EDGE newsletters contain brief descriptions of research activities and discoveries at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and provides links to researchers, centers, and sources of additional information.

Fiber-optic field sensor immune to EMI

Researchers in the Fiber and Electro Optics Research Center developed a fiber optic sensor, sensor technique, and optical and electrical processing system for magnetic field and electrical current sensing applications. The sensors are EMI resistant and are being used as part of high power electronic switching systems, where EMI is a big concern. Airak, Inc. (www.airak.com) has developed a prototype to measure field strength for electric transmission lines.

The sensor is also not set off accidentally by environmental conditions, such as temperature, humidity, direct sun exposure, and wind.

Mapping plant genomes

lant scientist M.A. Saghai Maroof used DNA similarity between two disease resistance genes from tobacco and Arabidopsis to develop a novel technique for the identification and isolation of new disease resistance genes from soybean and other crops, speeding the process for developing disease resistant plants. His discoveries in molecular marker technology have advanced plant science, and he and colleagues at Virginia Tech have developed improved varieties of corn and soybeans.

Saghai Maroof’s laboratory has been selected by DuPont and the United Soybean Board as a Center of Excellence for Soybean Functional Genomic Research.

Contact Dr. Saghai Maroof at smaroof@vt.edu or 540-231-9791

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Machine vision

The Spatial Data Analysis Lab developed at a Modular and Reprogrammable Real-Time Processing Hardware (MORRPH) board. It performs very fast, real-time image processing, and provides a user-configurable, modular architecture for cost-effective customization. In one application the system was used for the real-time scanning of hardwood lumber to determine defects in the lumber before it was cut (almost as it was cut).

The technology received the National Hardwood Lumber Association’s 1999 Hardwood Research Award, recognizing Virginia Tech’s pioneering research in the development of Machine Vision Technology for the forest products industry. Developments in this research have resulted in two patents and a commercial license to a forest products equipment manufacturer

Learm more.

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The Smart Road

The Smart Road has paved new ground in transportation research. Owned by the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) and operated by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, the Smart Road research facility is a two-lane instrumented highway designed to conduct Intelligent Transportation Systems research and to test and evaluate advanced transportation products.

In real world conditions, researchers solve transportation challenges saving lives and money using the road’s unique capabilities including an All-weather Testing System (generates fog, rain, and snow), an Experimental Lighting System (simulates 95 percent of U.S. fixed roadway lighting), and 12 Experimental Asphalt Designs (instrumented with over 400 sensors). These capabilities allow researchers to test vehicles, pavement, signs and other transportation features under an extraordinary range of conditions.

Research results include: improved vehicle rear signaling with new brake light system designs to reduce automobile crashes from the rear; enhanced night visibility and reduced disability glare with findings and recommendations from vehicle headlight research; enhanced pavement designs to improve the lifespan of highway surfaces; and improved guidelines for in-vehicle systems to reduce distracted driving and related crashes.

Ashwin E. Amanna is director of smart road operation. Reach him at 540-231-1517 or aamanna@vt.edu.

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