Moonshots

Join KSU Research as we create new knowledge for a better future — for all of us. 

Introducing our bold Moonshot goals, which seek to transform today’s challenges into opportunities for meaningful progress:

  • Enabling presence when it matters most, regardless of geographic distance.
  • Empowering mobility to support full participation in daily life.
  • Equipping the world to navigate life-changing events with confidence.
  • No longer aging in place in isolation.
a rocket in space with different sections of the rocket numbered 1 through 5.

Center for Cyber Physical Realms

Moonshot: True Instant Presence System

Combining emotional intelligence with physical interactivity to foster real, meaningful presence.

  • Share a hug, cook a meal together — even from across continents
  • Empower surgeons to perform life-saving operations remotely
  • Tuck in your child and read a bedtime story from miles away
  • Offer care and companionship to aging parents from afar
learn more

 

How do we build it?

1. Define the vision, use cases, and operational definition of Instant Presence (human, cyber, physical, hybrid)
2. Sketch the technical prototype of the Instant Presence System
3. Differentiation from existing CPS/XR/telepresence systems
4. Decompose Instant Presence System into research and discovery subsections, including Human State & Intent Modeling XR & Embodied Presence Secure Cyber–Physical Continuity Edge AI & Real-Time Fusion Trust, Ethics & Human-in-the-Loop Design
5. Identify external collaborators and enable teams to work independently on system components, algorithms, and experiments

 

MOVE Center

Moonshot: Redefining Mobility

Imagine a mobility device so advanced that it feels like an extension of your body, controlled by your mind.

  • Prosthetic arm that senses textures
  • Smart wheelchair that anticipates needs, integrates with smart cities
  • Interfaces that adapt to the user's environment and intent
  • Brain-controlled prosthetics that mirror natural movement
learn more

 

How do we build it?

1. Design user-specific wearable assistive devices
2. Launch digital twin simulations of gait, joint function, and assistive device performance
3. Develop and test robot-assisted crawling therapy systems for infants with cerebral palsy
4. Deploy radar-based AgitaSense prototypes for real-time agitation detection in Alzheimer’s/dementia care
5. Launch and validate integrated prototypes such as the Smart Indoor Navigation Wheelchair and Amphibious Sampling Robot

a rocket in space with different sections of the rocket numbered 1 through 5.
a rocket in space with different sections of the rocket numbered 1 through 5.

Center for Interactive Media

Moonshot: A Real-time Digital Twin of Georgia

Design and optimize innovative solutions and immersive training simulations.

  • Cyberattack prevention and response for schools, hospitals and public infrastructure
  • Severe weather response
  • Coordinated crisis management
  • First responder readiness, with scenario-based training for EMTs, firefighters and law enforcement
  • Traffic management
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How do we build it?

1. Operational prototype of Atlanta and applied pilots
2. Integration of real-time data streams
3. Scenario simulations for predictive analysis
4. Competitive funding secured for the Digital Twin
5. Expansion of statewide coverage

Prototype Living of Tomorrow

Moonshot: Reimagining How we Live, Connect and Grow

The creation of a real-world prototype of sustainable, inclusive neighborhoods of the future.

  • Enhanced wellness and aging in place
  • Urban agriculture
  • Rehabilitation science
  • Green spaces
  • Sustainable design and energy systems
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How do we build it?

1. Begin integrating greenhouse and open-field data streams into PLOT dashboard
2. Deploy assistive robotic platforms (UGV, robotic arms) into user-facing demos
3. Launch live digital twin for house, pods, and robotic systems
4. Achieve full-field ecosystem intelligence at the Field Station
5. Transform PLOT into a networked constellation of intelligent environments

a rocket in space with different sections of the rocket numbered 1 through 5.