In this project, the investigators will configure air-to-ground networks with a small fleet of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to conduct experiments with two goals: (1) explore several research themes in wireless communications and networking in order to improve the reliability and efficiency of future wireless systems, (2) enhance the learning experience of graduate/undergraduate students by allowing them to conduct hands-on course projects to concretize their understanding of various components of wireless communications and networking. A key component of these goals is the use of UAVs, whose use is growing rapidly, for an ever-expanding variety of applications. Outcomes of this project will benefit a variety of communities, e.g., public safety, commercial users, UAV manufacturers, etc. In addition, the project will train a group of students at both the undergraduate and graduate levels with insights on communication, antennas, and networks. Ultimately the students can become important members of the workforce in a variety of communities. Future collaborations with other university and local organizations who may use UAVs will also be explored.
This project, SC-CAN, provides the necessary impetus to research efforts at University of South Carolina at Columbia towards advancing the state of the art in various aspects of wireless communication and networking related to UAVs. This includes (1) enabling research in developing new channel models for airborne networks in various environments and for providing highly dependable wireless services by detecting and localizing jamming attacks, (2) facilitating redesign of wireless protocols that utilize physical layer knowledge to improve spectrum usage and consequently increase network throughput significantly, (3) analysis and enhancement of the privacy and security of airborne networks, and (4) providing tools and evaluation platforms for research on designing reconfigurable antenna systems. This research will be made possible by the new laboratory equipment and UAVs, which will enable a great variety of experiments on a wide range of issues in UAV communications and networking.
