The Aerospace, Transportation and Advanced Systems Laboratory (ATAS) is one of eight labs in the

Georgia Tech Research Institute The Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) is the nonprofit applied research arm of the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. GTRI employs around 2,400 people, and is involved in approximately $600 millio ...

and one of three labs under the Sensors and Intelligent Systems directorate. ATAS develops advanced systems concepts and performs research related to

aerospace Aerospace is a term used to collectively refer to the atmosphere and outer space. Aerospace activity is very diverse, with a multitude of commercial, industrial and military applications. Aerospace engineering consists of aeronautics and astrona ...

systems, power and energy systems, threat systems, intelligent

autonomous systems An autonomous robot is a robot that acts without recourse to human control. The first autonomous robots environment were known as Elmer and Elsie, which were constructed in the late 1940s by W. Grey Walter. They were the first robots in history t ...

, and

systems engineering Systems engineering is an interdisciplinary field of engineering and engineering management that focuses on how to design, integrate, and manage complex systems over their enterprise life cycle, life cycles. At its core, systems engineering util ...

methodologies. The lab also develops advanced technologies and performs research in a range of areas relevant to aerospace and ground transportation as well as to national defense.

Research areas

Current contracts include work in

aerodynamics Aerodynamics, from grc, ἀήρ ''aero'' (air) + grc, δυναμική (dynamics), is the study of the motion of air, particularly when affected by a solid object, such as an airplane wing. It involves topics covered in the field of fluid dyn ...

and flow control, aeroacoustics, computational aeroelasticity,

wind tunnel Wind tunnels are large tubes with air blowing through them which are used to replicate the interaction between air and an object flying through the air or moving along the ground. Researchers use wind tunnels to learn more about how an aircraft ...

testing, aircraft structural analysis, rotorcraft,

intelligent systems is a Japanese video game developer best known for developing games with Nintendo and the ''Fire Emblem'', ''Paper Mario (series), Paper Mario'', ''WarioWare'', and ''Wars (series), Wars'' video game series. Originally, the company was headqua ...

fuel cell A fuel cell is an electrochemical cell that converts the chemical energy of a fuel (often hydrogen) and an oxidizing agent (often oxygen) into electricity through a pair of redox reactions. Fuel cells are different from most batteries in requ ...

and battery technologies, smart small scale projectiles, embedded computing,

unmanned aerial vehicle An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), commonly known as a drone, is an aircraft without any human pilot, crew, or passengers on board. UAVs are a component of an unmanned aircraft system (UAS), which includes adding a ground-based controller ...

s, and flight stability and control. The lab also performs

applied research Applied science is the use of the scientific method and knowledge obtained via conclusions from the method to attain practical goals. It includes a broad range of disciplines such as engineering and medicine. Applied science is often contrasted ...

and development of

radar Radar is a detection system that uses radio waves to determine the distance (''ranging''), angle, and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, w ...

-related technologies in support of national defense preparedness. The lab’s prototype development capabilities span the spectrum from mechanical and electronics design and fabrication to full system integration including embedded computing and control systems. ATAS has also achieved a national reputation for its expertise in threat systems, advanced

transmitter In electronics and telecommunications, a radio transmitter or just transmitter is an electronic device which produces radio waves with an antenna (radio), antenna. The transmitter itself generates a radio frequency alternating current, which i ...

technology, radar system development, and weapon systems interpretation. Within ATAS, the Food Processing Technology Division's (FPTD) Agricultural Technology Research Program (ATRP) conducts significant research in improving the production and quality of food while minimizing the environmental impacts of the industry. This program is designed to enhance the productivity of Georgia’s

agribusiness Agribusiness is the industry, enterprises, and the field of study of value chains in agriculture and in the bio-economy, in which case it is also called bio-business or bio-enterprise. The primary goal of agribusiness is to maximize profit w ...

and the competitiveness of Georgia’s

food processing Food processing is the transformation of agricultural products into food, or of one form of food into other forms. Food processing includes many forms of processing foods, from grinding grain to make raw flour to home cooking to complex industr ...

, applying

computer vision Computer vision is an interdisciplinary scientific field that deals with how computers can gain high-level understanding from digital images or videos. From the perspective of engineering, it seeks to understand and automate tasks that the hum ...

robotics Robotics is an interdisciplinary branch of computer science and engineering. Robotics involves design, construction, operation, and use of robots. The goal of robotics is to design machines that can help and assist humans. Robotics integrat ...

, plant ergonomics, biosensors, and wearable computer technology.

Location

The ATAS main research facility is located at the Cobb County Research Facility in Smyrna, Georgia.

References

External links

ATAS official website

Food Processing Technology Division official website

Agricultural Technology Research Program official website
{{authority control ATAS Aerospace research institutes