Najjaran, Homayoun (The University of British Columbia)

Purpose

The outcome of research in the global robotics and mechatronics community over the past two decades has revolutionized both the aerospace and automotive industries by providing the technologies used in unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and self-driving cars. A number of automotive and aerospace manufacturers, as well as high-tech companies, have made substantial investments in their research and development programs to introduce the first flawless and fully autonomous vehicle technology and to gain a greater share of the market. However, the fate of these investments is linked to acceptance and adoption of autonomous technology by regulators and the public . The proposed research program focuses on improving the robustness of autonomous vehicle technology for safer and more reliable UAVs and self-driving cars. This goal will be achieved by investigating every component of the autonomous navigation process with specific emphasis on the following three aspects.