AFRL showcases Emerald Raptor findings

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Rachelle Elsea
  • 325th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
TYNDALL AIR FORE BASE, Fla. --  Air Force Research Laboratory recently showcased an on-site field exercise, Emerald Raptor, to several individuals to include Craig Deatherage, Military and Veteran's Affairs Liaison at Office of U.S. Representative Steve Southerland.

"It's always good to be able to witness and observe a validation of many hours, weeks and even, in this case, years of research," said Lt. Col. Donna Pilson, AFRL commander. "We are excited about the demo that the team has put together today."

The project, which first began nearly five years ago, explores ways in which biology can be exploited to provide electrical power and propulsion to positioned environmental monitoring systems.

AFRL's team, consisting of eight civilians and one military member, is headed by Dr. Glenn Johnson, AFRL Microbiology and Applied Biochemistry Laboratory principal investigator.

He has been very excited about the project since the beginning.

"We have had the freedom to explore some fundamental principles and examine the state of the possible," said Dr. Johnson. "But, ultimately our motivation is the transitioning of that understanding to a practical application."

Fuel cells have played a huge part in the laboratory's discoveries.

"Biological fuel cells are devices that use energy stored in naturally occurring sugars and the oxygen in air to generate electricity," Dr. Johnson said. "By harnessing these fuels from the environment, these power sources offer a clean, efficient and reliable alternative to conventional batteries. The biology inside the fuel cell used in the present exercise consists of carefully selected bacteria and enzymes that catalyze the reactions in the process."

The team has made several different power devices, utilizing their findings that can be used in water, at the surface or submerged, depending upon the desired application. However, the submergible device has become their main focus.

"The concept prototype represents the only submersible, autonomously operating, electronic platform capable of using biological systems as sole power source," said Dr. Johnson. "When employed at depth, the fuel cells can be attached to an assembly that provides zero power ballast control technology. What that means is that bacteria are used to produce gas, in this case, hydrogen, which causes the buoy to surface. Upon surfacing, the system is able to deliver a signal which is linked to various reporting capabilities."

By controlling the amount of gas that the bacteria produces, the system can be controlled in respect to how often it comes to the surface and how long it should stay at the surface, he added.

The laboratory will continue to do research in this field, in hopes to turn their research into a marketable project.