As skies become more crowded, advancements in drone technology are making unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) more agile and secure. At the forefront of these innovations is the Columbus start-up Asymmetric Technologies with its Ohio State partner researchers Dan Gauthier, professor of physics and electrical and computer engineering, and Matt McCrink, research scientist in the College of Engineering.

Gauthier and McCrink, along with Jay Wilhelm at Ohio University, are collaborating with Asymmetric Technologies to further develop the company’s IronClad Secure Flight Controller technology. In June, the project was awarded $1.5 million from the Ohio Federal Research Network (OFRN) and recently received a second round of funding from the U.S. Air Force after successful demonstrations in November.

“To fly a drone, you need two pieces,” Gauthier said. “You need the small computer that can fit within the drone, and you need software that can run on the computer.”

The IronClad Secure Flight Controller technology incorporates both hardware and software components. While Asymmetric is focused on building the computer hardware, McCrink and Wilhelm are developing software to provide more agile control of drone flight and strengthen collision avoidance between a drone and other aerial vehicles.

Dan Gauthier

Read more: Physics' Dan Gauthier creates 'tamper-proof' encryption for drones | College of Arts and Sciences (osu.edu)