CRII: CPS: Towards an Intelligent Low-Altitude UAS Traffic Management System

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The objective of this project is to provide theoretical foundations for cyber-physical systems to support the increasing autonomy in the presence of other manned/unmanned air traffic. Currently the United States air transportation is facing significant challenges due to the rapid evolution of increasingly autonomous systems such as unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) and their expanding presence. However, there has been little scientific investigation on the cyber-physical systems that supports unmanned aircraft operations operating in the presence of other air vehicles. This research project explores novel strategies of coordinating and managing the UAS traffic to ensure low-altitude airspace safety and efficiency in near future. This will also help to catalyze additional cyber-physical systems research in related areas including aviation infrastructures, navigation and surveillance devices, and unmanned aerial vehicle technologies. The investigator will work with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Office to promote UAS applications in precision agriculture, aviation safety and responsible uses of UAS.The theoretical aspect of the research will leverage interdisciplinary methodologies in the fields of optimization, artificial intelligence, and control. The project designs algorithms, implements software and demonstrates proof-of-concept using low-altitude UAS traffic management as a challenge application area. This project establishes an unmanned air system traffic simulation platform, which can be used to validate new methods and tools, and enable collaborations with government, industrial and academic partners. The research outcomes are expected to provide a framework to investigate the feasibility, safety, efficiency and potential benefits of the increasing autonomy in civil aviation.