Home / Media / News Stories
Results:
Category: Featured Projects
Clear

  • September

    Bats can be vectors for diseases, such as rabies, and can therefore be classified as a naturally occurring threat to the Soldier entering a subterranean environment in an overseas military operation. Team members from the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center are currently investigating how to develop sensors that would eventually be fitted to unmanned vehicles to detect these naturally occurring threats, which can be subdivided into the macroscopic type, such as bats, arachnids and reptiles, and the microscopic threat agents — or the diseases that the macroscopic species may carry that could spread to people.

    Research project will explore using unmanned systems to detect naturally occurring hazards for the Soldier

    A multidisciplinary team at the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center-Environmental Laboratory (ERDC-EL) is currently cataloguing the naturally occurring threats that Soldiers encounter in such situations, with the goal of eventually developing an unmanned solution.
  • A team at the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) was recently honored with an award from the Federal Laboratory Consortium for their collaborative effort to address the worldwide problem of potholes with a unique innovation, Induction Hot-Mix Asphalt (iHMA).

    ERDC’s ‘simple but unique’ pothole solution honored with Federal Lab Consortium award

    From NASCAR racetracks to aircraft runways on military bases across the world, wherever they develop, potholes can cause serious problems. A team at the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) was recently honored with an award from the Federal Laboratory Consortium for their collaborative effort to address the worldwide problem of potholes with a unique innovation, Induction Hot-Mix Asphalt (iHMA).

  • August

    Aerial view of the Prado Dam, a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers structure near Corona, California.

    New trial for using advanced weather forecasts to retain more water proves successful

    A new report evaluating a pilot program to use advanced weather and streamflow forecasts to enhance water storage capabilities at a Riverside County, California, dam found that enough water could be conserved to supply an additional 60,000 people per year.
  • A tube operated in gas proportional mode produces waveforms displayed on an oscilloscope. Subsequently these waveforms were captured with high-speed, analog-to-digital electronics. The instrumentation was used by U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center Environmental Laboratory researchers in Vicksburg, Mississippi, to develop an electronic collimator invention for detecting gamma radiation, a penetrating form of electromagnetic radiation arising from the radioactive decay of atomic nuclei. The invention enables the warfighter with a detector capable of directional detection without the use of shielding. (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers photo)

    Patented Electronically Collimated Gamma Radiation Detector aids Warfighters

    A team of researchers from the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center’s (ERDC) Environmental Laboratory (EL) will be recognized later this year for an electronic collimator invention that enables the warfighter with a gamma radiation detector capable of directional detection without the use of shielding.         
  • Dr. Brian McFall, a research civil engineer with the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center’s Coastal and Hydraulics Laboratory, discusses the SandSnap initiative with U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) New York District employees.

    ERDC researchers engage citizen scientists in data collection

    Researchers from the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC), along with the U.S. Geological Service, Marda Science and James Madison University, are engaging citizen scientists in a national SandSnap initiative to amass a spatial and temporally varying nationwide beach grain-size database.

  • July

    Researchers from the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center's Coastal and Hydraulics Laboratory’s Field Research Facility position equipment along the shore in Duck, North Carolina, in preparation of the During Nearshore Event Experiment beginning fall 2021 along the Outer Banks.

    U.S. Coastal Research Program’s During Nearshore Event Experiment begins fall 2021

    Leading coastal scientists and engineers from across the U.S. will descend upon the Outer Banks of North Carolina this fall as part of the U.S. Coastal Research Program’s During Nearshore Event Experiment, or DUNEX, to study the physical processes behind storm impacts to beaches, dunes and coastal communities.
  • Harmful algal blooms in the lab

    ERDC partners with Ohio universities to develop solutions for harmful algal bloom problem

    The U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) established cooperative agreements with the Ohio State University (OSU), the University of Toledo (UToledo) and Bowling Green State University (BGSU) to combat freshwater harmful algal blooms (HABs).
  • Engineers from the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center’s Geotechnical and Structures Laboratory, located in Vicksburg, Mississippi, test non-destructive sustainable concrete materials at ERDC’s field exposure site at Treat Island, Maine.

