Collaborative Research: An Expedition in Computing for Compiling Printable Programmable Machines
Lead PI:
Vijay Kumar
Co-PI:
Abstract
This project envisions a future desktop technology that prints actual programmable hybrid electro-mechanical devices from only their sketches on-demand, anywhere with the skill of a team of professional engineers using advanced materials. It would transform manufacturing as dramatically as the personal computer democratized information technology and transformed how we communicate.
The capability to customize cyber-physical systems on-demand would change how contingencies are planned.
Performance Period: 04/01/2012 - 03/31/2019
Institution: University of Pennsylvania
Sponsor: National Science Foundation
Award Number: 1138847
Abstract
As more of the world's cities suffer from congestion, pollution, and energy exploitation, urban mobility remains one of the toughest challenges that cities face as the process of population growth and urbanization continues. So far, the most common approach for urban mobility characterization focuses on vehicle's spatial and temporal positions. However, urban mobility is a multidimensional characteristic of the city life, experienced as tangled layers of interconnected infrastructures and information networks around people and their needs in a spatio-emporal frame.
Performance Period: 09/01/2016 - 02/28/2019
Institution: Florida State University
Sponsor: National Science Foundation
Award Number: 1640587
CPS: Synergy: Collaborative Research: MRI Powered & Guided Tetherless Effectors for Localized Therapeutic Interventions
Lead PI:
Aaron Becker
Co-PI:
Abstract
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scanners use strong magnetic fields to safely image soft tissues deep inside the body. They offer a unique tool for guiding therapies: images while patient is inside the scanner can localize diseased tissue and guide an intervention with high accuracy. This research controls MRI magnetic fields to wirelessly push millimeter-scale robots through vessels in the body, assemble them into tools, and provide targeted drug delivery or pierce tissue.
Performance Period: 01/01/2017 - 12/31/2019
Institution: University of Houston
Sponsor: National Science Foundation
Award Number: 1646566
CRII: CPS: Provably-safe Interventions for Human-Cyber-Physical Systems (HCPS)
Lead PI:
Sam Burden
Abstract
Human interaction with the physical world is increasingly mediated by autonomy, as planes assist pilots, robots assist surgeons, and cars assist drivers. Automation is introduced in such systems to aid humans and guarantee safety and performance. However, such guarantees are hard to provide, since humans may misunderstand the automation's intentions or behave in an unanticipated manner; tragic examples like the crash of Air France flight 447 illustrate that such confusion between pilots and autopilots can lead to catastrophic outcomes.
Sam Burden
Sam Burden earned his BS with Honors in Electrical Engineering from the University of Washington in Seattle in 2008. He earned his PhD in Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences from the University of California in Berkeley in 2014, where he subsequently spent one year as a Postdoctoral Scholar. In 2015, he returned to UW EE (now ECE) as an Assistant Professor, where he received awards for research (Young Investigator Program, Army Research Office, 2016; CAREER, National Science Foundation, M3X program, 2021) and service (Junior Faculty Award, UW College of Engineering, 2021). Sam served as his Department’s (first) Associate Chair for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in 2021–2022 and was promoted to Associate Professor with tenure in 2022. He is broadly interested in discovering and formalizing principles of sensorimotor control. Specifically, he focuses on applications in robotics, neuroengineering, and (human-)cyber-physical systems. Sam lives with chronic illness, and is happy to meet with anyone who identifies as disabled or chronically ill.
Performance Period: 04/01/2016 - 03/31/2018
Institution: University of Washington
Sponsor: National Science Foundation
Award Number: 1565529
Abstract
Manufacturing, and especially advanced manufacturing, is a key element of long-term U.S. prosperity and national security. Advanced manufacturing is at the threshold of the next major revolution catalyzed by advances in networking and Internet technologies. A new generation of agile and 'information based manufacturing' will involve collaborative use of cyber physical resources, simulation and other design/manufacturing tools. In this project, the manufacturing domain of interest is an emerging field called Micro Devices Assembly (MDA).
Performance Period: 10/01/2014 - 09/30/2018
Institution: Oklahoma State University
Sponsor: National Science Foundation
Award Number: 1447237
Abstract
Urban communities are facing many challenges due to the increasing complexity of urban life, declining urban services and growing health and economic disparities. While diverse stakeholders are engaged in understanding and solving these issues, progress has not been commensurate with the effort, attributed partially to the limited collaboration and data sharing. The persistence of obesity disparities in early childhood is one example of the negative consequences of such isolated efforts. Obesity is a multi-faced health outcome.
Performance Period: 09/01/2016 - 08/31/2018
Institution: Wayne State University
Sponsor: National Science Foundation
Award Number: 1637312
Abstract
1637258 / 1637249
Yu, Nanpeng / Dong, Bing
By 2050, 70% of the world's population is projected to live and work in cities, with buildings as major constituents. Buildings' energy consumption contributes to more than 70% of electricity use, with people spending more than 90% of their time in buildings. Future cities with innovative, optimized building designs and operations have the potential to play a pivotal role in reducing energy consumption, curbing greenhouse gas emissions, and maintaining stable electric-grid operations.
Performance Period: 09/01/2016 - 08/31/2018
Institution: University of Texas at San Antonio
Sponsor: National Science Foundation
Award Number: 1637249
Abstract
This EArly-Concept Grant for Exploratory Research (EAGER) project will design an analytic model for assessing a community's resilience and analyzing the multi-dimensional effects of a crisis or disaster on the population. The research will provide new insights into network theory and how network characteristics affect transmission of hazard and risk warnings within communities. The outcomes of this effort will provide alternate approaches to planning and response, and develop the foundation for analyzing dynamic changes in social network structure that occur as crises unfold.
Performance Period: 09/15/2016 - 08/31/2018
Institution: University of Louisiana at Lafayette
Sponsor: National Science Foundation
Award Number: 1637343
Abstract
Every year around 30,000 fatalities and 2.2 million injuries happen on US roads. The problem is compounded with huge economic losses due to traffic congestions. Advances in Cooperative Vehicle Efficiency and Safety (CVES) systems promise to significantly reduce the human and economic cost of transportation. However, large scale deployment of such systems is impeded by significant technical and scientific gaps, especially when it comes to achieving real-time and high accuracy situational awareness for cooperating vehicles.
Performance Period: 08/08/2016 - 04/30/2020
Institution: University of Central Florida
Sponsor: National Science Foundation
Award Number: 1664968
Abstract
Over the past two decades, cities across the country have experienced a tremendous growth in cycling. As cities expand and improve their bicycle networks, local governments and bicycle associations are looking into ways of making cycling in urban areas safer. However, one of the main obstacles in decreasing the number of bicycle crashes is the lack of information regarding cycling safety at the street level. Historically, Bicycle Level of Service (BLOS) models have been used to measure street safety.
Performance Period: 07/15/2016 - 06/30/2018
Institution: University of Maryland College Park
Sponsor: National Science Foundation
Award Number: 1636915