REU Site: Artificial Intelligence Powered Robotics in 5G Network

The REU site at the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) will host ten undergraduate students from colleges nationwide to conduct research on applications of artificial intelligence (AI) into autonomous vehicles based on 5G communications. Rapidly deploying 5G core networks have enhanced mobility and service provisioning while increasing the amount and complexity of the data.

Integrating AI into 5G networks could effectively orchestrate applications such as autonomous driving of unmanned vehicles and optimal charging management of electric vehicles. Autonomous vehicles, 5G communication network, and AI have been identified as national priorities to enhance the leadership of the U.S. in future technologies. However, there is a lack of students entering the workforce or graduate schools in this area.

The REU site at the University of Texas at San Antonio is designed to train undergraduate students with hands-on research activities on AI, autonomous vehicles, and 5G networks with direct mentorship by faculty mentors. The REU site also seeks to encourage the REU participants to pursue their studies for graduate degrees in STEM, which is imperative to enhance the competitiveness of the future workforce.

The goal of this project is to equip undergraduate students with knowledge and skills of the latest engineering research on AI, robotics, autonomous driving, and optimal charging of electric vehicles in 5G mobile networks. The designed REU projects address the frontier research problems through hands-on applications, such as practical assembly of real robotics, data collection with 5G mobile devices, data processing with AI algorithms, building charging converters for electrical vehicles, and establishing a framework for control and communication between multiple unmanned vehicles.

These are valuable activities for novice undergraduate researchers to gain direct research experiences. The REU site will also integrate the learn-practice-service cycle into research activities, encourage team spirit, and build students’ self-esteem by recognition and rewards for achievements. The REU program integrates research and education activities to enable REU students to develop essential skills through various training sessions, hands-on lab activities, and seminars on research and career development.

The research activities are also integrated with outreach activities to local communities including field trips to the NIWEEK event and local industries. This site is supported by the Department of Defense in partnership with the NSF REU program.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.