US Air Force Wants Self-Repairing sUAS

The National Science Foundation will fund a three-year, $1 million project at Wright State University to design small unmanned aircraft that can autonomously react to problems and repair themselves in flight, according to the university.

Wright State will collaborate with researchers at the Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and Purdue University in Lafayette, Ind., and Portland State University in Oregon on the project that starts next month.

John C. Gallagher, WSU associate professor of computer science engineering, will lead the effort that will explore how machines make decisions and “heal” or repair themselves while flying, he said. “We’re looking at techniques for being able to figure out what changes need to be made without human intervention,” Gallagher said.

Wright State and Portland State will focus on how machines may change computer programming to handle unexpected issues, such as damage to a wing while in flight. AFRL has expertise in small UAS and Purdue will analyse the data, he said. “They were all chosen because there’s a specific niche expertise that was needed,” Gallagher said.

The science foundation funded the project because the technology could be used in other areas, such as robotics and electric power grids, he said.

Source: Chicago Tribune

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