    ERDC labs form team to tackle climate change

    In response to a presidential executive order detailing the intensifying effects of climate change and the global shift away from carbon-intensive energy sources, multiple laboratories from the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) are combining their expertise to take on climatic variations.

  • June

    ERDC has begun to ship simulator technology for military uses giving leaders a tool to simulate vessel landings in severe environments.

    Using simulation tools for operational readiness in maritime and littoral operations

    Operational readiness is a term used throughout the six branches of the U.S. military. The ability of armed forces to conduct the full range of military operations, regardless of a posed threat, is contingent upon how well units are manned, equipped, trained and led. To increase readiness, researchers at the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) have partnered with the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps on a joint venture to use ship simulation and numerical models in the planning of amphibious assaults and littoral operations.

  • April

    U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) Coastal and Hydraulics Laboratory research civil engineer David Nguyen, center, and his team calibrate and tune the motor and rudder sensors on the ERDC’s Research Vessel Martin during its commissioning in the Vicksburg, Mississippi, harbor April 1, 2021. The inland survey vessel is the first full-size, semi-autonomous craft of its kind for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers photo by Jared Eastman)

    ERDC researchers commission full-size, semi-autonomous research vessel

    Making its way through the murky waters and swift current of the Mississippi River at the Vicksburg riverfront, the Research Vessel Martin looks like any other U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) survey boat. However, there is one major difference. The inland survey vessel has been converted into a semi-autonomous craft, making it the first of its kind for the organization.
  • The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Research and Development Center's Geotechnical and Structures Laboratory uses a Heavy Vehicle-load Simulator-Aircraft system to test AM2 matting for the U.S. Navy's P-8 Poseidon aircraft in March 2021 at the Waterways Experiment Station in Vicksburg, Mississippi.

    ERDC team uses unique tool in Navy aircraft runway testing

    Since aircraft have been used as wartime weapons, the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) has led the charge of creating tools that allow those planes to land anywhere in the world. Today, that mission has not changed, and the Geotechnical and Structures Laboratory (GSL) is using a unique machine to better understand the Navy’s P-8 Poseidon and how it distresses temporary, rapidly constructed runways.  

  • March

    A section of the 1:2 scale model of one of Florida’s coastal mangrove forest built by researchers at the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) shows the intricacy of the mangrove roots. The ERDC team partnered with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Jacksonville District and the U.S. Naval Academy to explore the engineering value of the forest in reducing flood and storm risk. (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers photo)

    Evaluating the engineering benefits of Florida’s mangrove forests

    Along the Florida coastline, forests of trees with a dense tangle of prop roots appear to be standing on stilts above the water. These trees, or mangroves, are not only magnificent to see, but are a key element in protecting coastlines and communities during coastal storms. Researchers at the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) have partnered with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Jacksonville District and the U.S. Naval Academy to explore the engineering value of Florida’s mangrove forests.
  • Principal Investigator Dr. Anton Netchaev stands near a robotic system known as the Dambot near the entrance of the outlet works at Blue Mountain Dam, Arkansas, in October 2020. Dambot takes the human element out of a dangerous but necessary U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) maintenance task. The cutting-edge technology has been successfully tested and stands poised to change the course of closure gate assessments, while also safeguarding USACE team members. (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers photo)

    Dambot takes the lead on dangerous assessments

    A U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center team is designing robotic systems to keep humans out of harm’s way. Sounding more like the plot of an action movie than a research and development project, a robotic system known as Dambot takes the human element out of a dangerous but necessary U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) maintenance task. The cutting-edge technology has already been successfully tested and stands poised to change the course of closure gate assessments, while also safeguarding USACE team members.

  • December

    A multi-disciplinary team of operations, engineering and dam safety personnel inspect Detroit Dam Sept. 22 to assess impacts to the project—as well as the project’s functionality and any major safety concerns—after the Beachie Creek and Lionshead fires spread throughout the area upstream and downstream of the dam.

