aviation industry members. A single center-wide data repository will be established by the lead site with a password-protected web portal that can be accessed by all center industry members. Project data will be made available to center members annually and will be made available upon request to the public two years after the center fiscal year has ended.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.
Read More >
The world’s aviation industry is moving towards autonomous air mobility and sensing, where new developments in artificial intelligence, energy systems, aerodynamics, structures and materials, advanced manufacturing, and multidisciplinary design are enabling new air vehicle concepts and new ways of using aviation in the daily transport of information, people, and cargo. The Center for Autonomous Air Mobility and Sensing (CAAMS) will produce new fundamental engineering knowledge, will develop new technologies, and will train a new workforce needed by pooling the technical know-how of America’s leading engineering research universities with innovative companies ranging from startups to long-established leaders in the aerospace industry.CAAMS research focuses on improving air vehicle performance, sustainability, safety systems, manufacturability, and reliability by integrating research in traditional aerospace fields such as control, aerodynamics, structures and materials, communication, and energy storage with new disciplines including artificial intelligence, machine learning, and robotics. The contributions of the University of Colorado Boulder focus on certification, testing, and evaluation; targeted observation and forecasting; and human-machine interaction and trust. The University of Colorado Boulder draws on extensive experience deploying teams of autonomous systems in the field and will be supported by the existing Integrated Remote and In Situ Sensing (IRISS) team.Autonomous air mobility and sensing includes a broad range of vehicle concepts, integrated subsystems, supporting infrastructure, traffic management tools, and applications that exploit increasingly autonomous capabilities in aviation. These autonomous systems have the potential to improve safety and reliability, reduce costs, and enable new missions of national and global importance. The global market for autonomous aircraft is expected to reach $1.5 trillion by 2040, and CAAMS will be a key asset in enhancing US competitiveness. Center research will support dozens of students every year, giving them hands-on experience with advanced autonomous systems and direct understanding of industry perspectives and needs.Center outcomes will be broadly disseminated through archival publications, presentations at engineering and computer science conferences, and technical interchanges with aviation industry members. A single center-wide data repository will be established by the lead site with a password-protected web portal that can be accessed by all center industry members. Project data will be made available to center members annually and will be made available upon request to the public two years after the center fiscal year has ended.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.
Read More >
The world’s aviation industry is moving towards autonomous air mobility and sensing, where new developments in artificial intelligence, energy systems, aerodynamics, structures and materials, advanced manufacturing, and multidisciplinary design are enabling new air vehicle concepts and new ways of using aviation in the daily transport of information, people, and cargo. The Center for Autonomous Air Mobility and Sensing (CAAMS) will produce new fundamental engineering knowledge, will develop new technologies, and will train a new workforce needed by pooling the technical know-how of America’s leading engineering research universities with innovative companies ranging from startups to long-established leaders in the aerospace industry.CAAMS research focuses on improving air vehicle performance, sustainability, safety systems, manufacturability, and reliability by integrating research in traditional aerospace fields such as control, aerodynamics, structures and materials, communication, and energy storage with new disciplines including artificial intelligence, machine learning, and robotics. Texas A&M University expertise will address integrated systems aspects (design, sensor integration and fusion, control), cybersecure air vehicles, validation & verification, and disturbance rejecting vertical flight. Unique facilities for research synergy are the 2,000 acre RELLIS Integrated Proving Ground of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Lone Star Test Site, and the Disaster City training and test facility. Autonomous air mobility and sensing includes a broad range of vehicle concepts, integrated subsystems, supporting infrastructure, traffic management tools, and applications that exploit increasingly autonomous capabilities in aviation. These autonomous systems have the potential to improve safety and reliability, reduce costs, and enable new missions of national and global importance. The global market for autonomous aircraft is expected to reach $1.5 trillion by 2040, and CAAMS will be a key asset in enhancing US competitiveness. Center research will support dozens of students every year, giving them hands-on experience with advanced autonomous systems and direct understanding of industry perspectives and needs.Center outcomes will be broadly disseminated through archival publications, presentations at engineering and computer science conferences, and technical interchanges with aviation industry members. A single center-wide data repository will be established by the lead site with a password-protected web portal that can be accessed by all center industry members. Project data will be made available to center members annually and will be made available upon request to the public two years after the center fiscal year has ended.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.
