Washington, 27th June: A group of students have developed a portable device to detect the weapons of suicide bombers.
According to latest reports, improvised explosive devices (IEDs), the weapons of suicide bombers, are responsible for about half of soldier casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan. To get rid of these IEDs, A group of University of Michigan Engineering undergraduate students has developed a new way to detect IEDs that appears to be magnitudes cheaper than comparable approaches used.
Students invented a wireless network of portable hand-held metal detectors that could be hidden in trash cans, under tables, in flower pots. For Example, The detectors are designed to be part of a wireless sensor network that conveys to a base station where suspicious objects are located and who might be carrying them.
Compared with existing technology, the sensors are cheaper, lower-power and longer-range. Each of the sensors weighs about 2 pounds.
Nilton Renno, a professor in the U-M Department of Atmospheric, Oceanic and Space Sciences Expressed his sentiments as: The Invention of this man-portable device really exceed every technology that exist in Market today.
Ashwin Lalendran, an engineering student who worked on the project and graduated in May explained that:
“The core technology is based on a magnetometer, or metal detector. Our sensors are small, flexible to deploy, inexpensive and scalable. It’s extremely novel technology.”
The U-M students recently won an Air Force-sponsored competition with Ohio State University.The U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright Patterson, Air Force Base sponsored the project as well as the contest. “Such contests are regularly held across the country to provide rapid reaction and innovative solutions to the Department of Defense’s urgent needs,” says Capt. Nate Terning, AFRL rapid reaction projects director.
It is really an Excellent turnout in Technology. Tenning said, “Regardless of the competition results, often successful ideas from each student team can be combined into a product which is then realized for DoD use in the future.”
This project undertook in Renno’s Engineering 450 senior level design class. Renno said,
“They clearly have an excellent understanding of the problem. They also thought strategically and designed and optimized their solution. The combination of a movable command center with a wireless sensor network can be easily deployed in the field and adapted to different situations”
Bruce Block, an engineer in the Space Physics Research Laboratory who worked with the students express emotional feeling as,
“I am very proud of the team for applying a sound engineering approach and a lot of imagination to the solution of an extremely difficult real-world problem. They worked well together and never gave up when the going got rough“
Exclusive Video of this project in which the team illustrates the network and the background details of the project. Check out the Video illustration of “Portable Device To Detect Suicide Bombers” on my blog’s Sidebar Under Exclusive Links Tag.
The students will continue to work on this project through the summer. Other students involved are:
Steve Boland, a senior atmospheric, oceanic and space sciences major,
Andry Supian, a mechanical engineering major who graduated in April,
Brian Hale, a senior aerospace engineering major,
Kevin Huang, a junior computer science major,
Michael Shin, a junior computer engineering major and
Vitaly Shatkovsky, a mechanical engineering major who graduated in April.
Other Space Physics Research Lab engineers who assisted are Steve Musko and Steve Rogacki
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Major Information and Quotes are Adapted from materials provided by University of Michigan.
Michigan Engineering:
The University of Michigan College of Engineering is ranked among the top engineering schools in the country. At more than $130 million annually, its engineering research budget is one of largest of any public university. Michigan Engineering is home to 11 academic departments and a National Science Foundation Engineering Research Center. The college plays a leading role in the Michigan Memorial Phoenix Energy Institute and hosts the world class Lurie Nanofabrication Facility.
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