The Computing Community Consortium (CCC) is excited to release a new key recommendations brief drawn from the recent Computing on the Fly: Navigating a Vision for the Future of Drone Computing report. The report lays out a vision for non-military drone infrastructure by 2035 and identifies twelve technical challenges standing in the way. This brief, Key Recommendations for the Future of Drone Computing, outlines the next steps, translating those challenges into specific actions for the four computing communities whose decisions will determine whether that vision is met: scientific funders, policymakers, industry, and academia. Action is urgent to realize the full potential of non-military drones. The report establishes milestones for 2028, […]

The applications of a national infrastructure of drones are numerous. From supporting supply chains and public works maintenance to minimizing damage from natural disasters, non-military drones have the potential to revolutionize our productive capacity. For this potential to become a reality, however, U.S. policy and scientific funding must align with the developments of drone computing over the next decade. To that end, the Computing Community Consortium’s (CCC) newest report, Computing on the Fly: Navigating a Vision for the Future of Drone Computing, lays out recommendations for maximizing the potential of drone computing. The findings are informed by the December 2025 Computing on the Fly workshop, which convened experts across computing […]

Computing on the Fly: Navigating a Vision for the Future of Drone Computing, the Computing Community Consortium’s (CCC) latest report, presents the benefits of advancing the United States’s non-military drone infrastructure, with numerous potential benefits to industry. Drones have the capacity to provide large-scale support to supply chains (particularly rural routes), for example, as well as revolutionize agricultural efficiency. By 2035, these benefits can be made tangible. Computing on the Fly also goes one stop further, laying out the exact ways to make this happen. Below, find a summary of the ways current industry efforts can advance non-military drone computing.  Key Challenges in Advancing Drone Computing  The report identifies twelve […]

  A recent CCC Computing Futures Symposium panel, featuring luminaries in the field — Robin Murphy (Texas A&M University), Melanie Moses (University of New Mexico), Chad Jenkins (University of Michigan), and Holly Yanco (University of Massachusetts – Lowell) — offered a captivating glimpse into the evolving landscape of robotics and autonomy. Moderated by Weisong Shi (University of Delaware), the discussion highlighted pivotal advancements in sensing, computation, and intelligence, exploring their profound implications for society, research, and education. Charting the Present and Future of Robotics  The panelists began by painting a vivid picture of the current state and future potential of robotics. Murphy, a pioneer in rescue robots, challenged conventional notions […]

The Computing Community Consortium (CCC) is pleased to announce another council member, Holly Yanco, has been appointed to the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Information Science and Technology (ISAT) Study Group beginning in August 2024. Yanco is very excited about joining the group and believes it’s a great opportunity to help vision new strategies that will be coming to computer science and robotics.  “I’m eager to work with a group of people who have knowledge in interesting areas that I haven’t explored,” Yanco said. “I’m excited to go out and learn about their process, which will enable me to see visioning from another perspective.” Yanco’s expertise in human-robot interaction, […]

In this installment of CCC’s Weekly Computing News, we are sharing an exciting opportunity for middle school students to explore the diverse field of robotics. Summer camp introduces young students to the broad field of robotics RoboXploration, a summer camp hosted at the UMass Lowell New England Robotics Validation and Experimentation (NERVE) Center, aims to introduce middle school students to the diverse field of robotics. Funded by a $50,000 grant from Amazon Robotics, the camp provides hands-on experiences such as building robotic components, coding for robotic control, and teleoperation, highlighting the breadth of robotics applications. Beyond practical skills, the camp includes field trips to industry leaders like MassRobotics and Boston […]