Autonomous Systems

Our goal is to drive the world-changing developments of autonomous systems.

UND, Grand Forks and North Dakota have set the pace for groundbreaking technology in autonomous systems.

Leaders in Autonomous Systems

UND has led integration of uncrewed aircraft systems (UASs) into the National Airspace System, including:

• The establishment of a beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) network that will directly benefit our agriculture and energy sectors.
• Supporting defense-related research as part of UND’s National Security Initiative, including development of autonomous systems/human-machine teams (from the ground to space) that enhance mission effectiveness and evaluation of counter autonomy systems.
• North Dakota and its UAS ecosystem are positioned to drive one of the nation’s fastest-growing industries.
• The UND Research Institute for Autonomous Systems (RIAS) has yielded major funding from the FAA for detect and avoid technology, and industry partnerships with companies such as Xcel Energy have yielded benefits for both industry and UND.

The UND Difference

UND’s history and demonstrated expertise has set the foundation for expanding extending UND’s research capacity in UAS/Autonomy and mobility across Surface-Maritime-Air-Space (SMAS) domains, from ground vehicles to UAVs and to the emerging paradigms of satellite architecture for defense and commercial applications.

Through our research, we partner with industry to help develop U.S. made systems and train the workforce to build, innovate, and transform them. We are enabling “realizable autonomy” through developing solutions to challenges in:

• NAS Integration
• Command Systems
• Data (networks, computing power, edge computing)
• AI (including trust and decision-making)
• Communications
• Cybersecurity
• Materials and
• Energy

UND’s Capabilities

• Best in the nation UAS ecosystem: academic research, training and education; FAA-authorized UAS Test Site; multiple start-ups involved in UAS flight, data acquisition and analysis; major defense contractors Northrop Grumman and General Atomics; Grand Sky UAS Business Park.
• Produced a string of firsts in the nation including "detect-and-avoid” and “beyond visual line of sight” research.
• Seed funding provided to recruit post-doctoral researchers and promote multidisciplinary research.
• Home to the first four-year undergraduate UAS degree.

Benefits to North Dakota

• UND’s UAS research supports the growing private sector ecosystem responsible for economic development and job creation with both technological and workforce development.
• Combines with Big Data research to extract maximum value from UAS derived data (e.g., imagery, sensor data).