Collaborative Research: VINES: Track 1: NSF-JST: SCALE: Smart Collaborative Aerial Logistics Ecosystem - A Vertically-Integrated Networked System for Urban On-Demand Delivery

This international collaborative project brings together investigators from the University at Buffalo, the University of California Riverside, and Waseda University to rethink how delivery drones and self-driving vehicles work together in busy areas. Today, each delivery drone acts like a tiny computer that thinks entirely on its own, which makes it hard for drones to fly safely around buildings, people, and other drones. This project takes a different approach. Instead of asking every drone to be a self-contained brain, the team treats the wireless network itself as a shared brain that helps drones and ground vehicles see, think, and plan together. By sharing information through next generation cellular networks and nearby computers, drones become smarter, safer, and able to handle deliveries that would be impossible for a single drone working alone. The intellectual merit of the research is embedded in a holistic framework that co-designs artificial intelligence algorithms with the wireless network as a single cooperative system. The work is organized across four synergistic thrusts. Thrust one develops the autonomy engine, creating scalable multi-agent coordination policies, network-aware cooperative perception, and edge informed failure anticipation and recovery. Thrust two establishes the physical layer foundation, building high-fidelity three-dimensional radio frequency maps, precise energy models, and Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces that actively shape signal propagation around urban obstacles. Thrust three constructs an intelligent Open Radio Access Network fabric with high availability, unmanned aerial vehicle aware resource management, and a Network Digital Twin service. Thrust four integrates and validates the entire system through high-fidelity simulation, hardware-in-the-loop testing, and campus-scale demonstrations. The broader impacts of this initiative are substantial, as reliable unmanned aerial vehicle logistics can improve how communities receive everyday goods and essential resources. Shifting final deliveries to the air will reduce street-level traffic congestion, alleviate roadway safety hazards, and enable faster, more affordable delivery of packages, groceries, and meals, including to underserved neighborhoods, while supporting rapid distribution of medical supplies during emergencies. The architecture also establishes a blueprint demonstrating how next generation cellular networks can reliably support mission-critical artificial intelligence applications, strengthening domestic competitiveness in autonomy and wireless systems. Research findings will be integrated into graduate and undergraduate coursework, while summer camps and mentored research internships will cultivate a strong pipeline of future talent in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. 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.