IEEE Region 5

A reception for Texas State Legislators in the Lone Star Section. Come and visit with your Texas State Senator or Representative at lunchtime on April 16 2025. Our event will be held at the Education Center of the San Antonio Museum of Science and Technology (SAMSAT), and will be devoted to discussing such items as Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) issues, as well as those for technology infrastructure in the greater San Antonio area. Speaker(s): David Monroe, Walt Downing Agenda: 11:00 am Legislators arrive and welcomed 11:10 am Welcome by SAMSAT CEO (David Monroe) and Lone Star Section leadership 11:30 am Introductions and comments by legislators 12:00 pm Lunch is served 12:15 pm Breakout for discussions with appropriate legislators 12:45 pm Brief tour of SAMSAT Education Center 1:00 pm Adjourn Bldg: Education Center, San Antonio Museum of Science & Technology, 5035 SW 36th St, San Antonio, Texas, United States, 78226

The Intelligent Systems Division at SwRI has worked on a wide variety of uncrewed aerial systems (UAS) projects varying from autonomy in confined GPS denied spaces to installing sensors on transmission power lines. This talk will give an overview of the UAS projects the Robotics Department has worked on in the last few years. A major focus has been autonomous navigation and exploration with UAS in GPS denied environments. SwRI has developed a software stack that enables exploration in indoor environments without reliance on GPS for localization. The stack has been used to explore and map the interior of a nuclear power plant, natural limestone caves in San Antonio, and a variety of warehouse buildings. The system can operate fully autonomously without any user input except a takeoff and explore command. Beyond mapping the environment, the vehicles can carry other sensors such as radiation sensors as demonstrated during the EnRicH 2021 European Robotics Hackathon. This technology also has potential applications to explore off planet caves to search for signs of past life on Mars and the Moon. SwRI has worked with the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) to develop an installation system for high voltage power transmission monitors using UAS. The system mounted on a UAS can install an EPRI RF monitor onto power transmission lines without requiring linemen or bucket trucks. The system increases the safety of the installation and significantly reduces the amount of time required to install the monitors. Talk is limited to US citizens. Registration is required. Cookies and drinks will be provided. Speaker(s): Anthony Bldg: Building 51, 6220 Culebra Rd, San Antonio, Texas, United States, 78245