Connected Autonomous Vehicles Engineering and Operations

Autonomous vehicles have the potential to revolutionise how we travel, transport goods, deal with hazardous situations, explore hostile environments and conduct warfare.

Like all robotic systems effective functionality is based on sensing technologies and control systems operating effectively across the wide range of real-world conditions.

Our work addresses some of the main challenges of automated vehicles. We are developing new approaches to design control systems for drones and conducting research into methods to validate and verify the operation of autonomous vehicles. Truly transdisciplinary in nature, our expertise spans road safety, aerospace, agricultural and environmental sciences, computer science and engineering. Our current research falls into three key themes which tackle both current and future issues around machine autonomy.

Capability areas for IM

Development of unmanned vehicle system technologies

We are developing advanced algorithms and methods for controlling unmanned systems including autopilot, autonomous taxiing, situation awareness, path planning, and decision-making. These technologies not only increase the level of autonomous intelligence of unmanned vehicles, but also support the safe operation of vehicles by human drivers.

Safety of unmanned vehicle system technologies

Our research in this area includes the development contingency management to enable safe operation of CAVs and, more importantly, the development of new techniques to support verification and validation of new autonomous functions and systems to provide assurance.

Applications of autonomous system technologies

This is a growing research direction, including the applications of artificial intelligence, data mining and autonomous system technologies in a wide range of sectors, from intelligent mobility and defence to agriculture and environment monitoring.

Research Projects

CAV Simulation

Platfom Independent Model Driven Architectures for Future Vehicle Systems

EU FP7 Danse: Air Traffic Managment

EU FP7 Danse: Framework for Future Integrated Transport System Architecture