Research

A new technology for printing temporary labels on various types of materials – developed by Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University researchers for Zyxogen, LLC, as part of an Airbus-sponsored project – could improve aviation manufacturing efficiency.

Someday soon, a “Drone Net” now under development by Embry-Riddle could provide a cost-effective way to protect small airports, university and corporate campuses, farms or other operations from irresponsible drone operators.

Imagine going through the wreckage of an airliner that has broken apart and burned, looking for clues to determine what caused the accident. Only highly trained investigators ever have a chance to take part in such scenarios. Yet, thanks to the rapidly developing technology of augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR), Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Worldwide campus students can examine crashed aircraft in a simulated environment, searching for clues with their computers, tablets, smartphones or AR goggles.

In February 2018, a YouTube video revealed a small unmanned aircraft system (sUAS) taking off from a parking lot and climbing more than 1,000 feet as a passenger jet came dangerously close to the drone on approach to McCarran Airport. The irresponsible drone operator then flew upside down to get a better shot of the Frontier Airlines plane. Months earlier, a DJI Phantom 4 drone flying near Staten Island, N.Y., hit a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter, damaging its main rotor blade because the sUAS pilot was deliberately flying beyond his visual line of sight.

Today – maybe on the other side of the planet, maybe closer to home – cybercriminals are constantly trying to exploit the vulnerabilities of the aviation industry: connectivity, availability, legacy systems and the constant flow of payment data from passengers. Soon, 17-year-old Antonia Nunley of Columbus, Georgia might join an army of “white hats” being trained at Embry-Riddle to protect airports and airlines by combating cybercriminals. Nunley recently joined 20 other high-school students to take part in a unique aviation-focused cybersecurity camp, developed by Embry-Riddle Research Fellow and Professor of Computer Science Dr. Remzi Seker and funded by the National Security Administration.

Surrounded by deep canyons and rugged, scenic sandstone formations resembling the red terrain of Mars, researcher Ryan L. Kobrick paces himself as he climbs about 200 feet up a steep desert mountain in south-central Utah named after one of the moons of Mars.