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Autonomous systems are machines that can sense their surroundings, make decisions and act with limited human intervention. They are expected to play an increasingly important role in Canada, with uses ranging from smart manufacturing and infrastructure inspection to environmental monitoring and space situational awareness.
For these systems to function, every part must work together: the sensors, software, networks and the platforms themselves. And the people developing each element must work together, too.
The new Western Autonomous and Intelligent Systems Hub brings researchers from the Faculties of Engineering and Science together to do just that, developing and testing new technologies in artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, sensing, communications and cybersecurity through shared facilities, testing environments and research platforms.
“An autonomous system is not just one piece of technology. It’s an interconnected network of technologies. The opportunity now is to connect our expertise, bring researchers together and tackle problems that require all those capabilities working at once,” said Miriam Capretz, professor of software engineering and director of the new hub. “Western has deep expertise in robotics and hardware, but what sets us apart is our strength in AI and software, the secure communications that make autonomous systems trustworthy.”
Computer science professor Zubair Fadlullah and electrical and computer engineering professor Soodeh Nikan serve as associate directors of the hub.
Making the pieces work together
Unlike traditional machines such as a robot on a factory’s assembly line, programmed to repeat a specific task, autonomous systems like self-driving vehicles can perform different tasks, make decisions and adapt to changing conditions on their own. They use sensors, software and AI to understand what’s happening around them, assess their options and determine the best course of action.
Autonomous platforms, the machines that put these capabilities into action, are the visible part of the hub, but Western’s distinctive advantage lies in the intelligence layers that run across the entire system. Those are the learning algorithms, autonomy software, secure communications and trustworthy AI that autonomous systems depend on.
Western Autonomous and Intelligent Systems Hub director Miriam Capretz and associate directors Soodeh Nikan and Zubair Fadlullah in the lab with an autonomous vehicle system. (Christopher Kindratsky/Western Communications)
Researchers across Western have expertise in many of the technologies that underpin autonomous and intelligent systems, including sensor fusion, computer vision, data analytics, signal processing, aerial systems and wireless communications, including emerging 5G and 6G networks.
An autonomous platform needs to communicate with other systems and operate securely. Sensor fusion allows information from multiple sensors to be combined, helping a system build a more complete picture of its environment. Bringing together capabilities like these, along with expertise in AI, communications and cybersecurity into a functioning system requires collaboration that spans laboratories, departments and faculties.
The Western Autonomous and Intelligent Systems Hub is intended to support collaboration through shared research infrastructure and opportunities to develop and test integrated autonomous systems.
“Autonomous systems are an essential component of modern industry and society,” said Western Engineering dean Ken Coley. “I’m thrilled to say that Western has built an impressive capacity in this area over the last several years and I’m really excited to see the impact of the hub.”
An Autonomous Systems Core Facility will be part of Western’s new engineering building, currently under construction and set to open in 2027, providing a shared space for hub members to develop, test and refine new technologies. Complete with a ground floor, high-bay vehicle area and simulation lab, it will serve as a premier centre for innovation, testing and evaluation for researchers and industry partners across Ontario and Canada.
Open-source autonomous platforms – including vehicles for ground applications and drones for aerial ones – will also be developed for researchers to test new technologies. By providing shared hardware and software, the platforms will allow teams to build on existing work rather than starting from scratch with every project.
“The Faculty of Science is excited to continue collaborating with engineering researchers on this exciting hub. Our computer science faculty bring invaluable expertise on AI, network security, computing and machine learning that is essential to advancing this research. Autonomous devices are also crucial to monitoring and protecting our natural environment,” said Western Science dean Matt Davison.
Building intelligence in layers
In software engineering, intelligent systems are often built in layers, allowing individual components to be reused rather than rebuilt from scratch. The same principle can advance autonomous systems, where shared software for interpreting sensor data, communicating with other devices and making decisions can be adapted for different machines and tasks, including ground vehicles and aerial drones.
Capretz has designed and developed software in this way for more than 30 years. Her research, both in academic and industry settings, examines how software engineering can help different technologies work together and adapt to new applications.
For one large-scale project, she helped develop cloud-based software that uses data from building sensors to identify energy-use patterns, predict future consumption and flag potential problems. This gives building managers a clearer picture of how their facilities are performing and helps them make better decisions about energy use and maintenance.
“You don’t want to hard-code everything you create for just one particular use,” said Capretz. “If you have a common layer for sensing, communications or decision-making, you can take those pieces and use them in different applications. That makes it easier to build on what you already have rather than starting anew every time.”
This approach also makes it easier to bring new research into an existing platform, giving teams a common foundation on which to test and develop additional capabilities.
From research to real-world applications
Autonomous and intelligent systems operating on land, in the air and at sea are expected to play an increasingly important role in Canada’s security and sovereignty, and in civilian applications from environmental and resource monitoring to infrastructure inspection.
Western’s existing relationship with German defence and technology company TKMS offers an example of how the university’s expertise can contribute to complex, real-world challenges. TKMS, the preferred supplier for the Canadian Patrol Submarine Project, has named Western a core academic partner in its Canadian Defence and Dual-Use Innovation Ecosystem (CDDE), alongside the University of British Columbia and Dalhousie University, and the three universities are already at work on a TKMS-funded Arctic air-sea communications pilot.
“The TKMS project shows what’s possible when you bring the right people and technologies together to work on a problem,” said Capretz.
The partnership is exploring communications in challenging environments, where unreliable connections and harsh conditions create technical challenges. Drawing on Western’s strengths in AI, cybersecurity and communications, the project aims to develop systems that can operate within these conditions, with applications extending beyond defence.
For example, autonomous systems are increasingly being developed for infrastructure monitoring, environmental sensing, agriculture, resource management, smart manufacturing and transportation where systems must interpret complex environments and make decisions with limited human intervention.
Western’s hub gives researchers a shared environment to develop scalable, reusable technologies, while industry partners can add proprietary components for specific applications.
Connecting Western’s expertise
Western is home to a range of facilities and research platforms that support autonomous systems research, including the Wind Engineering, Energy and Environment (WindEEE) Research Institute, the Institute for Earth and Space Exploration, the Environmental Sciences Field Station, Elginfield Observatory and the Advanced Facility for Avian Research (AFAR).
The hub will make it easier for researchers from these laboratories and across different disciplines to work more closely together on complex projects. It will also give students hands-on experience with autonomous systems and the chance to collaborate across different fields of study.
“Our vision is to make it easier for researchers across Western to bring their strengths together around challenges that no single discipline can address alone,” said Florentine Strzelczyk, provost and vice-president (academic). “Through shared facilities and research platforms, we are creating the conditions for sustained collaboration across faculties and with industry partners. This hub puts that vision into practice, connecting expertise and giving students opportunities to help turn discoveries into real-world solutions.”
Learn more about how Western is turning curiosity into solutions.
