Dr. David Horner, IT Lab Director and Mr. Quincy Alexander, IT Lab Division Chief with ERDC, U.S Army Engineer REsearch & Development Center recently visited the RELLIS campus for discussions concerning cybersecurity, proposed robotics, remote sensing and UAV works in Civil Infrastructure fields.
Dr. Anand Puppala, Director of the CIR, introduced the Center for Infrastructure Renewal at Texas A&M University, which aims to address the critical need for sustainable, resilient, and efficient infrastructure systems. He shared the center’s vision of becoming a global leader in infrastructure innovation and its strategic mission to advance knowledge, develop technologies, and train professionals to create a more sustainable future.
During the visit, Dr. Keith Biggers with the Texas A&M Center for Applied Technology (TCAT) provided a high-level overview of its capabilities and highlighted projects related to data fusion, data visualization, digital twins, and modeling and simulation.
In addition, Dr. Dez Song Professor, Texas A&M Computer Science & Engineering provided an in-depth look at the research work on utilizing robotics for asset monitoring. He highlighted the importance of integrating robotics and automation to inspect, maintain, and rehabilitate infrastructure systems. By harnessing the power of robotics, engineers can improve the efficiency, safety, and cost-effectiveness of infrastructure management.
Amit Gajurel, a doctoral student working at the CIR also discussed the use of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) and Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) remote sensing techniques for monitoring transportation and geotechnical assets. This work emphasized how these advanced technologies can revolutionize the way we observe and analyze infrastructure systems, leading to improved maintenance and management practices.
