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RAPID DETECTION AND RECOVERY:
COMPUTER GAMES TO HELP THE SCIENCE OF HUNTING
IMPROVE MINE SAFETY METEORITES
he University of Arizona Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of t 8:10 p.m. on Jan. 16, Michigan residents
TPublic Health and the UA Lowell Institute for Mineral Resources Areported the bright glow of a meteor streaking
have received a $1.6 million federal grant to develop more effective through the sky, rattling windows as it broke
training methods — including the use of computer games — to the sound barrier. The meteor broke apart in the
improve safety among U.S. mine workers. Earth’s atmosphere, and its pieces rained quietly
Falling within the realm of “serious games” — having to the ground.
applications other than entertainment — the simulations will Using predictions by the Rapid Detection and
replicate a real-life mining environment to put mine workers in Recovery of Meteorites, or RADARMET, project,
dynamic situations and environments, allowing them to make scientists and meteorite hunters were able to
decisions and see the consequences of their actions. recover more than half a dozen fragments of the
rock within two days.
RADARMET is led by Vishnu Reddy, assistant
professor in the University of Arizona’s Lunar and
Planetary Laboratory. He procured funding from
NASA to operate RADARMET, which uses National
Weather Service Doppler radar data and computer
models to locate meteorites within hours of their
fall.
“The longer a meteorite sits on the Earth, the
less scientifically useful it becomes, because the
weathering process degrades the minerals and
destroys it,” Reddy says.
Although recovering pieces of the Michigan
meteorite took slightly more than a day, some
Researchers set up a test vehicle that is tracked by a Vicon camera and a samples were found in nearly pristine condition.
light detection and ranging, or “lidar,” system, seen on the monitors in the
foreground. / Pete Brown, UA College of Engineering photo Reddy and students in the UA Department of
Planetary Sciences plan to be involved in the study
HOW AIRCRAFT ARE INFORMING THE WORK ON of the meteorite.
“While we’re not out there hunting the
SELF-DRIVING CARS meteorites, we’re doing the science,” Reddy says.
assengers climbing into self-driving cars — also known
Pas highly automated vehicles, or HAVs — need to believe
their vehicles can avoid potential hazards. So Mathieu Joerger,
a University of Arizona assistant professor of aerospace and
mechanical engineering, and researchers at the Illinois Institute
of Technology are building on a knowledge of aircraft navigation
standards to improve HAV safety. A three-year National Science
Foundation grant of nearly $900,000 is funding the work.
The researchers are evaluating the integrity of HAV position,
heading and velocity estimates that self-driving vehicles use to stay
in their lane and avoid hazards. Integrity is a measure of how much
trust humans can place in the information provided by sensors.
Joerger believes HAVs have the potential to improve safety
levels, save fuel, and benefit populations such as the elderly and
disabled — but he doesn’t think they will be replacing human
drivers any time soon. A sample of the Michigan meteorite
“It’s still a long way from matching the human driver recovered in January. / Bronte
performance,” he says. Wittpenn, Associated Press photo

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