AEROSPACE ENGINEERING STRATEGIC VISION /// 2022-2027
Resilient Autonomous systems
Technology (artificial intelligence, sensors, communication system links) coupled with marketplace pull is ushering in the era of autonomous systems. Autonomous technology is increasingly being used for commercial drones and will eventually enable advanced air mobility (AAM). The military is embracing autonomy as means of improving effectiveness and it is anticipated that by 2050, 50% of military aircraft could be autonomous or tied to uncrewed aircraft.
We are facing the last development of crewed military aircraft; the future is autonomous. Autonomous technology is required to unlock the potential of AAM, and it is imperative that existing systems, processes and people are given the tools to guide us into this new era.
To meet these demands, airspace and air traffic management will need to be overhauled to accommodate autonomous and manned systems and regulatory competition will take place between countries to be early adopters of autonomous systems.
WHY MICHIGAN?
The advance of autonomous vehicles relies on systems informed by many, well beyond the regular bounds of a single department. Our work is informed and influenced by others, and it’s all connected to develop the resilient systems we’ll need in the next age of Aerospace Engineering. Our colleagues in Industrial and Operations Engineering, Computer Science, and Robotics bring expertise in this field, and we will collaborate with them to produce, together, what we need for the future.
Individual and swarm vehicles
We are poised to build on U-M’s global reputation in aerospace vehicle guidance, navigation and control. Multi-vehicle and cooperative control expertise needs to connect the built vehicle of today to the swarms of tomorrow. New technologies will enable end-to-end resilient and redundant guidance and control systems in demand for individual aircraft and spacecraft, swarms, and formations.
Artificial intelligence in autonomous vehicles
Autonomous mission planning and execution fundamentally change what operators are deciding and doing. Strategic artificial intelligence will compute and present mission and tactical options to collaborators, enabling human-machine teams to maximize situational awareness and to adapt in real-time as vehicles and transportation systems become increasingly complex.
Integration into legacy systems
The next developments will build on U-M’s core rotorcraft knowledge to address new advanced air mobility challenges, focusing on vehicle reliability and real-time software development and integration to design, test, and simulate new concepts in autonomous vehicles. Our experts have led the advances of the aircraft environment and as we transform autonomous aircraft and systems, that adaptation will be critical. The people and structure of today’s flight systems need to be equipped for tomorrow’s autonomous future.