In comparison to the other large research groups at the University that produce new technologies for military applications, the UT Center for Electromechanics has by far the most diverse group of financial sponsors.

In fact, CEM receives funding from such disparate agencies as the Houston Metropolitan Transit Authority, the Federal Railroad Administration and the U.S. Navy.

The center's funding structure is based on the fact that CEM primarily develops dual-use technologies — those that have applications for both military and commercial interests.

Since 1972, CEM has pioneered the development of high energy pulsed power generators, which can be used in various propulsion systems.

Of the CEM's $15 million annual budget, approximately half is given by private industry, while the other half comes from assorted government agencies, said Robert Hebner, director of CEM.

"Our biggest source of funding is the Department of Transportation," Hebner said. "Our second largest [contributor] is NASA — then the State of Texas, the Department of Defense and a few other agencies come in with a fairly small fraction of what we do."

CEM's Electromechanical Active Vehicle Suspension Program is one example of a multi-sponsor, dual-use technology being developed at the center.

The program designs and tests suspension systems that could eventually be installed in a number of different vehicles — including public buses operated by the City of Houston and "Humvee" rapid transport vehicles, which were used by U.S. armed forces in the Persian Gulf War.

Originally tested for use on the Army's M1 main battle tank, the advanced suspension systems are designed to allow better driver control and enable smoother rides over rough terrain without requiring the driver to look ahead.

In theory, when a vehicle equipped with the suspension system drives over a low section of road, a computer detects the change and automatically forces the affected wheel down while keeping the vehicle itself level. Conversely, the system lets the wheel rise back up to its natural position over high sections of road.

"The army came over and looked at this and said "Yeah, well, that's nice but will it work in a real vehicle?'" Hebner said.

When drivers tried the system out at the Army's Yuma Proving Grounds in Southern Arizona, they found that their vehicle could travel four times faster on rough terrain than it could with conventional suspension system.

"When we built this thing, it was really slick," Hebner said. "At 40 miles per hour, we are about 10 times better than the conventional system at about 10 miles per hour."

Hebner said he hopes the system will eventually be installed on public buses as well — a concept he says city planners should find appealing.

"Buses tear up pavement, but if we can minimize the force that they put on the pavement, we think that the roads will last a lot longer, making buses cheaper to run," he said.

Another area of research at CEM geared toward dual-use applications is its Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) technology.

Ray Zowarka, EMALS program director, said his team's objective is to deploy an advanced aircraft launch system that can be installed on the Navy's next-generation aircraft carriers or used by NASA to propel spacecraft into orbit.

Currently, the Navy uses steam-powered launch systems on it's carriers. The main drawback with these systems is that, because they drive aircraft down the carrier deck using a single high-pressure push, they sometimes put inecessasry strain on the aircraft.

The EMALS is more efficient because carrier personnel are better able to control the application of force during the launch, Zowarka said.

"We have feedback control of our force, therefore we don't have to overload the frame of the airplane," he said.

The CEM-designed launcher has other benefits as well. It reduces the thermal signature of the carrier, thus making it harder to detect. Additionally, the EMALS resets faster than steam-powered systems and allows for quicker aircraft launches.

NASA has considered using related technology to launch its space shuttle of the future, named the Third Generation Reusable Launch Vehicle, Zowarka added.

On average, CEM has a paid staff of about 60 research engineers, supplemented by some 30 UT students who work for the center on an annual basis.

Dan Dorsey, a mechanical engineering graduate student, works for CEM on its carbon composite flywheel system. The flywheel, which is a light-wieght, wheel-shaped object that stores kinetic energy in engines, is one of the central mechanical components of CEM's energy storage program.

Dorsey said the student research program is mutually beneficial and helps CEM develop technology faster.

"A lot of the research projects that come in have a finite amount of time [to be completed]. So, it's great to stick a student on them because you are essentially getting a temporary worker for the project, " Dorsey said. "The student gets to work on new and interesting research and will hopefully get a degree out of it."