TII's Secure Systems Research Center (SSRC) has partnered with Purdue University on a three-year cybersecurity project focused on ensuring the safe and efficient use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) in urban environments. The collaboration will study security and resilience in cyber-physical and autonomous systems, addressing vulnerabilities in communication, navigation, and command and control. The project includes four phases: modeling and analysis of UAS security, developing algorithms for high-assurance autonomy, constructing an experimental environment, and testing mitigation strategies. Why it matters: The partnership enhances the UAE's capabilities in securing critical digital systems and fosters the growth of commercial autonomous drones and robots, opening new opportunities for enterprises.
This paper details an autonomous cooperative wall-building system using UAVs developed for Challenge 2 of the MBZIRC 2020 competition. The system employs scanning, RGB-D detection, precise grasping, and multi-UAV coordination to place bricks on a wall. The CTU-UPenn-NYU approach achieved the highest score in the competition by correctly placing the most bricks. Why it matters: This demonstrates advanced capabilities in robotics and autonomous systems relevant for construction and infrastructure development in challenging environments.
This paper presents a fully autonomous micro aerial vehicle (MAV) developed to pop balloons using onboard sensing and computing. The system was evaluated at the Mohamed Bin Zayed International Robotics Challenge (MBZIRC) 2020. The MAV successfully popped all five balloons in under two minutes in each of the three competition runs. Why it matters: This demonstrates the potential of autonomous robotics and computer vision for real-world applications in challenging environments.
The Autonomous Robotics Research Center (ARRC) at TII won the Nanocopter AI Challenge 2022, part of the International Micro Air Vehicle Conference. The challenge involved developing AI-enabled solutions for Bitcraze’s Crazyflie nanocopters to perform vision-based obstacle avoidance. The ARRC team's nano-drone completed a 110m flight in 5 minutes with no crashes in a dynamic environment. Why it matters: This victory demonstrates the growing expertise in autonomous robotics and AI-powered drone technology within the UAE, with potential applications in search and rescue, industrial inspection, and precision agriculture.
TII's Secure Systems Research Center in Abu Dhabi has integrated a secure PX4 stack into a RISC-V based drone, marking a milestone in making RISC-V UAV systems a reality. The center ported DroneCode's PX4 open source software to RISC-V using a commercially available RISC-V development platform. SSRC aims to improve the security and resilience of the PX4 flight control software and NuttX real-time OS, contributing modifications back to the open-source community. Why it matters: This achievement enhances TII's position in drone and autonomous systems research, contributing to safer and more efficient smart city applications in the region.
TII's Secure Systems Research Center (SSRC) has joined Dronecode, a Linux Foundation non-profit, to enhance UAV security. SSRC will contribute to Dronecode's Security SIG, focusing on cryptography, memory protection, and code analysis for the Pixhawk autopilot hardware and PX4 software. SSRC aims to develop and share security and resilience capabilities for the open UAV platform. Why it matters: This partnership enhances the security of drone systems, addressing potential privacy, cybersecurity, and safety threats in line with the UAE's focus on secure autonomous systems.
The Technology Innovation Institute (TII) and Resource Industries have partnered to integrate autonomous air system technologies into operational defense platforms. The collaboration will embed TII's research, including synthetic aperture radar (SAR) and radio frequency (RF) magnetic mapping, into Resource Industries' aerial platforms. The aim is to enhance intelligence gathering and decision-making in complex environments. Why it matters: This partnership signifies the UAE's commitment to advancing its defense capabilities through indigenous innovation and autonomous systems, aligning with national strategies for technological advancement.
This paper presents two robotic systems developed for the MBZIRC 2020 competition, designed for autonomous wall construction. The systems utilize a UGV with 3D LiDAR for precise brick pose estimation and a UAV employing real-time visual servoing. The authors report results from the competition and lab experiments, discussing lessons learned from the autonomous wall-building task. Why it matters: The work highlights advancements in mobile manipulation and autonomous robotics, with potential applications in construction and infrastructure development in the region.