On the cutting
edge
UT Arlington Research Institute faculty to play
key roles in FAA unmanned aircraft systems research
by robert francis
- [email protected]
F
our University of Texas
at Arlington Research
Institute faculty members will play key roles
on the Texas team that will
develop safety systems in the
growing field of unmanned
aircraft.
The faculty members’ work
will focus on decision and
control systems, dynamic
modeling, collision avoidance,
positioning and other issues related to the high performance,
human interactions and safety
of unmanned aircraft, or drones.
The team includes Frank Lewis, Moncrief-O’Donnell chair at the UT Arlington
Research Institute and electrical engineering professor; Kamesh Subbarao and
Atilla Dogan, both associate professors
of mechanical and aerospace engineering; and Brian Huff, associate professor
of industrial and manufacturing systems
engineering.
They will conduct experiments and
develop test beds, hardware, software and
algorithms that enable safe and reliable
deployment of unmanned aircraft systems
for civilian, law enforcement, military and
other uses.
UTARI is part of the team led by Texas
A&M University – Corpus Christi named
by the Federal Aviation Administration
as one of the nation’s six major test sites
for unmanned aircraft systems. The Lone
Star Unmanned Aircraft Systems Initiative
team also includes Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station; Camber Corp. of
4
Research Texas
Spring 2014
ABOVE: Congress has mandated that unmanned aircraft
systems be integrated into the national airspace by 2015.
Huntsville, Ala.; the Southwest Research
Institute in San Antonio; and other
research institutions and private-sector
companies.
“We’re proud to be part of such an
important initiative in the development
of advanced technologies for unmanned
aerial systems,” said retired Army Lt. Gen.
Rick Lynch, executive director of UTARI.
“The current research of our affiliated
faculty, and the work they’ll be doing as
part of this initiative, further UT Arlington’s commitment to the innovation of
UAS technology.”
Unmanned systems technology will be
highlighted at the UT Arlington Research
Institute on Jan. 27 during a daylong Unmanned Systems Consortium conference.
The event is co-sponsored by the Arlington Chamber of Commerce’s Center for
Innovation. The nonprofit organization
aims to be a catalyst for technology-based
economic development. More
information about the conference is available at http://www.
uta.edu/utari/news-events/usc.
php.
In all, the FAA approved six
test sites across the country
for the overall programs. The
Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International has
projected the industry will create
100,000 jobs and generate $82
billion in economic activity in
the decade after the aircraft are
allowed in general airspace.
Congress has mandated that
unmanned aircraft systems be integrated
into the national airspace by 2015. Subbarao said the goal does not appear to be
far afield.
“We just have to make sure that unmanned aviation systems integrate well
with existing aircraft and buildings,” he
said. “They’re already using some unmanned aerial systems on large ranges to
count cattle.”
Unmanned systems are becoming
popu