Office of the Vice President for Research N ORMAN C AMPUS AND N ORMAN C AMPUS P ROGRAMS AT OU-T ULSA Research and Unmanned Aerial Systems: Opportunities, Challenges and Benefits Kelvin K. Droegemeier Vice President for Research University of Oklahoma 26 March 2013

Office of the Vice President for Research N ORMAN C AMPUS AND N ORMAN C AMPUS P ROGRAMS AT OU-T ULSA The systematic creation and dissemination of new knowledge, typically via employment of the scientific method. Forms include: What is Research? 2 – Aesthetic – Social – Behavioral – Political – Economic – Cultural – Scientific – Engineering – Technical – Educational

Office of the Vice President for Research N ORMAN C AMPUS AND N ORMAN C AMPUS P ROGRAMS AT OU-T ULSA “If we knew what we were doing, it wouldn’t be research.” -- Albert Einstein 3

Office of the Vice President for Research N ORMAN C AMPUS AND N ORMAN C AMPUS P ROGRAMS AT OU-T ULSA Aerodynamics Structures Controls Communications Guidance and Navigation Payloads Tracking Sensors Uses/Potential Value Unmanned Aerial Systems: What we Know (Something About) 4 Photo: Phil Chilson Photo: Gabe Wingfield

Office of the Vice President for Research N ORMAN C AMPUS AND N ORMAN C AMPUS P ROGRAMS AT OU-T ULSA 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? Unmanned Aerial Systems: A FEW Key Research Questions 5

Office of the Vice President for Research N ORMAN C AMPUS AND N ORMAN C AMPUS P ROGRAMS AT OU-T ULSA 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? Unmanned Aerial Systems: A FEW Key Research Questions 6

Office of the Vice President for Research N ORMAN C AMPUS AND N ORMAN C AMPUS P ROGRAMS AT OU-T ULSA Flight Route Pattern around DFW

Office of the Vice President for Research N ORMAN C AMPUS AND N ORMAN C AMPUS P ROGRAMS AT OU-T ULSA High Density Flight Experiment (km) 25 inbound 25 outbound

Office of the Vice President for Research N ORMAN C AMPUS AND N ORMAN C AMPUS P ROGRAMS AT OU-T ULSA Forecast Probability of Detection: Heavy Rain NEXRAD UAS+NEXRAD

Office of the Vice President for Research N ORMAN C AMPUS AND N ORMAN C AMPUS P ROGRAMS AT OU-T ULSA 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? Unmanned Aerial Systems: A FEW Key Research Questions 10

Office of the Vice President for Research N ORMAN C AMPUS AND N ORMAN C AMPUS P ROGRAMS AT OU-T ULSA 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

Office of the Vice President for Research N ORMAN C AMPUS AND N ORMAN C AMPUS P ROGRAMS AT OU-T ULSA 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 If We Don’t Know the Answer, Let’s Study It? 12

Office of the Vice President for Research N ORMAN C AMPUS AND N ORMAN C AMPUS P ROGRAMS AT OU-T ULSA Many of the research challenges of UAS reside at the boundaries of traditional disciplines – Example is privacy/security and the capabilities of UASs themselves How Does the Research Happen? 13 Economics Policy Technology and Engineering Physical Science Social and Behavioral Sciences

Office of the Vice President for Research N ORMAN C AMPUS AND N ORMAN C AMPUS P ROGRAMS AT OU-T ULSA All of the Answers are NOT Found in Physical Science & Engineering Research 14

Office of the Vice President for Research N ORMAN C AMPUS AND N ORMAN C AMPUS P ROGRAMS AT OU-T ULSA 15 All of the Answers are NOT Found in Physical Science & Engineering Research

Office of the Vice President for Research N ORMAN C AMPUS AND N ORMAN C AMPUS P ROGRAMS AT OU-T ULSA The Federal R&D Budget

Office of the Vice President for Research N ORMAN C AMPUS AND N ORMAN C AMPUS P ROGRAMS AT OU-T ULSA The Federal R&D Budget

Office of the Vice President for Research N ORMAN C AMPUS AND N ORMAN C AMPUS P ROGRAMS AT OU-T ULSA The Federal R&D Budget

Office of the Vice President for Research N ORMAN C AMPUS AND N ORMAN C AMPUS P ROGRAMS AT OU-T ULSA 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 The Funding Outlook for UAS 19

Office of the Vice President for Research N ORMAN C AMPUS AND N ORMAN C AMPUS P ROGRAMS AT OU-T ULSA 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 OU Priorities in UAS 20