Case Studies

In recent years, the U.S. federal government has identified a need for lower-cost non-standard commercial vehicles (NSCV). NSCVs – such as pick-up trucks, sport-utility vehicles, sedans, and vans – allow military forces to operate in areas without military logistical support. For more than eight years, Battelle has produced lightweight armored and upgraded vehicles for clients who sought better operational performance and protection.

Directed-energy unmanned aircraft system (UAS) countermeasure developed by Battelle.

Climate change is already having impacts on human health, infrastructure, ecosystems and security worldwide, serving as a threat or risk “magnifier” that compounds existing challenges in multiple sectors. As a key member of a team supporting USAID, Battelle staff helped pioneer the development and delivery of a climate change training course to USAID staff worldwide.

Roadside bombs and other threats place our troops and other responders in harm’s way. Advanced unmanned vehicles and robotics, like the Man Transportable Robotic System (MTRS), play a critical role in removing personnel from dangerous environments by performing tasks without the need for direct human manipulation. Battelle gathered an interdisciplinary team of materials, manufacturing, engineering, and technology-insertion program experts to complete the battery box design for manufacturability, ensure feasibility, and complete production.

The U.S. Air Force came to Battelle for help in developing coaching programs that would prepare base personnel to implement an effective industrial hygiene program using the Defense Occupational and Environmental Health Readiness Systems. See the results of our work.

Battelle and the University of Dayton Research Institute produced small lots of SPK from commercially available Fischer-Tropsch wax to allow researchers in the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) to examine how variations in the SPK could affect aircraft performance.

Battelle is working alongside the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Office of International and Tribal Affairs to provide capacity building to Central American countries, including Ministries of Environment and Health, academic institutions, and the private and non-profit sectors to improve their management of air quality.

Battelle's next-generation HUMVEE armor kits gave our clients survivability and performance in a lightweight design that could adapt to new threats and mission profiles. Proven in combat, Battelle's innovative designs are now found on several new types of special mission vehicles.

NEON is a network of 81 field sites across the continental U.S. that gather sensor and field data from a diverse range of terrestrial and non-marine aquatic ecosystems. Battelle built a cyberinfrastructure to manage all the data collected from the NEON observatories and make it accessible for researchers.

Battelle assembled a cross-functional team of explosives handling experts, design and fabrication engineers, process engineers, analytical chemists, statisticians, software and data acquisition specialists, and quality assurance and safety specialists and developed a test approach that allowed the client to submit quality data to government agencies in a very short time frame and under budget.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security came to Battelle for help in identifying new analytical and statistical methods for characterization of Organophosphate pesticides (OPPs). OPPs are a highly toxic class of chemicals still used for agricultural purposes in many countries. Their high toxicity and wide availability could make them attractive to terrorists or criminals for use as chemical threat agents (CTAs)

As part of a DOE-sponsored project, Battelle and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) developed a novel catalyst for conversion of pyrolysis bio oil feedstock. The new catalyst did not degrade as quickly as traditional catalysts, allowing for more bio oil production. The bio oil was also higher quality than the oil produced with traditional catalysts.

Open burning is often used in combat zones to quickly discard of waste produced during military operations. Battelle supported toxicology studies for the Naval Medical Research Unit–Dayton to better understand the health effects associated with the inhalation exposure to these emissions.

Each of the three robot platforms is simulated with the Simulation Architecture for Mobile Systems (SAMS) and can be connected to prototype hardware modules using the program-selected open architecture network protocol called Joint Architecture for Unmanned Systems (JAUS).

Aging electronics and avionics can ground fleets or vehicles for obsolescence or performance. Battelle has manufactured thousands of these modules with the quality necessary for avionics applications. Manufacturing includes rigorous testing and operational environmental cycling, careful but collaborative supply chain management, dynamic manufacturing planning to meet customer needs.

This novel product needed thoughtful design for manufacturing and dynamic startup production. Battelle’s manufacturing team employed Battelle’s Production-Optimized Design process, a unique take on traditional design for manufacturing, to provide substantial proactive thought to the system design. More than 200 of the LS10 have been produced and sold to date, shipped directly from Battelle to international locations such as Australia, England, Canada, and Norway.

Integration and harmonization of NEON data products with NASA's SMAP's GV Program will help us to understand and predict how our planet functions and evolves, and allow us to pursue new ways of living, doing business, growing our economies, providing food security, and escaping poverty.

NEON Science Team staff have developed a tutorial to walk data users through the process of how to find quality flag data, how to interpret the results of the many quality tests that NEON data are subjected to, how to determine if the quality flagged data are suitable for their research objectives, and how to filter out unwanted data from their research.

The original unit’s design became obsolete naturally with the passage of time, but replacement systems are needed to sustain an aging fleet and keep helicopters flying. The Caution Advisory Panel (CAP) is a dashboard display avionics module for the Black Hawk Helicopter, providing important helicopter status information to pilots.

Chemical Agent Resistant Coatings (CARCs) have long been used to protect infrastructure, vehicles and equipment from chemical agents such as mustard gas and nerve agents (saran or VX) in combat zones. Battelle develops smart, functional surfaces to solve specific problems for our clients.