CRII: SaTC: MUSE: MUlti-modal Security Enhancement for Cyber Resilient UAV Operation

NSF Award Search · 01002526DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT · $175,000 · view on nsf.gov ↗

Abstract

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), commonly known as drones, are increasingly used in critical applications such as emergency response, infrastructure inspection, and environmental monitoring. However, these systems are highly vulnerable to cyber threats, especially global positioning system (GPS) spoofing attacks that can mislead navigation and cause serious consequences. The project’s novelties are the development of an AI-powered, GPS-independent navigation and localization framework that enables UAVs to operate securely and autonomously in GPS-denied or adversarial environments. The project's broader significance and importance are in contributing to a secure and trustworthy cyber-physical infrastructure, enhancing preparedness, and improving the resilience of essential aerial services. This project also includes outreach activities and training opportunities for undergraduate, graduate, and high school students in cybersecurity. The research focuses on designing a MUlti-modal Security Enhancement (MUSE) framework that integrates sensor data from Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) sensors, cameras, and other motion sensors to achieve real-time localization and spoofing detection without relying on GPS. The technical approach involves building a multi-modal localization module and a cyber-resilient path planning system that can guide UAVs in GPS-denied or spoofed environments. These modules are evaluated on a Multi-Modal AI-enabled UAV Research (MM-AIR) testbed, enabl

Key facts

NSF award ID
2451471
Awardee
University of Nebraska at Omaha (NE)
SAM.gov UEI
FZRNFQTKADH1
PI
Peng Jiang
Primary program
01002526DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT
All programs
SaTC: Secure and Trustworthy Cyberspace, CISE Resrch Initiatn Initiatve, EXP PROG TO STIM COMP RES
Estimated total
$175,000
Funds obligated
$175,000
Transaction type
Standard Grant
Period
10/01/2025 → 09/30/2027