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Research and Unmanned Aerial Systems: Opportunities, Challenges and Benefits

Research and Unmanned Aerial Systems: Opportunities, Challenges and Benefits. Kelvin K. Droegemeier Vice President for Research University of Oklahoma 26 March 2013. What is Research?.

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Research and Unmanned Aerial Systems: Opportunities, Challenges and Benefits

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  1. Research and Unmanned Aerial Systems: Opportunities, Challenges and Benefits Kelvin K. DroegemeierVice President for ResearchUniversity of Oklahoma 26 March 2013

  2. What is Research? • The systematic creation and dissemination of new knowledge, typically via employment of the scientific method. Forms include: • Aesthetic • Social • Behavioral • Political • Economic • Cultural • Scientific • Engineering • Technical • Educational

  3. “If we knew what we were doing, it wouldn’t be research.” -- Albert Einstein

  4. Unmanned Aerial Systems: What we Know (Something About) Photo: Gabe Wingfield • Aerodynamics • Structures • Controls • Communications • Guidance and Navigation • Payloads • Tracking • Sensors • Uses/Potential Value Photo: Phil Chilson

  5. Unmanned Aerial Systems: A FEW Key Research Questions • How can UASs be made lightweight and durable with long endurance to carry heavy payloads such as radars and other weather instruments? • Can fully automated systems be created to ensure zero conflict conditions with other NAS traffic? • Can radars be used to distinguish UASs from other airborne targets, especially biological? • To what extent could atmospheric data gathered from UASs improve computer weather forecasts and severe weather warnings?

  6. Unmanned Aerial Systems: A FEW Key Research Questions • How can UASs be made lightweight and durable with long endurance to carry heavy payloads such as radars and other weather instruments? • Can fully automated systems be created to ensure zero conflict conditions with other NAS traffic? • Can radars be used to distinguish UASs from other airborne targets, especially biological? • To what extent could atmospheric data gathered from UASs improve computer weather forecasts and severe weather warnings?

  7. Flight Route Pattern around DFW

  8. High Density Flight Experiment 25 inbound 25 outbound (km) (km)

  9. Forecast Probability of Detection: Heavy Rain UAS+NEXRAD NEXRAD

  10. Unmanned Aerial Systems: A FEW Key Research Questions • Technology often outpaces society’s ability to deal with it. What can we learn from social media and other disruptive technologies that created unintended consequences, both positive and negative? • How can the benefits of UAS be realized while also ensuring privacy and personal security? • What is the public’s perception of UAS and to what extent are the benefits and risks accurately communicated and understood? • How can nefarious use of UASs be addressed?

  11. Diminished privacy • False sense of connection • Reduced ability to communicate in person • Increased need of affirmation • Decreased productivity • Accidental release of information • Unauthorized employees speaking on behalf of company • Non-authoritative sources of information • Increased isolation • Mis-identification • Tracking of activities

  12. If We Don’t Know the Answer, Let’s Study It? • Sometimes this approach is used in politics to “kick the can down the road” while not addressing the real issues in the right manner • Academic research does NOT take this approach • Research is based upon posing the truly hard questions and conducting experiments or gathering data to study them in a systematic manner • Research doesn’t provide all of the answers but rather informs policy making

  13. How Does the Research Happen? • Many of the research challenges of UAS reside at the boundaries of traditional disciplines • Example is privacy/security and the capabilities of UASs themselves Social and Behavioral Sciences Physical Science Technology and Engineering Policy Economics

  14. All of the Answers are NOT Found in Physical Science & Engineering Research

  15. All of the Answers are NOT Found in Physical Science & Engineering Research

  16. The Federal R&D Budget

  17. The Federal R&D Budget

  18. The Federal R&D Budget

  19. The Funding Outlook for UAS • Despite sequestration and other cuts, funding for UAS likely will increase within DOD • Funding will be available for general-purpose activities such as radar tracking, aerodynamics, propulsion, etc • Other relevant agencies • NASA • NOAA • National Science Foundation • USGS • EPA

  20. OU Priorities in UAS • Clear-air and within-storm weather data gathering • Data assimilation into forecast and warning systems • Ground-based radars for sense-and-avoid and target discrimination • Data communications • Conformal array antennas (the UAS as an antenna) • Synthetic aperture radar

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