UAV Communications: Integrating a Real-World Scenario with Computer Architecture

A challenge facing many educators is providing assignments in a realistic context that achieve the specified learning objectives. Integrating real-world scenarios in one's curriculum can be challenging. We present a new integrated exercise sequence using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) involving both assembly language and high-level language software development. During this sequence, our sophomore students at the U.S. Air Force Academy (USAFA) implement a communications packet-based protocol for a simulated UAV system. The first exercise is an introduction to assembly language programming, involving user input/output and integer-based instructions. The second exercise adds the use of assembly language floating point instructions. To simulate radio transmission of data from the UAV to a ground control station (GCS), the third exercise introduces command-line pipes. The GCS is implemented in a high-level-language and consists primarily of an IEEE 754 software multiplier. Memory traces from these three exercises are used during their final team project, implementing a visual cache simulator. This new UAV-based computer architecture assignment meets an institutional goal of having career-related assignments in each course. Our institution has a strong inter-disciplinary UAV research group, which a member of our department directs and from which this sequence is derived. This sequence prepares students for the senior-year UAV-based software engineering capstone