Read More >
The world’s aviation industry is moving towards autonomous air mobility and sensing, where new developments in artificial intelligence, energy systems, aerodynamics, structures and materials, advanced manufacturing, and multidisciplinary design are enabling new air vehicle concepts and new ways of using aviation in the daily transport of information, people, and cargo. The Center for Autonomous Air Mobility and Sensing (CAAMS) will produce new fundamental engineering knowledge, will develop new technologies, and will train a new workforce needed by pooling the technical know-how of America’s leading engineering research universities with innovative companies ranging from startups to long-established leaders in the aerospace industry.CAAMS research focuses on improving air vehicle performance, sustainability, safety systems, manufacturability, and reliability by integrating research in traditional aerospace fields such as control, aerodynamics, structures and materials, communication, and energy storage with new disciplines including artificial intelligence, machine learning, and robotics. Brigham Young University’s contributions to CAAMS include research specializations in GPS-denied and degraded navigation, algorithms for autonomous tracking from unmanned aircraft using electro-optical and infrared cameras, guidance and control of electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, multi-vehicle coordination and control, unmanned aircraft traffic management, airborne infrastructure monitoring, and eVTOL aircraft aerodynamic modeling and design optimization.Autonomous air mobility and sensing includes a broad range of vehicle concepts, integrated subsystems, supporting infrastructure, traffic management tools, and applications that exploit increasingly autonomous capabilities in aviation. These autonomous systems have the potential to improve safety and reliability, reduce costs, and enable new missions of national and global importance. The global market for autonomous aircraft is expected to reach $1.5 trillion by 2040, and CAAMS will be a key asset in enhancing US competitiveness. Center research will support dozens of students every year, giving them hands-on experience with advanced autonomous systems and direct understanding of industry perspectives and needs.Center outcomes will be broadly disseminated through archival publications, presentations at engineering and computer science conferences, and technical interchanges with aviation industry members. A single center-wide data repository will be established by the lead site with a password-protected web portal that can be accessed by all center industry members. Project data will be made available to center members annually and will be made available upon request to the public two years after the center fiscal year has ended.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.
Read More >
The world’s aviation industry is moving towards autonomous air mobility and sensing, where new developments in artificial intelligence, energy systems, aerodynamics, structures and materials, advanced manufacturing, and multidisciplinary design are enabling new air vehicle concepts and new ways of using aviation in the daily transport of information, people, and cargo. The Center for Autonomous Air Mobility and Sensing (CAAMS) will produce new fundamental engineering knowledge, will develop new technologies, and will train a new workforce needed by pooling the technical know-how of America’s leading engineering research universities with innovative companies ranging from startups to long-established leaders in the aerospace industry.CAAMS research focuses on improving air vehicle performance, sustainability, safety systems, manufacturability, and reliability by integrating research in traditional aerospace fields such as control, aerodynamics, structures and materials, communication, and energy storage with new disciplines including artificial intelligence, machine learning, and robotics. Virginia Tech hosts one of six FAA-designated UAS test sites (the Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership) that supports the safe development and approval of air vehicle systems operating in the national airspace. An on-campus netted facility and a 4-km2 off-campus test site (Kentland Farm) with runway gives CAAMS researchers a test and evaluation capability critical to delivering results from research.Autonomous air mobility and sensing includes a broad range of vehicle concepts, integrated subsystems, supporting infrastructure, traffic management tools, and applications that exploit increasingly autonomous capabilities in aviation. These autonomous systems have the potential to improve safety and reliability, reduce costs, and enable new missions of national and global importance. The global market for autonomous aircraft is expected to reach $1.5 trillion by 2040, and CAAMS will be a key asset in enhancing US competitiveness. Center research will support dozens of students every year, giving them hands-on experience with advanced autonomous systems and direct understanding of industry perspectives and needs.Center outcomes will be broadly disseminated through archival publications, presentations at engineering and computer science conferences, and technical interchanges with aviation industry members. A single center-wide data repository will be established by the lead site with a password-protected web portal that can be accessed by all center industry members. Project data will be made available to center members annually and will be made available upon request to the public two years after the center fiscal year has ended.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.
Read More >
Member Organizations
IUCRC affiliated member organizations are displayed as submitted by the Center. Non-federal organizations are not selected, approved, or otherwise endorsed by the National Science Foundation.- Aerovironment
- AFRL Sensors
- Air Force Research Lab - Aerospace Systems Directorate
- Army - CCDC (formerly ARDEC)
- Army - CCDC Armaments
- Army Research Lab
- Ball Aerospace
- Department of Homeland Security
- Draper
- Honeywell
- L3Harris
- Lockheed Martin
- NASA Langley
- Parallax
- Raytheon
- Sandia
- Sinclair Community College
- Vectornav