CAREER: Characterizing the Safety Landscape: Data-Driven Safety Modeling for Autonomous System Navigation and Control in Human Environments

NSF Award Search · 01002526DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT · $652,065 · view on nsf.gov ↗

Abstract

This Faculty Early Career Development Program (CAREER) grant funds research, education, and outreach initiatives that will enable autonomous systems, such as robots and self-driving vehicles, to navigate safely around humans. As these technologies become integral to transportation, warehouse logistics, and healthcare, ensuring human safety is paramount. The complexity of real-world environments, however, are shaped by complex and uncertain factors such as social behaviors and contextual cues, which presents significant challenges in assessing and guaranteeing safety. The research activities funded by this award will intend to develop interpretable, data-driven safety models that are crucial for explaining safety incidents and related human perceptions in environments where autonomous systems operate. These models are intended to enhance predictability, improve operational efficiency, and minimize safety risks, thereby optimizing human-system interactions. Educational and outreach efforts funded by this award include collaboration with Harborview Medical Center to deploy safety algorithms in hospital environments, improving patient care. Additional, educational curricula will be enriched with practical safety experiences to enhance pre-engineering math courses at Shoreline Community College. These initiatives will prepare future innovators and regulators to develop and manage trusted autonomous systems. Determining the safety of given scenarios, or the “safety landscape,” i

Key facts

NSF award ID
2440861
Awardee
University of Washington (WA)
SAM.gov UEI
HD1WMN6945W6
PI
Karen Leung
Primary program
01002526DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT
All programs
CONTROL SYSTEMS, Dynamical systems, Artificial Intelligence (AI), CAREER-Faculty Erly Career Dev, Complex Systems, WOMEN, MINORITY, DISABLED, NEC
Estimated total
$652,065
Funds obligated
$652,065
Transaction type
Standard Grant
Period
06/15/2025 → 05/31/2030