Columbus State University has signed an agreement with Columbus-based U.S. Army Fort Moore that will allow the university to expand its Robotics Engineering program’s academic and research capabilities into a 25,000-square-foot building on the post.

Using the building on Fort Moore will allow Columbus State the room for students to test and fly ground and air robotic systems—more commonly referred to as drones—in a GPS-denied environment. The additional space also will allow students and faculty to test and gain experience operating a 16-camera motion-capture and 3D tracking system worth $75,000. 

“Fort Moore has been a steadfast partner with our Robotics Engineering program at Columbus State since its inception in 2019,” explained Dr. Mahmut Reyhanoglu, a professor of robotics engineering and the program’s director. “This extension of that partnership will provide us the room to finally test the equipment we have already acquired and give us the space to provide real hands-on experiences to our students and researchers.”

Partnering with Fort Moore’s Maneuver Battle Lab was a natural extension of the lab’s mission to use robotics technology to keep America’s soldiers safer while equipping them to be more efficient in their jobs. 

“The Maneuver Battle Lab is extremely happy to team with Columbus State’s Robotics Engineering program,” said Chris Willis, director of Fort Moore’s Maneuver Battle Lab. “This partnership allows us to expose CSU students to the Army’s robotics needs, and it also allows us to potentially serve military dependents, veterans, and our local community at large.”

Reyhanoglu expects to have everything ready in the new space by August. He also said this collaboration is part of his and the College of Letters & Sciences’ long-term vision of a joint Robotics Innovation Center at Fort Moore, where the university can teach classes on the post and work alongside its military partners for students’ learning, experimenting and research.