Technology Today

We’re celebrating our milestone 50th episode with a guest co-host and a discussion on the highlights, and sometimes challenges, of producing 50 conversations. Plus, we’re revisiting the fascinating and inspiring Technology Today topics of 2022, including a conversation with a planetary science pioneer, the possibilities of hydrogen as an energy source, learning about the life and accomplishments of SwRI founder Tom Slick, automated buses and much more. Listen now as Host Lisa Peña and Audio Engineer Bryan Ortiz, co-hosting Technology Today for the first time, recall their journey over 50 episodes and take us through the conversations of 2022.

SwRI’s Integrally Geared Supercritical CO2 Compander has been named one of the top innovations of 2022, receiving a prestigious R&D 100 Award. Pipeline & Gas Journal also recognized the compander as the “Best Management Advancement Technology” at the R&D 100 Awards Gala held on November 17. Using supercritical carbon dioxide, the revolutionary technology converts heat, like sunlight, into usable energy, while reducing carbon emissions. Our guests tell us what makes the new compander superior to conventional turbomachinery. They also explain how the groundbreaking equipment and highly-efficient sCO2 power cycles are moving us toward a cleaner energy future. Listen now as SwRI engineers Dr. Tim Allison and Dr. Jason Wilkes discuss the transformational compander and other sCO2 solutions.

Would you hop on an automated bus for your morning commute? Sensors, software and cameras would safely guide you to your destination, saving time and helping you avoid unpredictable traffic. We’re moving toward this transportation option as SwRI develops technology and systems for connected automated buses. Our engineers are currently working on automated solutions that could ease congestion in busy bus lanes. And we are already seeing the technology deployed on the SwRI San Antonio campus with a new 14-passenger shuttle. Once programmed, the shuttle can accelerate, brake and navigate on its own. This is just the beginning of harnessing the possibilities of automation. Listen now as SwRI engineer Jerry Towler discusses innovative, inspiring automated technology for buses and other applications.

Batteries are key to our way of life. They not only power up vehicles and electronics, but also medical devices, aircraft and space technology. They have to be ready for a challenge and they have to be safe. So, what happens when batteries take a beating and fail? The SwRI Energy Storage Technology Center is equipped to answer that question, taking batteries to their limits with crushing, destructive, explosive consequences to make them tougher, more resilient and safer. Listen now as SwRI engineers Dr. Bapiraju Surampudi and Ian Smith discuss the extremes of battery testing and research.

The countdown to launch is on! The CubeSat to Study Solar Particles or CuSP mission is preparing for lift off aboard NASA’s Space Launch System, the most powerful rocket ever built. The six-unit CubeSat is a micro-satellite carrying three instruments designed to measure solar particles and assess space weather. Space scientists want to learn more about conditions in space that can disrupt technology and air travel on Earth. This is SwRI’s first CubeSat mission, but not the last. Listen now as SwRI’s Dr. Mihir Desai, CuSP principal investigator, discusses the CuSP mission and his team’s vision to create a network of space weather stations.

Thomas Baker Slick, Jr., oil heir, business man, philanthropist, adventurer, author and inventor, impacted the world with his grand ideas and scientific pursuits. As we celebrate SwRI’s 75th anniversary, we remember the legendary and inspiring founder of the Institute who left a legacy of progress and innovation. Slick was known for his global vision and his desire to advance humankind. He was also known for his world travels, art collection and his expeditions in search of the mythical yeti. On this episode, his family members tell us they also knew another side of him, sharing intimate details of Tom Slick’s extraordinary life and their colorful memories of his humor and wisdom. Listen now as Slick’s son, Chuck, and niece, Catherine Nixon Cooke, recall the man they knew as beloved father and uncle, and discuss how he continues to change the world today.

A new tool can tell you if that meeting, event or family gathering will put you at risk for contracting COVID-19. The interactive tool, available now as a PDF, analyzes data such as size of the meeting space, ventilation, mask use, community spread, vaccination rates and more. Once the variables are filled in, users receive a low to very high risk assessment for a particular gathering. Our first guests from SwRI’s wholly owned subsidiary Signature Science LLC in Austin tell us how scientists are making the tool more user friendly and how it’s already working in real world scenarios. Listen now as Signature Science President and CEO Brian Schimmoller and Data Scientist Dr. Molly Isbell discuss the COVID-19 Exposure Assessment Tool (CEAT).

