{"id":152510,"date":"2026-04-30T09:00:34","date_gmt":"2026-04-30T13:00:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/?p=152510"},"modified":"2026-05-04T16:12:52","modified_gmt":"2026-05-04T20:12:52","slug":"nasa-funded-ucf-research-advances-urban-air-mobility-by-mapping-radio-signals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/nasa-funded-ucf-research-advances-urban-air-mobility-by-mapping-radio-signals\/","title":{"rendered":"NASA-Funded UCF Research Advances Urban Air Mobility by Mapping Radio Signals"},"content":{"rendered":"
As drones, air taxis and emergency aircraft begin to fill city skies, the biggest challenge may be invisible: how radio signals move through dense urban environments.<\/p>\n
That future depends on reliable communication systems that can function reliably amid buildings, materials and interference, a problem UCF postdoctoral researcher Saumya Gupta is working to solve.<\/p>\n
\u201cCollaborating with NASA through the MUREP MPLAN program provides an opportunity to contribute to cutting-edge research that supports the future of aviation and air mobility.\u201d \u2014 Saumya Gupta, postdoctoral researcher<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Gupta received a NASA Minority University Research and Education Project (MUREP) Partnership Learning Annual Notification (MPLAN) award to study and model how radio signals behavior in complex urban environments. She is working with co-principal investigator Adan Vela<\/a>, an associate professor in UCF\u2019s Department of Industrial Engineering and Management Systems<\/a>, on a project titled \u201cA Digital Twin for AAM Communication Channels.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gupta\u2019s research focuses on urban air mobility, where drones, emergency response aircraft and potential air taxis depend on reliable communication networks to operate safely in dense cities. The work builds on a growing body of AAM research at UCF, including prior simulation efforts led by Professor Vela, by focusing specifically on how communication signals move through crowded cities.<\/p>\n
\u201cCollaborating with NASA through the MUREP MPLAN program provides an opportunity to contribute to cutting-edge research that supports the future of aviation and air mobility,\u201d Gupta says. \u201cIt allows our team at UCF to work on problems that are directly relevant to NASA\u2019s AAM (advanced air mobility) mission while also benefitting from guidance and collaboration with NASA researchers. This partnership helps ensure that our research addresses real-world challenges in integrating new air vehicles into the national airspace.\u201d<\/p>\n
Building the Digital Twin<\/h2>\n
Traditional radio frequency prediction models often rely on simplified formulas that estimate how signals weaken over distance. While useful, these models lack the spatial and material detail needed to represent dense urban environments where glass, steel and concrete significantly affect signal behavior.<\/p>\n
More advanced simulation tools can model signal reflection, absorption and diffraction using digital maps. Most maps include building shapes but not detailed material data, a factor that strongly influences how signals are transmitted.<\/p>\n