University of Cincinnati UTM Project Ges $1M Funding

A University of Cincinnati project to develop a new management system for unmanned aircrafts secured nearly $1 million in federal grants last week. The Regional Unmanned Traffic Management System (RUTMS) was one of 33 projects submitted to the Ohio Federal Research Network, a state-funded organization that funds research and development initiatives at 11 Ohio colleges and universities.

RUTMS is led by a research team at UC’s College of Engineering and Applied Sciences. It aims to develop RouteMaster – an air traffic management system that will allow drones and other unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) to avoid each other mid-flight, even if those systems operate on different controls.

Sinclair College, a longtime contributor to drone research, collaborated with UC on the project. Other partners include Springfield-based Demeter, Inc. and Simlat, an Israeli software company.

“The framework of the OFRN encouraged us to consider partnering, and we are stronger for it,” said professor Kelly Cohen, who co-directs UC’s UAV master lab, in an email. “We are extremely excited to work together to develop an innovative product towards commercialization.”

Projects were evaluated based on alignment to federal research needs, project feasibility, budget and cost share, potential economic impacts and team qualifications. Just 17 research teams were invited to submit a full proposal this round. Of those, UC was one of four institutions that split more than $6.3 million in federal aid.

Other grant recipients include:

·      Brushless Doubly-Fed Machine (BDFM) and Drive System – Ohio State University

·      Autonomous/ Remote Piloted “Air Uber” System – Persistent Surveillance Systems, Dayton

·      UAS Detect-and-Avoid Sensor Fusion – Ghostwave, Inc., Columbus

UC’s aerial research is also supported with grants from the National Science Foundation, Air Force Research Laboratory, NASA Ames and Langley, Ohio Department of Transportation and the Department of Homeland Security.

Image: NASA

Source: Cincinnati Business Courrier