A University of Kentucky researcher has received a National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER Award worth $534,264 over five years to develop safer coordination between drones and autonomous vehicles.
Yang Xiao, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Computer Science in the UK Stanley and Karen Pigman College of Engineering, leads the project. Called RESONET (REsilient and Secure Operation of NETworked real-time systems), the framework addresses real-time communication between autonomous drone fleets and self-driving vehicles.
Drone Fleet Coordination Under Real-World Conditions
Current autonomous systems rely on reactive safety features like adaptive cruise control. These tools help individual vehicles avoid collisions but do not enable coordination between multiple systems. RESONET treats decision-making within and between systems as one continuous process.
The framework targets applications with direct drone relevance. These include drone swarm control, fleet management, and search-and-rescue operations. Xiao sees growing urgency as UAVs fill more airspace alongside autonomous ground vehicles.
“If we imagine future transportation scenes where the roads are flooded with autonomous vehicles and the skies are congested by UAVs, we do not want them to suffer from large-scale cascading disasters just because a single sensor on one vehicle fails,” said Xiao.
Building Fault-Tolerant Drone Fleet Coordination
RESONET provides a redundancy-based reliability guardrail for autonomous actions. The system aims to maintain coordinated control even when sensors fail or cyberattacks occur. In drone fleet control, the framework supports coordinated dodging maneuvers and mission synchronization for search-and-rescue missions.
“In vehicle platooning, the ability to maintain coordinated control despite sensor-processor failures or cyberattacks is the difference between a minor technical glitch and a catastrophic pile-up,” said Xiao.
The NSF funding supports prototyping materials, proof-of-concept testing, and hardware-in-the-loop validation. Xiao noted that Eastern Kentucky’s recent natural disasters make drone fleet coordination technology especially relevant to the region.
Workforce Development in Drone Cybersecurity
Beyond the technical research, the project trains students in distributed systems, network security, and applied cryptography. Graduates will carry skills needed to protect critical drone and autonomous vehicle infrastructure.
The CAREER Award is one of the “most prestigious awards in support of the early career-development activities of those teacher-scholars who most effectively integrate research and education within the context of the mission of their organization,” according to NSF.
Learn more about the University of Kentucky Stanley and Karen Pigman College of Engineering.
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Ian McNabb is a journalist focusing on drone technology and lifestyle content at Dronelife. He is based between Boston and NH and, when not writing, enjoys hiking and Boston area sports.
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