FACILITY FOCUS flying UAVs to gather data that can be analyzed by scientists to improve weather predictions and early warning systems for tornadoes. Nisar Ahmed is developing collaborative human and autonomous robot vehicle systems and machine learning and artificial intelligence for aerospace applications. An assistant professor in Ann and H.J. Smead Aerospace Engineering Sciences at CU Boulder, Ahmed's work is advancing how people and robots interact and work with each other. Jorge Poveda is finding ways to improve how autonomous systems overcome problems they encounter on the job. By combining concepts from artificial intelligence Members of the GEER team watch a drone take off from the Spanish Hills neighborhood. (Photo: Casey Cass/CU Boulder) The team hopes to better understand the disaster from a uniquely engineering perspective. They have utilized laser sensors to create 3D models of homes and retaining structures burned in the fire. The engineers have also deployed flying vehicles like the quadcopter drones - on loan from the NSF-funded RAPID facility at the University of Washington. A team of CU Boulder engineers is designing next-generation uncrewed aircraft systems to fly into the heart of supercell thunderstorms that can spawn tornadoes. The goal of the research is to develop a drone that can fly as close to a storm as possible and then deploy a series of helium balloon probes carrying sensor packages that will be sucked into the center of the storms at altitude and report back data on the conditions inside. These systems will eventually be deployed in the field during storm-chasing campaigns. Professor of Aerospace Engineering Sciences Eric Frew and colleagues at CU Boulder have made numerous multi-week excursions across the Great Plains following supercell storms and Tech Briefs, May 2022 and machine learning with wellknown control theories, Poveda and his team have begun applying these algorithms and techniques to engineering problems in a variety of contexts, including autonomous multi-vehicle systems, smart power grids, and traffic light systems able to autonomously adjust their behavior in real time to minimize congestion. New research led by the University of Colorado Boulder has uncovered the engineering secrets behind what makes fish fins so strong yet flexible. The team's insights could one day lead to Smead Scholar Alex Hirst, a graduate researcher, helps get a drone ready for launch. (Photo: CU Boulder) www.techbriefs.com 57 TB Facility Focus 0522_1.indd 57 Cov ToC 4/19/22 9:38 AMhttp://www.techbriefs.com http://info.hotims.com/82321-809