A new ‘war of the roses’: Researchers integrate sensors, drones and machine learning to target thorny pest

Multiflora rose may sound like a bountiful variant of the classic flowering bush, but its unexpected white blooms and red berries conceal one of Mother Nature’s sinister surprises: The invasive shrub is a thorny foe that threatens native plants in more than 40 states, including West Virginia and neighboring Pennsylvania.

New wind sensor uses smart materials to improve drone performance

Engineers have designed and successfully tested a more efficient wind sensor for use on drones, balloons and other autonomous aircraft.These wind sensors – called anemometers – are used to monitor wind speed and direction. As demand for autonomous aircraft increases, better wind sensors are needed to make it easier for these vehicles to both sense weather changes and perform safer take-offs and landings, according to researchers.

WVU engineers advance U.S. Air Force search and rescue missions in hostile territories with unmanned drones

Through a 21-month, $300,000 project with funding from the Small Business Innovation Research of the U.S. Air Force Laboratory and in partnership with Kinnami Software Corporation, engineers in WVU’s Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources are making it possible for combat search and rescue operations to pinpoint isolated personnel without using radio GPS that can be intercepted.

‘Beam Me Up:’ Nation’s First Quantum Drone Provides Unrivaled Security

Researchers are developing the nation’s first drone-based, mobile quantum network for unhackable wireless communication. The network includes drones, a ground station, lasers and fiber optics. In war, these drones would provide one-time crypto-keys to exchange critical information, which spies and enemies would not be able to intercept. Quantum protects information using the laws of nature and not just by a clever manmade code.

Real-time flood sensors, urban farms, autonomous cars, dancing drones and more at NYU Tandon’s Research Excellence Exhibit

The NYU Tandon School of Engineering will showcase over 40 innovative and future-forward research projects by faculty and students, along with interactive, family-friendly tech activities, at its 2022 Research Excellence Exhibit.The annual expo, in its ninth year, takes place on Friday, April 29, 1:00 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Acoustics in Focus: Virtual Press Conference Schedule for 180th Meeting of Acoustical Society of America

Press conferences at the 180th ASA Meeting will cover the latest in acoustical research during the Acoustics in Focus meeting. The virtual press conferences will take place each day of the meeting and offer reporters and outlets the opportunity to hear key presenters talk about their research. To ensure the safety of attendees, volunteers, and ASA staff, Acoustics in Focus will be hosted entirely online.

NAU leading NSF grant that looks at the potential for drones in responding to forest fires

The grant, led by SICCS professors Fatemeh Afghah and Abolfazi Razi and Regents’ professor Peter Fulé, will give firefighters a better situational awareness about the fire environment; provide up-to-date information on where the fire is; and help fire responders form reliable predictions about the fire activity.

Drones used to locate dangerous, unplugged oil wells

There are millions of unplugged oil wells in the United States, which pose a serious threat to the environment. Using drones, researchers from Binghamton University, State University of New York have developed a new method to locate these hard-to-locate and dangerous wells.

Greenland Melting Likely Increased by Bacteria in Sediment

Bacteria are likely triggering greater melting on the Greenland ice sheet, possibly increasing the island’s contribution to sea-level rise, according to Rutgers scientists. That’s because the microbes cause sunlight-absorbing sediment to clump together and accumulate in the meltwater streams, according to a Rutgers-led study – the first of its kind – in the journal Geophysical Research Letters. The findings can be incorporated in climate models, leading to more accurate predictions of melting, scientists say.

New drone technology improves ability to forecast volcanic eruptions

Specially-adapted drones developed by an international team have been gathering data from never-before-explored volcanoes that will enable local communities to better forecast future eruptions.
The cutting-edge research at Manam volcano in Papua New Guinea is also improving scientists’ understanding of how volcanoes contribute to the global carbon cycle, key to sustaining life on Earth.

FAU Lands $11 Million from U.S. Office of Naval Research for Oceanic Bioluminescence

FAU’s Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute has landed an $11,179,001 four-year contract from the U.S. Office of Naval Research to develop a next-generation, high-intake, compact, bathyphotometer sensor for natural oceanic bioluminescence assessments. Bioluminescent creatures are found throughout marine habitats and their “glowing” energy released from chemical reactions is used to warn or evade predators, lure or detect prey and communicate with the same species. Research surrounding bioluminescence will soon serve as an important tool to protect U.S. coastlines.

UAH gets $1.1 million grant as lead in research on safe use of drones in disasters

The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) will receive $1.1 million of the $3.3 million in research, education and training grants awarded to universities that comprise the Alliance for System Safety of UAS through Research Excellence (ASSURE).

Researchers use drones, machine learning to detect dangerous ‘butterfly’ landmines

Using advanced machine learning, drones could be used to detect dangerous “butterfly” landmines in remote regions of post-conflict countries, according to research from Binghamton University, State University at New York.

Applying Deep Learning to Automate UAV‐Based Detection of Scatterable Landmines

Recent advances in unmanned‐aerial‐vehicle‐ (UAV‐) based remote sensing utilizing lightweight multispectral and thermal infrared sensors allow for rapid wide‐area landmine contamination detection and mapping surveys. We present results of a study focused on developing and testing an automated technique of…

MITRE Unveils Laboratory Focused on Autonomous Technology

In MITRE’s Mobile Autonomous Systems Experimentation (MASE) Laboratory, team are researching ways to accelerate advanced autonomous technology and provide objective perspective and recommendations for broad impact in multiple domains, including drones, commercial aircraft, tanks, and self-driving vehicles.

Wireless networking researcher wins Air Force’s Young Investigator Award for research into smart drones

Northern Arizona University assistant professor Fatemeh Afghah is one of 40 recipients of the grant, given to foster creative basic research in science and engineering, enhance career development and provide opportunities for engineers to address military challenges in science and engineering.

3D-Printed Plastics With High Performance Electrical Circuits

Rutgers engineers have embedded high performance electrical circuits inside 3D-printed plastics, which could lead to smaller and versatile drones and better-performing small satellites, biomedical implants and smart structures. They used pulses of high-energy light to fuse tiny silver wires, resulting in circuits that conduct 10 times more electricity than the state of the art, according to a study in the journal Additive Manufacturing. By increasing conductivity 10-fold, the engineers can reduce energy use, extend the life of devices and increase their performance.