Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering

The Computer Engineering and Systems Group

News

Remotely Controlled Jackal Unmanned Ground Vehicle Over Private Cellular Network

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The UGV maneuvering through cones in Lot 74

On Wednesday, July 17, 2024, Dr. Shakkottai and his team members, Dr. Woo-Hyun Ko, Avery Austin and Jeremy Carleton, showcased their live demo, remotely controlling a Jackal Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV) over the universities’ new private cellular network, the TAMU Private Cellular Wireless Network (TPCWN).  The UGV was able to maneuver through obstacle cones in Lot 74, controlled by a remote operator from over a mile away in Wisenbaker Engineering Building (WEB).

The Jackal UGV was fitted with sensors to provide the remote operator in WEB with real time video feed and laser scan data of the surrounding environment with low latency.  The operator used a computer and a PS4 joystick to utilize the live sensor data to guide the UGV through the obstacles and to its destination.  This setup demonstrates the seamless integration of advanced sensor feedback and remote control, highlighting the capabilities of the private cellular network in supporting low latency, high bandwidth applications.

All of the communications from the operator/computer in WEB to the Jackal operating remotely plus all the sensing data from the Jackal to the operator/computer in WEB is conducted over Texas A&M’s new Private Cellular Network.  This new network, designed, constructed, and operated by Texas A&M, uses fully licensed cellular spectrum in the 2.5GHz range to provide high-speed data connectivity for both academic research and operational support.  It’s high data rates, low latency and reliability provide Texas A&M University with a unique asset that can simultaneously serve many diverse needs. Prof. Shakkottai and his team members are excited to continue research on cellular networks and sensing in the modern world.

They hope that students interested in this area of work will reach out to them to join the team.


The remote operator camera and laser scan display

Drs. Shakkottai and Narayanan Presenting in Canada in May 2024

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IEEE’s 2024 Communication Theory Workshop features two of our ECE faculty.

Dr. Srinivas Shakkottai
“Structured Reinforcement Learning for Resource Allocation in O-RAN” (May 21)

Dr. Krishna Narayanan
“In-Context Estimation for Wireless Communications using Transformers” (May 20)

The enduring prosperity of this workshop is attributed to its relaxed and exceptionally interactive ambiance, setting it apart from more conventional conferences. As in previous editions, the workshop will adhere to a single-track format, featuring technical sessions, distinguished plenary speakers, engaging panel discussions, and a poster session dedicated to submitted hot-topic presentations. The technical sessions will be enriched with invigorating lectures delivered by prominent figures from the realms of academia and industry.

For more information about this prestigious event, please visit https://ctw2024.ieee-ctw.org/.

Doctoral Students Ace the 2023 Embedded Security Challenge!

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Doctoral Students Peng-Hao Huang and Nicholas Heinrich-Barna bagged first in the United States and second in the region (US, Middle East, North Africa) at the 2023 Embedded Security Challenge, the oldest hardware security competition in the world and a part of Cybersecurity Awareness Worldwide (CSAW).

The team spent two months solving series of six side-channel attacks on cyber-physical systems (CPS) challenges for event. The competition involved a qualification phase where a research paper was submitted and a competition phase at the end of which  each team submitted a final report comprising the qualification report, all the lessons learned, and how they solved all the challenges in detail. The challenge concluded with a final presentation in New York.

Dr. Prasad Enjeti and Dr. Jeyavijayan Rajendran advised and prepared the team for the educational tournament. Students said that the conductive learning environment fostered by their advisors and the encouragement and opportunities for multidisciplinary research at Texas A&M is an intense motivating factor. They recognize the success and shortcomings in their work and hope to improve to become the best in the world. They invite students passionate about security to join their team!

Learn More HERE

Dr. Narasimha Reddy Receive Endowed Position!

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Dr. Narasimha Reddy has received the Truchard Foundation Chair endowed position.

Dr. Reddy earned his doctorate in computer engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He was also a Research Staff Member at IBM Almaden Research Center in San Jose. His research focus includes computer networks, storage systems, multimedia systems and computer architecture. Dr. Reddy holds five patents and is the recipient of multiple faculty awards. He is a fellow of IEEE Computer Society and is a member of ACM.

The Truchard Foundation Endowed Chair in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering was established by  Dr. James Truchard, the co-founder of National Instruments (NI) with the vision of giving back to the educational sector to promote the future of electrical engineers, computer engineers, and computer scientists.

Learn more about Dr. Reddy HERE

Learn more about the Truchard Foundation Chair HERE

Dr. Dileep Kalathil and Dr. Moble Benedict Receive Office of Naval Research (ONR) Grant

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Dr. Dileep Kalathil and Dr. Moble Benedict received  an Office of Naval Research (ONR) grant to study Autonomous VTOL Aircraft Ship Landing. The team is geared to develop the next generation of fully autonomous vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft on ships under rough conditions by combining an optimal aircraft design with a robust reinforcement learning control algorithm so precise that even if a vehicle is changing course or is in the presence of heavy winds, it can still track the horizon bar on the ship, which is a green, lighted, gyro-stabilized strip that provides the pilot an artificial horizon.

Dr. Benedict and Dr. Kalathil have proven success in using reinforcement learning to track and safely land an unmanned aerial system (UAS) in various conditions, including moderate horizontal winds, foggy visibility and changes in course and speed. Now, they’re merging their respective disciplines of aerospace engineering and electrical and computer engineering to build on these advancements.

More on this HERE