The central integrative theme of RECUV is Cooperative Mobile Sensing Systems. Toward this end, our research is focused into nine areas:
Advanced Propulsion Systems
RECUV develops small, efficient gas turbine based propulsion systems to enable high-speed UAS for advanced applications, including GoJett - the world’s first supersonic UAS.
Airspace Integration
RECUV works with the FAA and NASA to help them characterize UAS operation and to develop new safety technology for the aviation sector.
Cooperative UAS Teams
RECUV focuses on net-centric architectures and algorithms for autonomous control of multiple small unmanned aircraft.
Human Robot Interaction
Adjustable autonomy enables unmanned systems to query human sensors and that maximize the joint abilities of all members of a human-robot team.
Mission-Derived Small UAS Design
RECUV focuses on the design of new UAS for communication and sensing applications. Examples include the Tempest UAS for studying severe storms.
Mobile Ad-Hoc Communications
RECUV deploys cognitive radios and delay-tolerant, ad-hoc protocols that allow unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) to operate in stressed or fractured networks.
Perception under Uncertainty
RECUV develops probabilistic perception algorithms and estimation theory that enable long-term autonomous operation of mobile robotic systems in unknown environments.
Robotic Sensor-Networks
This area combines work in unmanned systems, cooperative control, controlled mobility in ad hoc networks, and optimal distributed sensing to develop heterogeneous robot sensor networks.
Vehicle-Sensor Integration
RECUV Payloads that have been integrated into UAS include a laser altimeter, synthetic aperture radar, wing-integrated antenna, atmospheric sensors, and phased array antenna.