Sbir phase i: autonomous drone system for predicting erosion and safeguarding coastline communities

Prime Pacific Enterprises LLC (doing business as Hawaii Pacific Drone Solutions) received a $305,000 Phase I Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) award from the National Science Foundation (NSF) Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships program (CFDA 47.084) effective October 1, 2025, through September 30, 2026. The award funds development and validation of an autonomous unmanned aerial system (UAS) control system designed to monitor coastal erosion with high precision in dynamic coastal environments. The core deliverable involves integrating three technical components—path planning, sensor-based position estimation, and onboard flight adjustment—into a unified autonomous flight control system capable of maintaining accuracy despite environmental challenges such as wind, terrain changes, and sensor interference.

During Phase I, the awardee will test and validate the autonomous control system through software-based simulation, with performance location in Honolulu, Hawaii. The innovation addresses critical resilience needs for vulnerable coastal communities threatened by rising sea levels and shoreline loss, while offering broader commercial applications in infrastructure inspection, land surveying, and emergency response. By enabling faster, safer, and more consistent data collection than existing manual or satellite-based methods, the system supports evidence-based coastal protection planning and decision-making for long-term community safeguarding.

Abstract

The broader/commercial impact of this sbir phase i project is the development of a breakthrough autonomous unmanned aerial system (UAS) designed to monitor coastal erosion with high precision over time. This innovation addresses urgent needs in vulnerable coastal communities where rising sea levels and shoreline loss threaten homes, infrastructure, and ecosystems. The system enables faster, safer, and more consistent data collection than manual or satellite methods, helping decision-makers identify erosion patterns and plan effectively. This project supports the national interest by strengthening disaster resilience, reducing public costs, and improving safety through better geographic data for planning and response. Beyond monitoring, the technology has commercial potential in infrastructure inspection, land surveying, and emergency response. By lowering operational barriers and expanding access to high-quality aerial data, this innovation enables safer, smarter, and more sustainable monitoring. IT offers communities a clearer view of coastal changes, supporting evidence-based decisions for long-term protection. This project addresses the high-risk challenge of developing an autonomous flight control system capable of guiding unmanned aerial systems (UAS) through unpredictable and dynamic coastal environments. The innovation lies in combining three essential components?path planning, sensor-based position estimation, and onboard flight adjustment?into a single control system that operates continuously during flight. The system must maintain high accuracy despite wind, terrain changes, and sensor interference?factors that are difficult for others to replicate without deep integration and field experience. The goal of this phase i effort is to test and validate the control system in a software-based simulation environment, proving its ability to carry out coastal monitoring missions more accurately and efficiently than current methods. The key technical contribution is the design of a flexible flight control framework that can adjust its course based on real-time environmental inputs. The system will use principles from advanced control theory to calculate efficient flight paths, while combining data from onboard sensors such as lidar, inertial motion units, and GPS to improve positioning and stability during each flight. The onboard system will make mid-course adjustments when conditions change, helping the UAS stay on track and gather reliable, repeatable data over time. By the end of phase i, the project aims to show that this approach works through simulation testing, providing a strong basis for building and flying a working prototype in phase II to support future coastal monitoring efforts. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.- subawards are planned for this award.