While emerging technologies like artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things have the potential to revolutionize many aspects of our lives, the daily work of developing digital infrastructures that can apply them in beneficial ways is often overlooked - which requires building safe and secure systems that function autonomously, with high reliability and security. This effort characterizes research conducted at the University of South Florida's Resilient, Autonomous, Networked Control Systems Research Group.
The group's director, Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering Arman Sargolzaei, says the ultimate goal is to improve people's lives.
"The core objective of RANCS is to contribute to a smarter world by investing in the autonomy of NCSs (networked control systems). However, while autonomy offers significant benefits, it also introduces potential risks to system safety and security. Therefore, the lab strongly emphasizes the resiliency of NCSs, ensuring that these systems can effectively withstand and recover from disruptions, thereby providing robustness and reliability in the face of challenges."
Resilient, autonomous, networked control systems (RANCS) are a new type of control system designed to be more reliable and adaptable than traditional control systems. They have features such as autonomous decision-making, networked communication, and resilient design, which help them to overcome the challenges of operating in complex and rapidly changing environments.
For example, a RANCS could be used to safely navigate a route in a self-driving car. In this case, the RANCS would need to make autonomous decisions about navigating the car, such as when to change lanes or stop at a red light. The autonomous car would also need to communicate with other vehicles and infrastructure, such as traffic lights, to avoid accidents. Additionally, the system would need to be designed to be resilient to failures, such as sensor malfunction, software glitches, and even cyber-attacks.
Besides driverless vehicle applications, the monitoring and response capabilities of RANCSs are also used in manufacturing to control machinery. They can also be helpful in medical settings to improve healthcare and reduce costs by autonomously keeping an eye on patients and operating medical equipment.
Sargolzaei brought the RANCS lab to USF's College of Engineering when he relocated from Tennessee Technological University in 2022.
"USF, being a well-established research university, provides an ideal environment for the RANCS lab to thrive." Sargolzaei, who has doctorates in mechanical and electrical engineering, adds that the university is getting interest from students serious about research.
"One of the key factors that made USF an attractive choice for the lab's relocation is the presence of talented undergraduate and graduate students who can actively contribute to RANCS lab's research projects. USF's ability to attract and nurture skilled students ensures a vibrant and dynamic research community within the lab, fostering innovation and collaboration."
One way the RANCS Research Group supports USF students is through the Bulls Racing Team, of which Sargolzaei is the faculty advisor. The students build single-seat, open-wheel cars designed to compete against other college automotive teams, providing them with real-world engineering experiences. A recent capstone project involved collaboration between the team and lab to develop a driving simulator that provides teaching and research benefits.
"This joint effort demonstrates the practical application of the lab's research and the opportunity for Bulls Racing members to engage in real-world projects," says Sargolzaei, who adds that the team is looking ahead to developing electric vehicles in the future, with an eye toward developing autonomous racing cars.
Besides autonomous transportation, a field in which Sargolzaei received an NSF Career award, the span of research projects the RANCS Research Group is involved with is expansive, ranging from securing cyber-physical systems that connect infrastructure to the Internet and other systems to applying NCS principles to understand better how the brain's neurons communicate with each other.