    Broadening the scope of post-wildfire flood risk management

    As firefighters worked diligently to extinguish a notable number of wildfires this season, researchers with U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center’s (ERDC) post-wildfire flood risk management team took a step back to evaluate how they could improve their efforts in assisting with the devastating effects of the fires.
  • The U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center’s Office of Small Business Programs was recognized by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers during a virtual ceremony for the 2020 USACE Small Business Awards, Dec. 4, 2020.

    ERDC Small Business Office recognized with USACE 2020 Small Business Award

    The U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center’s (ERDC) Office of Small Business Programs was recognized by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) during the 2020 USACE Small Business Awards held virtually Dec. 4, 2020.
  • Army first responders can now use multi-faceted software to identify key geolocations for disaster support allocations and mitigation efforts. This inventive software was developed at the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center’s Geospatial Research Laboratory as the patented System for Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis, later transitioned to the Army Geospatial Center and includes the Geo-centric Environment for Analysis and Reasoning.

    ERDC researcher excels as emergency responder software inventor

    As an intern and later a full-time research engineer at the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center’s (ERDC) Geospatial Research Laboratory (GRL), Dr. Michelle Hamilton invented a system for Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis, which was patented in September 2020 for emergency responders’ use in prioritizing key geolocations for support allocations and mitigation efforts.
  • Soldiers deploy the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center’s Ready Armor Protection for Instant Deployment, or RAPID, full armor configuration at the Maneuver Support, Sustainment and Protection Integration Experiments 2020 (MSSPIX20).

    Patented expedient protection structure impresses users

    With decades of inventions protecting Soldiers and civilians from hostile forces, the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center’s (ERDC) Geotechnical and Structures Laboratory (GSL) continues developing life-saving innovations as one of the seven world-class laboratories of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
  • A U.S. Army Landing Craft Utility 2000 offloads equipment to a Trident Pier at Anmyeon Beach on the west coast of the Republic of Korea during exercise Combined Joint Logistics Over-the-Shore (LOTS) 2015. CJLOTS 2015 is an exercise designed to train U.S. and ROK service members to accomplish vital logistical measures in a strategic area while strengthening communication and cooperation in the U.S.-ROK alliance.

    Modeling the dynamics of the Modular Causeway System

    In contingency operations, the Modular Causeway System (MCS), an assembly of floating modules, is often used for loading and unloading supplies and equipment from ship to shore. The U.S. Transportation Command has enlisted the help of researchers at the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) to numerically model the MCS and provide data that will aid in expanding the guidance to increase safety and efficiency for the warfighter.

  • November

    Inventors from two laboratories at the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center received a 2020 patent for their Electro-active Vitreous Enamel Coated Dowel Bar, which stabilizes concrete segments and reduces repair costs.

    ERDC multi-disciplinary, multi-laboratory team earns cost-saving coated dowel bar patent

    Combining multi-disciplinary talents from two laboratories at the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC), a three-person team earned a U.S. patent in July 2020 for the inventive Electro-active Vitreous Enamel Coated Dowel Bar, which stabilizes concrete segments and reduces repair costs.
  • U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center researchers manipulate the Robotics for Engineer Operations, or REO, vehicle and quickly capture pertinent data to use for engineer operations during the Maneuver Support, Sustainment and Protection Integration Experiments-2020, or MSSPIX-20, in Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., Sept. 16, 2020. The REO employs a set of robotic platforms to remotely characterize a site by fusing multiple sensing modalities on a fully autonomous unmanned ground vehicle to capture critical information for engineer missions.

    ERDC researchers demonstrate reconnaissance-enhancing technologies with Soldiers, civilians

    The U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) and the U.S. Army Futures Command, Futures and Concepts Center, in partnership with the Maneuver Support Center of Excellence (MSCoE), successfully completed the second phase of the Maneuver Support, Sustainment and Protection Integration Experiments-2020, or MSSPIX-20, in the fall of 2020.