Category: News

UTARI is excited to share that Dr. Nicholas Gans, principal research scientist and head of the Automation and Intelligent Systems Division at the University of Texas at Arlington Research Institute, will be presenting a groundbreaking research paper at the IEEE RO-MAN 2025 conference in Eindhoven, Netherlands, taking place August 25–29.

The IEEE RO-MAN conference is a leading forum where state-of-the-art innovative results and the latest developments, as well as future perspectives relating to Human-Robot Interaction are presented and discussed. The conference covers a broad spectrum of topics related to Human-Robot Interaction, including theories, methods, technologies and empirical and experimental studies.

The theme of this year’s IEEE RO-MAN conference is “Shaping our hybrid future with robots together.” For people with vision impairment, the ability to navigate the world independently is not just a matter of convenience but of dignity, confidence, and freedom. In line with this theme, the UTARI paper supported by the National Science Foundation, “Field Testing an Assistive Robot Teleoperation System for People who are Legally Blind,” by Vishwaak C. Thamaraiselvan, Param D. Salunkhe, Michail Theofanidis and Nicholas R. Gans, presents the preliminary study on enabling individuals who are legally blind to safely operate mobile robots and vehicles. Designed with accessibility at its core, the teleoperation system incorporates features that enhance usability and situational awareness, including assistive control based on artificial potential fields to prevent collisions and ensure smooth navigation.

For more information about IEEE RO-MAN 2025, visit www.ro-man2025.org

Governor Greg Abbott made it official this week at a luncheon in Fort Worth that Fort Worth is now the Aviation and Defense Capital of Texas. The designation, introduced by state Representatives Charlie Geren and John McQueeney and sponsored by Texas Comptroller and former Senator Kelly Hancock, acknowledges Fort Worth’s enduring leadership in aerospace and defense manufacturing, technology, and innovation. News Article.

The resolution recognizes the city’s deep history from the B-36 Peacemaker and B-58 Hustler to the modern-day F-35 and Bell’s cutting-edge rotorcraft. It also points to a future fueled by advanced research and development. At the heart of this transformation are institutions like the University of Texas at Arlington Research Institute at Fort Worth, whose Institute for Predictive Performance methodologies and Autonomous and Intelligent Systems teams are advancing technologies critical to the sector’s next era.

The IPPM team is constantly researching and experimenting, which contributes to the development of better, newer, and more advanced aerospace and defense worthy heterogeneous materials like ceramic, carbon fiber, polymer, and metal based composites. Working with these high tech composites requires a huge computationally oriented approach as well as rigorous experimental validation. Focused on performance prediction for advanced composites and materials through the development of special material analysis, characterization, and assessment methods such as material structural health monitoring, finite element analysis, multiphysics analysis, multiscale modeling, and so on, IPPM is breaking barriers in material science. These allow prediction of future performance on the basis of the current condition of materials. IPPM researchers are bringing innovation to the table that enables smarter, lighter, and more resilient aerospace and defense technologies. Some of the significant contributions by IPPM towards aerospace research are as follows:

1. Design, Manufacture, Evaluation, and Multi-physical Modeling of Aerospace Composite Materials for Enhanced Reliability ;(NASA: 15540-FC36)
2. “Modeling, simulation and sensing of progressive damage at multiple scales for performance prognosis in metallic composite aero structures”, Air Force Office of Scientific Research, 2009-2012
3. Strong Research presentations at 2025 ASME Aerospace Structures, Structural Dynamics, and Materials (SSDM) conference reinforcing UTARI’s role as a leader in the ASME community.

Researchers from the Automation and Intelligent Systems team are engaged in developing navigation and control algorithms for a wide variety of vehicles and tasks. Their current research involves coordinated swarm and formation, self-relieving UAVs to ensure uninterrupted coverage. Recently, NASA has awarded AIS with a $1 million dollar grant through its University Leadership Initiative to address safety in autonomous aviation. This is testament to UTARI’s growing presence in aerospace and aviation research. In addition, UTARI boasts a state-of-the-art Autonomous Systems Lab (ASL) that is a cornerstone for autonomous drone and robot testing.

The University of Texas at Arlington is expanding its research and innovation capabilities by building a state-of-the-art outdoor netted drone facility called MAVRC: Maverick Autonomous Vehicle Research Center. With a planned inauguration in September, the MAVRC will allow for safe outdoor testing of advanced autonomous aerial vehicles while meeting all FAA regulations. The autonomous aerial vehicles tested in this facility will have a wide range of applications.

Developed by the researchers at The University of Texas Research Institute, the Adaptive Spine Board is a revolutionary instrument that can be implemented atop a standard stretcher or spine board to reduce pressure injuries caused by long immobilization during emergency rescues. The air-cell technology and sensor-driven pressure modulation used in its construction are significantly better at redistributing pressure than traditional evacuation surfaces. This is particularly a game changer for patients who cannot be repositioned during transport. Not only will it minimize the possibility of further injuries but also save significant costs in additional health care expenses each year. To learn more visit: https://www.uta.edu/news/news-releases/2025/07/07/adaptive-spine-board-could-revolutionize-er-transport

Dr. Shiyao Lin has been awarded funding from the Research Enhancement Program administered by UTA’s Office of Vice President for Research and Innovation for his project Novel Damage-Tolerant Composites Enabled by Hybrid Biomimetic Designs and Multi-Material Additive Manufacturing.

Read the full article and learn more about the Research Enhancement Program here.

