Research

Our current research scope includes the following topics:

  • Testing and Evaluation
  • Cyber-Physical Systems
  • Intelligent Robotics and Unmanned Systems
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Data Analytics

Current and Past Projects

The Test Resource Management Center Project

In 2017, the ACIT Institute secured a federal contract through the Test Resource Management Center within the U.S. Department of Defense. N.C. A&T leads the multi-year contract, with a value of $5.3 million and the goal of creating a data-driven intelligent prediction tool for the testing and evaluation (T&E) of unmanned autonomous systems (UAS) such as drones, rovers or other air and ground vehicles. 

The contract will be completed in three phases: the development of T&E algorithms, simulation and soft testing, and finally the implementation of the algorithms on actual Department of Defense platforms. For phases one and two, the Georgia Tech Research Institute will provide a team of unmanned vehicles for the project, with the ability to collaboratively search for ground targets using onboard vision processing.

The TECHLAV Project

One of the Centers under the ACIT Institute is the Testing, Evaluation, and Control of Heterogeneous Large-scale Systems of Autonomous Vehicles (TECHLAV) Center, which is funded by the DoD Air Force Research Laboratory as a Center of Excellence in Autonomy. The TECHLAV Center comprises a strong multi-disciplinary team and synergizes expertise in Control, Communication and Human Cognition from N.C. A&T and its collaborator, the University of Texas at San Antonio. TECHLAV addresses fundamental problems in modeling, analysis, control, coordination, test and evaluation of autonomous systems, serves as a national resource in education and research in autonomy, provides outreach services in autonomy related areas, fosters linkages among national institutions of higher education, government agencies and private companies, and commercializes TECHLAV technologies for the benefit of the national economy.

CrIS UTC

The goal of the Crash Imminent Safety (CrIS) and University Transportation Center is to improve ground transportation safety through interdisciplinary research and development in the interplay of autonomous and intelligent vehicle systems, human factors, and injury biomechanics. Research includes developing advanced accident simulators, statistical modeling, analyzing past accidents, and developing autonomous vehicles. The UTC research team includes collaborative work performed at the Ohio State University, N.C. A&T, the University of Wisconsin – Madison, the University of Massachusetts, and Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis.