Objective of WARA PS

Our objective is to explore new technical solutions to showcase advances in Autonomous Systems and Software research. This is achieved by providing an arena that focuses on teams of humans and systems acting and interacting in a distributed context, supporting human authority, and benefitting from functions with various degree of autonomy.

Public safety related scenarios offer a broad context in which humans, autonomous agents and systems can face a variety of challenges, including search and rescue missions, surveillance, and transportation.

Research Focus Areas

WARA PS is a virtual testbed, by providing remote access to simulators and virtual agents. Also, it acts as a physical arena, performing real life tests, demonstrations, and data collections with PhD students. All activities are implemented in close collaboration with the industry and the Swedish government.

We are conducting research in domains such as: Air, Sea, Underwater, Land, Space and Cyber. All within Public Safety related scenarios in challenging environment with unforeseen events. This approach addresses scenarios deviating from the normality, focusing on incompletely defined missions with evolving understanding and resource availability. The types of scenarios are expected to cover situations well beyond those demonstrated, e.g., the ability to deal with deviations in many critical infrastructures such as power supply and transportation systems.

Resources

WARA PS provides multiple unique resources that can be used for research and data collection purposes. This includes manned and unmanned aerial, surface, sub-surface, and ground vehicles equipped with sensors and advanced positioning systems. In addition to the real world resources, WARA PS offers the ability to conduct tests and simulations through our virtual platforms with simulated agents.

The resources can be integrated into the Core System which provides an infrastructure made up by agents, services, and systems, which in turn supports system research. To guide researchers through their use of the available resources, WARA PS offers workshops and onboardings as well as tutorials and documentation in our portal.

Photo by Peter Karlsson – Svarteld form & foto AB

The Community and Core Team

WARA PS has a fast-growing community consisting of several industries acting within the domain of public safety. For example, universities from all over the world, the Swedish government, and leading enterprises such as Saab, Ericsson and Axis. The community offers a unique collection of resources and competences, all available to our researchers.

In the center of the arena is the core team, a group of representatives from both the industry and academia, working closely with researchers to provide new technology, integration, and data collections on site or remotely. The group offers high flexibility and availability, acting as points of contact as well as orchestrating tests and demonstrations where we showcase the progress of the arena to the community and visitors.

Photo by Peter Karlsson – Svarteld form & foto AB

For PhD students

In addition to the systems, hardware and data sets available in the arena, WARA PS provides a network that supports the reseachers. Furthermore, WARA PS arranges activities such as data collections and field tests as well as project courses and a summer school where PhD students get the opportunity to perform practical experiments utilizing the arena resources. The PhD students can then demonstrate and test their results during our yearly event attended by other WASP affiliates as well as representatives from both academia and the industry.

Photo by Peter Karlsson – Svarteld form & foto AB

WARA PS is open to PhD students conducting research in a variety of domains.

Areas of research include:

• Human AI Teaming
• Collaborating Agents
• Vehicle Control
• Perception
• Cyber Security

Please visit the portal.waraps.org if you are interested in learning more and connecting with us.

Hear some of our PhD students share their experiences from participating in WARA PS in the videos below.

The research-equipped CB90 boat is a well known participant at WARA PS. And it comes with an exclusive feature – crash stop. Photo: Thor Balkhed, Linköping University