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Exhibit D - Research Project Requirement: PDF Link
Principal Investigator: Ali Hussein Abdulzahra Al-dabbagh (NCAT)
Other Investigator(s): Beshoy Morkos (UGA)
Project Partners: North Carolina A&T State University (NCAT) and University of Georgia (UGA)
Research Project Funding: $150,000 (Federal: $75,000; Non-Federal: $75,000)
Project Status: Active
Project Start and End Date: Nov 1, 2026 to Oct 31, 2027
Project Summary: This project develops and validates a heterogeneous autonomous delivery system that integrates a Chrysler Pacifica AV with a Unitree Go2 quadruped robot. The Pacifica serves as a mobile hub, transporting the Go2 to rural delivery zones via a built-in ramp, after which the robot autonomously navigates the final leg and completes package handoff. Over 12 months, the team will produce ROS 2 communication software, terrain-adaptive navigation algorithms, payload management hardware, and a validated field performance. All software will be released open-source. This proof-of-concept is designed to enable a larger-scale Major Research Initiative on rural autonomous logistics.
Acknowledgement: Funding for this research was provided by the U.S. Department of Transportation, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology (OST-R), University Transportation Centers Program, through the Center for Regional and Rural Connected Communities (CR2C2) under Grant No. 69A3552348304.