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Center for Unmanned Aircraft System (C-UAS)

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

The Center for Unmanned Aircraft Systems (C-UAS) researchers investigate technical challenges that limit the use of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) in military, civil, and commercial applications. The Center's mission is to provide innovative solutions to key technical challenges and superb training for future leaders in the UAS industry.

C-UAS develops new algorithms, architectures, and operational procedures for unmanned aircraft systems. Its main objectives are to:

Work with industry partners to define and solve problems of primary importance to the UAS industry.
Provide students with the world-class, cross-disciplinary training that will allow them to become the next generation of technical leaders in the UAS field.
Develop knowledge and intellectual property that will help industry members maintain their competitiveness in the global economy.

Universities

Brigham Young University
University of Colorado, Boulder
University of Michigan
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Texas A&M University

View Center Website

Center Personnel

Janelle Forsgren
Administration Staff
+1 801 422 7441
cuas.nsf@gmail.com

Brad Whitby
Managing Director
+1 801 422 7002
whitby@byu.edu

Randy Beard
Center Director
+1 801 422 8392
beard@byu.edu

Eric Frew
Center Staff
+1 303 492 6221
eric.frew@colorado.edu

Timothy McLain
Center Staff
+1 801 422 3360
mclain@byu.edu

John Valasek
Center Staff
+1 979 862 6777
valasek@tamu.edu

Craig Woolsey
Center Staff
+1 540 231 5281
cwoolsey@vt.edu

Ella Atkins
Center Staff
+1 734 763 6438
ematkins@umich.edu

Research Focus

C-UAS contributes to the advancement of the UAS community through research in five main areas:

Advanced autonomous capabilities for UAS.
Human and technology interfaces for UAS.
Multiagent cooperative control of UAS.
UAS-based communication networks.
UAS integration into the National Airspace System.

Awards

1738714

Phase II IUCRC University of Michigan: Center for Unmanned Aircraft Systems (C-UAS)

Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) or "drones" have captured our attention as a means to collect aerial sensor data, carry small payloads, and motivate students through low-cost, hands-on flight experiences. Numerous research challenges related to safely operating UAS of all sizes and missions must be addressed before we can realize their full potential. The Center for UAS (C-UAS) is an existing National Science Foundation Industry/University Cooperative Research Center (IUCRC) supporting a wide range of UAS-centric research topics. C-UAS, led by Brigham-Young University, has successfully transitioned into Phase II. The C-UAS I/UCRC provides a critical pathway for university and industry members to collaboratively identify and explore important basic and applied research relevant to UAS. The University of Michigan proposes to join the C-UAS team, offering new industry members and new research expertise to the existing center. The Michigan team complements existing C-UAS strengths in autonomy, guidance, navigation, and control and offers new expertise in high altitude long endurance platforms, reduced-order aerodynamics modeling, and energy harvesting. C-UAS is pursuing two new center-wide focus areas to kick off Phase II: autonomy and counter-UAS. For autonomy, Michigan researchers will pursue identification and infusion of new data sources to enable future UAS flight planners to quantitatively model and minimize risk to people and property on the ground. Michigan will also extend previous work in static and dynamic geofencing to assure each UAS remains within airspace it is authorized to occupy. For counter-UAS, Michigan will pursue fundamental research to analyze and design defense strategies against aerial swarms through development of information-sharing and motion models that can be used to compute jamming and interception defensive actions. The Michigan team will also investigate two new UAS research thrusts. High-altitude long-endurance (HALE) flight is envisioned through a flexible-wing platform that offers light-weight aerodynamically-efficient performance; the proposed research will develop a validated model of aeroelastic effects coupled with flight dynamics for very-flexible UAS with modeling, simulation, and UAS flight experiments. A second new research effort will develop reduced-order models of the atmospheric boundary layer and vehicle aeromechanics effects that account for day/night convection in complex terrain and urban corridors with application to UAS flight planning, trajectory prediction, and control. Read More >