Technology Today

Episode 86: 2025 Rewind by Southwest Research Institute

SwRI built a private, secure, high-velocity 5G network to advance wireless research and development, now and in the future. The versatile network operates on campus with fixed infrastructure or in the field with mobile components without relying on traditional mobile network providers. It currently supports 5G projects in cybersecurity, drone technology, edge computing and more, but it is ready to take on 6G and beyond. Future G capabilities will include artificial intelligence, satellite, virtual reality and holographic technology. Listen now as SwRI RF Sensors and Systems Department Director and 5G expert Jody Little discusses the benefits of a private 5G network, SwRI R&D progress using this new tool and the possibilities of Future G technology.

SwRI picked up two “Oscars of Innovation,” R&D 100 Awards, in the 2025 R&D World Magazine competition. The R&D 100 Awards recognize the most significant technical accomplishments of the year. The prestigious award has honored top tier, revolutionary science and technology for more than 60 years. SwRI was recognized as co-developer on two winning projects, the Copeland Oil-Free Centrifugal Compressor and the Low Mass High Efficiency Medium-Duty Truck Engine. This year, the competition drew entries from 13 countries and regions. SwRI has won 54 R&D 100 Awards since 1971. Listen now as SwRI engineers Dr. Jason Wilkes and Ryan Williams discuss what makes these technologies stand out as innovations of the year and how SwRI’s expertise contributed to the development of the award-winning compressor and engine.

SwRI celebrates a first in its 78-year history — the purchase of land and construction of a new facility outside of its San Antonio headquarters. The 33,000-square-foot, $18.5 million building, equipped to advance national defense technology, is strategically located 3 miles from Robins Air Force Base in Warner Robins, Georgia. The building, featuring conference rooms, labs and new equipment, is expanding SwRI capabilities in electronic warfare (EW) research and development. The state-of-the-art Warner Robins space, which officially opened August 20, is a launch pad for innovative ideas and inspiration. Listen now as SwRI EW experts and Warner Robins engineers Winfield Greene, David Brown and Jarrett Holcomb talk about the new opportunities in the space, the forward-looking EW development underway and why Warner Robins is the ideal community for growth and progress.

SwRI’s NEXTCAR project, funded by the Department of Energy, fuses connected and automated technologies to achieve increased vehicle efficiency. The system demonstrates up to 30% energy savings. NEXTCAR works with all vehicles — electric, hybrid or conventional — without changing the engine or hardware. This is a software solution that goes beyond mapping the best route. The NEXTCAR vehicle can “talk” to its surroundings, like other cars and infrastructure, to determine a full, energy-efficient driving plan. NEXTCAR accounts for details like how many times a driver hits the gas and pumps the brakes, a combination that often consumes more energy. After eight years of research and development, the NEXTCAR connected and automated vehicle technology is complete and ready for the next phase. Listen now as SwRI engineer and NEXTCAR program principal investigator Stas Gankov discusses the advantages of a personal NEXTCAR driving experience, how the system collects valuable data and his call out for collaborators for the next phase.