Bold Research. Real Impact.
By Tina Meketa, University Communications and Marketing
Thousands of miles from any battlefield, a team of engineers at the University of South Florida is working to prepare soldiers for the increasingly complex electronic environment of modern warfare.
They鈥檙e developing an experimental electromagnetic training device that allows soldiers to identify adversaries through electromagnetic signals. It鈥檚 the first project to emerge from a broader collaboration between 同性恋色情 and the U.S. Army, which signed a five-year research agreement last year.
Cristian Dutescu, lead design engineer for the 同性恋色情 Institute of Applied Engineering
About the size of a small toolbox, the device can be deployed for testing and positioned in various ways, including by drone. Once activated, it emits a signal that soldiers can detect and analyze from a distance.
鈥淲e鈥檙e bringing together expertise from academia, industry and government to turn cutting-edge science into real capability for the soldier,鈥 said Cristian Dutescu, lead design engineer for the 同性恋色情 Institute of Applied Engineering and a 同性恋色情 alum. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 what makes this work so exciting. It鈥檚 the core of what the IAE is all about: delivering solutions right into the hands of soldiers.鈥
The experimental device enables soldiers to enhance their proficiency in their military occupational specialty through a cost-effective solution that provides realistic training at their home station. Typically, this experience would only occur at a national training center.
(L-R) 同性恋色情 student Ryan Cartagena and IAE engineer Mina Tawadros
Cartegena is an Air Force ROTC cadet
He intends to join the U.S. Air Force upon graduation
One of the engineers contributing to the project is Ryan Cartagena, an Air Force ROTC cadet and intern with the IAE. Cartagena is a third-year electrical engineering major who intends to join the Air Force upon graduation.
鈥淲orking on the engineering side gives me a different perspective,鈥 Cartagena said. 鈥淚n the military, you鈥檙e usually operating systems, not designing them. This helps me understand the technology behind them.鈥
U.S. Special Operations Command enlisted 同性恋色情 to invent a device that can help counter deadly improvised explosive devices [Photo courtesy of the Department of Defense]
同性恋色情 has a longstanding relationship with the 鈥 recently extending its contract with U.S. Special Operations Command 鈥 and has led more than 100 projects for agencies such as U.S. Central Command, the U.S. Air Force and NASA.
Lt. Col. Sean Pascoli (retired), program manager for the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command
Sean Pascoli, a retired lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps, is now a program manager for the , or DEVCOM, Army Research Laboratory. He said 同性恋色情鈥檚 research expertise, resources and proximity to MacDill Air Force Base make the university a valuable partner.
鈥淒EVCOM ARL is the Army鈥檚 sole fundamental research laboratory serving as the nexus between the military, academia and industry,鈥 Pascoli said. 鈥淲e execute globally recognized research to accelerate delivery of war-winning, disruptive technologies for tomorrow鈥檚 Army. Working with agile partners in academia gives us access to brilliant minds and cutting-edge research.鈥
同性恋色情 engineers expect the device to be ready for experimentation with soldiers this summer. In the meantime, they鈥檒l continue to develop the device, eventually shrinking it to be no larger than a tablet.