Going beyond alternative energy sources like wind and solar, Georgia Tech researchers are finding new eco-friendly ways to harvest abundant energy that’s all around us.
Features
- Exhibit A:
Test Range
The Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) operates a far-field antenna test range at its facility in Cobb County, Georgia. The range consists of two multistory signal towers — source and receive — located 1,300 feet apart. The facility features a heavy-duty, three-axis positioner capable of handling antennas up to 30 feet in diameter and weighing up to 30,000 pounds. The range’s massive towers ensure extreme mechanical precision and stability. Photos by Rob Felt.
- Exhibit A:
Gravitational Waves
Georgia Tech is a partner in the scientific collaboration for the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) and operates a mock-up LIGO control room on campus. In February, the LIGO Scientific Collaboration announced that it had confirmed the detection of gravitational waves at both LIGO detectors, located in Livingston, Louisiana, and Hanford, Washington. The LIGO observatories are funded by the National Science Foundation, and were conceived, built, and are operated by Caltech and MIT. Photo by Rob Felt
- Exhibit A:
Very Quiet Room
The Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) operates an indoor compact range used for radar cross section measurements and antenna testing. The facility is shielded against electromagnetic interference and used for both internal research and collaborations with industry. The range is 18 feet high, 24 feet wide, and 60 feet long. It can test at frequencies ranging from two gigahertz to 100 gigahertz, and that range can be extended down to 200 megahertz to accommodate UHF antenna testing. Shown under test is a Skywalker X8 airframe that is being used as a test bed for swarming UAV research. The aircraft is undergoing antenna pattern characterization as part of an investigation into inter-aircraft communications. Photo by Rob Felt.
