\n Media contact:<\/strong> Brian Huchel, bhuchel@purdue.edu<\/a> <\/p>\n <\/div>\n Note to journalists:<\/p>\n \n A video link is available on Google Drive with b-roll<\/a> and Damon Lercel sound bites<\/a>. <\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. \u2014 Purdue University\u2019s cutting-edge initiatives and research with drones and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are combining with the latest artificial intelligence and autonomy to quickly turn ideas and imagination into attainable reality. Drones have moved far beyond<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":21395,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[263,7],"tags":[],"department":[],"source":[29],"purdue_today_topic":[],"coauthors":[40],"class_list":["post-21397","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-purdue-computes","category-research-excellence","source-purdue-news"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21397","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/25"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21397"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21397\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22166,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21397\/revisions\/22166"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/21395"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21397"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21397"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21397"},{"taxonomy":"department","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/department?post=21397"},{"taxonomy":"source","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/source?post=21397"},{"taxonomy":"purdue_today_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/purdue_today_topic?post=21397"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=21397"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Drones and physical AI are a core component of Purdue Computes<\/a>, a comprehensive university initiative that emphasizes four key pillars of Purdue\u2019s extensive technological and computational environment: computing departments, physical AI, quantum science and semiconductor innovation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n January\u2019s test site announcement was the latest chapter in Purdue\u2019s push for drone research and advancement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Center on AI for Digital, Autonomous and Augmented Aviation<\/a> (AIDA3<\/sup>) is building research infrastructure for a new field of science: safe and trustworthy AI for aerial autonomy, also called AIrTonomy. The center, launched through a partnership<\/a> with Windracers<\/a>, is pioneering efforts to apply AI and machine learning. AIDA3 <\/sup>wants to ensure the safety and efficiency of autonomous air systems as private and public enterprises race to develop new UAV technologies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Damon Lercel, an assistant professor in the Purdue Polytechnic Institute\u2019s School of Aviation and Transportation Technology (SATT), is among the core faculty members of AIDA3<\/sup>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe\u2019re determining how artificial intelligence, machine learning and additional technologies can assist with managing the entire ecosystem of drones and UAVs,\u201d Lercel said. \u201cOur research continues to explore how these next-generation aviation technologies can either improve safety, improve efficiency or improve public good.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n AIDA3<\/sup> faculty conduct their research under five pillars:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lercel, a 30-year aviation veteran, is involved in research that meshes the nation\u2019s current air traffic control system with the influx of drones expected to be flying in the coming years. He noted there are close to a million drones already registered in the United States, compared with about 225,000 traditional aircraft.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOur current air traffic control system model just isn\u2019t going to support the enormous number of autonomous vehicles that are going to eventually be operating in our airspace,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On the ground, AIDA3<\/sup> research is working to flip the current ratio of a few people operating one UAV. Inseok Hwang, interim director of AIDA3<\/sup>, said the goal is to utilize AI so that one operator can simultaneously coordinate multiple UAVs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Students already are working with UAS operation at the Purdue UAS Research and Test Facility<\/a> (PURT), located on the grounds of Purdue University Airport.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The 600,000-cubic-foot former aircraft hangar was transformed into the world\u2019s largest indoor motion-capture facility with technology that is 100 times more accurate than GPS. The motion-capture system offers unmatched precision to develop the control systems essential for a future of mobility in the skies. The huge interior volume allows students to fly many types of drones, including fixed-wing craft, in a space protected from weather.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe\u2019re trying to look at how you ensure safe, reliable operations of unmanned vehicles using some artificial intelligence or other kinds of autonomy,\u201d Crossley said. \u201cPURT allows us to build that up in a way that we\u2019re testing everything safely and in a controlled environment so that we know we\u2019ve got a handle on how these aircraft are going to operate.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n On the pilot front, Purdue Polytechnic Institute\u2019s SATT announced in February<\/a> that the Federal Aviation Administration selected its unmanned aerial systems program for the Unmanned Aircraft Systems-Collegiate Training Initiative. Purdue Polytechnic offers a comprehensive Bachelor of Science in unmanned aerial systems and is charting the path toward advanced air mobility technologies and large-scale, autonomous mission applications. The program aims to provide students with an impactful learning experience focused on next-generation autonomous aviation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Purdue University also announced an\u00a0online graduate certificate<\/a>\u00a0in advanced unmanned aerial systems to meet the demand for UAV operators and managers. The program provides a foundational understanding of UAS laws and how to operate UAVs safely and ethically within modern airspaces. The graduate certificate will prepare learners to earn the Federal Aviation Administration\u2019s remote pilot certification.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Purdue University is a public research university leading with excellence at scale. Ranked among top 10 public universities in the United States, Purdue discovers, disseminates and deploys knowledge with a quality and at a scale second to none. More than 106,000 students study at Purdue across multiple campuses, locations and modalities, including more than 57,000 at our main campus locations in West Lafayette and Indianapolis. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue\u2019s main campus has frozen tuition 14 years in a row. See how Purdue never stops in the persistent pursuit of the next giant leap \u2014 including its integrated, comprehensive Indianapolis urban expansion; the Mitch Daniels School of Business; Purdue Computes; and the One Health initiative \u2014 at https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/president\/strategic-initiatives<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\nAI, the next frontier<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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From the sky to the control room<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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About Purdue University<\/h2>\n\n\n\n