The oil and gas that powers our lives moves through a vast network of pipelines underground and underwater. Corrosion and damage can cause pipeline leaks. It is important to detect leaks quickly to protect people and the environment. SwRI experts develop and test cutting-edge leak detection equipment for use on and offshore, and they study the physics of leaks to ensure the technology is up to the task. Through pipeline leak detection, they are keeping our communities safe. Listen now as SwRI Engineer Shane Siebenaler discusses the role of pipelines in our economy, current advances in leak detection technology and the future of the industry.

On this Earth Day episode, we explore hydrogen, a cleaner energy source that could bring the planet closer to a carbon-neutral future. When used in power generation, manufacturing, transportation and other industries, hydrogen gas could pump the brakes on carbon and help lower harmful emissions. SwRI scientists and engineers are collaborating to uncover the potential and overcome the challenges of this alternative to fossil fuels. Is hydrogen the way forward? Listen now as SwRI Mechanical Engineer Angel Wileman discusses how industries can transition to hydrogen, what makes the gas unique, and why it is a promising solution.

This Women’s History Month, we are highlighting the revolutionary work of SwRI’s space science pioneer, Dr. Robin Canup. Canup is known for her trailblazing research of the Earth-Moon system. Her computer simulations and models based on the giant impact hypothesis have become the widely accepted theory on how our Moon formed. In addition to her standout scientific work, Canup is a trained and accomplished ballerina. On this episode, she takes us back to the moment when she reached her breakthrough theory on the Moon’s formation and she shares her insight on the parallels between ballet and space science. She also has valuable advice for young women searching for a career path. Listen now as SwRI Astrophysicist Dr. Robin Canup discusses her historic findings on the Moon’s formation, her journey into space science and her experience as prima ballerina for the Boulder Ballet.

SwRI fire testing provides critical information to manufacturers and consumers, making our homes and our world safer. In SwRI burn labs, fire experts unleash walls of flames to test everything from electronics and sofas to batteries, gas tanks and much more. Through explosions and infernos, they are evaluating the performance of construction materials, textiles and products to find out if they pose a fire risk. They also evaluate fire safety systems to make sure they are up to standard and can properly extinguish flames. In this episode, we discuss their important work and find out what piece of furniture in all of our homes poses the biggest fire risk. Listen now as SwRI Director of Fire Technology Dr. Matthew Blais discusses safe, controlled fire testing to evaluate products, materials and systems.

SwRI is taking drones beyond the common uses of recreation, photography and surveillance. With algorithms and sensors guiding the unmanned aerial vehicles, these cutting-edge drones are equipped to enter hazardous areas, make decisions and collect data on their own. Intelligent drones can aid in search and rescue missions and explore contaminated or unstable environments, such as a collapsed building. The drones can take on dangerous work, removing people from potential harm. Listen now as SwRI Engineer and Manager Dr. Eric Thorn discusses the many advanced capabilities of intelligent drones.

As we close 2021, we revisit the tech topics and innovations that got us talking through the year. We covered a solution to keep plastic waste out of our oceans, a method to harvest drinking water from the air, NASA’s Juno mission to Jupiter and much more. The year was filled with eye-opening listen and learn moments as SwRI engineers and scientists shared their insight and expertise. Listen now as we recap an informative and inspiring year on the podcast.

SwRI picked up a record three 2021 R&D 100 Awards, representing the top 100 innovations of the year, and we are celebrating our winners. Connected and automated vehicle technology allows vehicles to “talk” to each other and surrounding infrastructure, providing efficient and environmentally-friendly navigation for drivers. SwRI’s revolutionary Catalyzed Diesel Exhaust Fluid is a unique solution that lowers fuel costs and emissions simultaneously, eliminating problematic deposits in the process. Machine learning tool Floodlight™ identifies chemicals in products we consume and use every day, breaking down an overload of data for chemists. R&D World presents the R&D 100 Awards each year. Since 1971, SwRI has won a total of 50 R&D 100 Awards. Listen now as SwRI engineers Sankar Rengarajan, Cary Henry, and Computer Scientist Michael Hartnett discuss the winning technologies and what makes them top innovations of 2021.

SwRI’s new Advanced Fluids for Electrified Vehicles (AFEV) Consortium is a research program seeking solutions for a growing industry. The hardware used in electric and hybrid vehicles is quickly evolving. The fluids and lubricants used to protect EV hardware must keep up. The AFEV Consortium is bringing a global community together to invest in key electrified vehicle research, specifically the changing fluid and lubricant requirements of EVs. Their findings will optimize EV performance and drive the entire industry forward. Listen now as SwRI engineers Pete Morgan and Rebecca Warden discuss the critical functions of electrified vehicle fluids, and the research and vision of SwRI’s new AFEV Consortium.