Dr. Veysel Erel and Dr. Muthu Wijesundara have been awarded a new patent for their “Corrugated Diaphragm Actuator.” This invention presents a mechanical actuator that utilizes a corrugated diaphragm as the actuator element. In particular, the actuator consists of one or more corrugated diaphragms positioned on one or more walls of a pressurizable chamber. When pressure is applied to the chamber via an inlet using air or liquid (pneumatic or hydraulic), the corrugated diaphragm expands, generating both displacement and force. This novel idea can be implemented in various applications such as robotic joints, exoskeletons, end-effectors, and tilting, raising, and leveling platforms.

Patent number: US-12286983-B2

Researchers at UTARI, in collaboration with faculty and students at the University of Georgia, have developed an advanced model to better understand lay error—the precision with which individuals align sight crosshairs with a target. Funded by the US Army DEVCOM Analysis Center, the study began with creating a photo-realistic tank-gunning simulation in Unreal Engine. Through testing with 110 participants who took more than 11,000 shots, researchers determined that target type and distance significantly influence accuracy, with closer targets producing larger errors. Despite generally high accuracy rates, all participants exhibited a significant number of shots with large errors. This finding reveals that human lay error does not follow a simple normal distribution, necessitating more sophisticated modeling approaches. The research provides critical insights for improving human precision models and establishes a key baseline for developing future aiming assistance systems.

To read the full paper visit the IEEE Xplore Digital Library here.

The Institute for Predictive Performance Methodologies (IPPM) at the University of Texas at Arlington Research Institute (UTARI) made a strong impact at the 2025 ASME Aerospace Structures, Structural Dynamics, and Materials (SSDM) conference, with both research contributions and technical leadership. Faculty and student researchers from IPPM delivered five cutting-edge presentations and chaired several key technical sessions, demonstrating the institute’s growing influence in the fields of composite materials, aerospace structures, and machine learning/AI driven modeling and design.

The IPPM delegation included faculty members Dr. Shiyao Lin, Dr. Xin Liu, and Dr. Rassel Raihan, along with graduate researchers Mr. Bangde Liu and Ms. Twinkle Kothari. All three faculty members also served as session chairs, helping to lead technical discussions and shape the conference program.

Research Presentations:

Dr. Shiyao Lin shared two impactful studies:

• Accelerating Compression After Impact (CAI) Predictions with a Hybrid Implicit-Explicit (HiMEX) Progressive Damage Analysis Scheme.
• Study on the Effects of Impact Damage Modes on Compressive Load-Bearing Capacity After Impact.

Dr. Xin Liu presented:

• Multiscale Modeling of Lattice Metamaterials Using Machine Learning and Heat Kernel Images.

Graduate student Ms. Twinkle Kothari contributed:

• Machine Learning-Assisted Multiscale Modeling for Exploring the Structure-Property Relationships of I-Beam Lattice Metamaterials.

Graduate researcher Mr. Bangde Liu presented:

• Neural Network-Assisted Design Optimization with Adaptive Sampling for Tow-Steered Composite Structures.

Leadership in Technical Sessions

In addition to presenting their research, Drs. Lin, Liu, and Raihan chaired multiple technical sessions throughout the conference. Their leadership helped facilitate high-level discussions on emerging topics in computational mechanics, advanced materials and structures, and ML/AI applications, reinforcing UTARI’s role as a thought leader in the ASME community.

About IPPM:
IPPM at UTARI focuses on the predictive modeling, design, and optimization of advanced material and structural systems. By integrating machine learning, multiscale modeling, and experimental validation, IPPM researchers are driving innovations that enable smarter, lighter, and more resilient aerospace and defense technologies.

The University of Texas at Arlington offers students both high-caliber classroom instruction and opportunities to gain real-world, hands-on experience.

Connor Berberek, a mechanical engineering major who will graduate Friday during the College of Engineering’s 7 p.m. commencement ceremony at Globe Life Field, took full advantage of UT Arlington’s undergraduate research opportunities by working alongside researchers at UTA’s Research Institute (UTARI) in Fort Worth this spring. There, he helped fabricate and test composite materials—combinations of two or more substances that result in a stronger, more durable material—an experience that enriched his coursework and affirmed his decision to pursue a career in mechanical engineering.

Read more here.

Dr. Frank Lewis has published the third book of a series where, he and his students explore deep research issues in Reinforcement Learning, which brings together EE feedback control and Computer Science ideas in AI and elsewhere. They explore these control ideas in Multiplayer Games, where multiple opponents each try to win the game and pay the minimum penalty for doing so. Applications are explored in Industrial Process Control, Multi-robotic Systems, and Formation Control of multiple Unmanned Aerial Vehicles. These books elaborate on Dr. Lewis research, and include new ideas in nonlinear feedback control systems, reinforcement learning for optimal control performance, optimal synchronization of multiagent networked systems, neuro-psychology for feedback control, robot decision and control, machine learning in automatic feedback systems. Applications are to Intelligent Driverless cars, Robotic Systems, small autonomous Rotorcraft vehicles, Aircraft control systems, and Industrial process control.

Envision a world where unmanned aircraft deliver goods to your front door and transport passengers in flying taxis, cargo planes cross continents carrying vital trade goods, and fighter jets patrol battle zones—all without a human pilot at the controls.

Those scenarios might seem a bit far-fetched now, but researchers are working diligently to develop these aircraft and ensure they operate safely. That’s why NASA has awarded a $1 million grant through its University Leadership Initiative (ULI) to a team from The University of Texas at Arlington Research Institute (UTARI) in Fort Worth to address safety in autonomous aviation. Read the full story here.