Podcast episodes

#39: Global Forest Modeling Toolkit: Mission-critical intelligence about vegetation around the world

December 30, 2025 Christopher Kieffer Installations and Operational Environments, Podcast episodes 0:29:56 0 Comments

Forests cover nearly a third of the Earth’s land surface and present multiple challenges to military forces. Dense trees restrict mobility, limit surveillance, impede air support and degrade communication. But not all forests are the same. To best counter these difficulties, leaders need detailed information about vegetation attributes, such as canopy cover, stem diameter and…

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#38: H2Rescue: Providing Power, Water and World Records

December 23, 2025 Christopher Kieffer Civil Works, Installations and Operational Environments, Podcast episodes 0:28:32 0 Comments

Roughly the distance from New York to Miami – or 1,806 miles. That’s how far a vehicle, developed in part by ERDC, drove on one tank of hydrogen fuel to not only set a mark honored by the Guinness Book of World Records, but also to advance new and existing hydrogen-powered technologies. In this episode,…

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#37: A Fresh (water) Runway: ERDC’s ice and snow expertise enables historic LC-130 landing

December 16, 2025 Christopher Kieffer Military Engineering, Podcast episodes 0:31:48 0 Comments

When the New York Air National Guard’s 109th Airlift Wing needed to find a suitable location to land its massive LC-130 Hercules cargo plane during an Arctic exercise in March 2025, it turned to ERDC for help. Although the nearby sea ice was not thick enough to support the maneuver, ERDC devised a plan to land…

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#36: SandHound: Applying robotics to advance critical coastline survey capabilities

December 9, 2025 Christopher Kieffer Civil Works, Podcast episodes 0:31:47 0 Comments

For several sweltering weeks along the North Carolina coastline, an ERDC teampushed a quadruped robot with a suite of advanced sensors to its limit to test its abilityto conduct critical beach landscape surveys. The research – known as the SandHound Project – is working to validate whether thequadruped can operate at all levels of the…

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#35: Tech Transfer: Adding the reach to research through commercialization

December 2, 2025 Christopher Kieffer Civil Works, Engineered Resilient Systems, Geospatial Research and Engineering, Installations and Operational Environments, Military Engineering, Podcast episodes 0:27:55 Comments Off on #35: Tech Transfer: Adding the reach to research through commercialization

ERDCWERX and ERDC’s Office of Research and Technology Transfer (ORTT) are accelerating innovation for the Warfighter and the nation. Through its collaboration with ERDCWERX, ERDC is expanding the Army’s ability to quickly adopt, adapt and deliver technologies that enhance readiness, strengthen protection, and provide dual-use solutions for both military and civilian applications. We explore how…

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#34: Underwater ROV: Making aquatic infrastructure inspection safer, cost-effective

November 25, 2025 Christopher Kieffer Civil Works, Podcast episodes 0:31:19 Comments Off on #34: Underwater ROV: Making aquatic infrastructure inspection safer, cost-effective

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) manages hundreds of locks and dams, which are critical components of a complex navigation system that is central to our nation’s economy and security. Inspecting this aging aquatic infrastructure often requires costly and dangerous processes, such as deploying divers or dewatering structures, halting the flow of goods and…

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#33: PODS and RAIL: Versatile ramp system aids expedient deployment of military equipment

November 18, 2025 Christopher Kieffer Military Engineering, Podcast episodes 0:31:18 Comments Off on #33: PODS and RAIL: Versatile ramp system aids expedient deployment of military equipment

ERDC and the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Ground Vehicle Systems Center (GVSC) collaborated in 2016 to develop a transportable ramp system that could be used to rapidly restore a damaged pier. The components from the Pier Over-Decking System (PODS) were later redeveloped into the Rapidly Available Interface for trans-Loading (RAIL) system, which can be used…

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Announcing a new format

September 23, 2025 Christopher Kieffer Podcast episodes 0:01:55 Comments Off on Announcing a new format

We would like to announce some exciting changes that are coming soon to the Power of ERDC podcast. Beginning in October, we will relaunch the Power of ERDC podcast as a combined video and audio product that will be available each week. Episodes will continue to feature in-depth interviews with ERDC researchers about the many…

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#32: Muddy: A mapping robot for extreme environments

April 8, 2025 Christopher Kieffer Geospatial Research and Engineering, Podcast episodes 0:38:50 Comments Off on #32: Muddy: A mapping robot for extreme environments

A low-cost unmanned ground vehicle capable of producing 3D maps, the Muddy robot has solved a variety of mapping challenges since 2017. Developed by the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC), Muddy is often used to test more expansive robotic platforms and to enable other projects. Its combination of autonomous navigation, affordability and…

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#31: Wellbot: An innovative system to maintain relief wells

January 7, 2025 Christopher Kieffer Civil Works, Podcast episodes 0:30:29 Comments Off on #31: Wellbot: An innovative system to maintain relief wells

The nation’s levees and dams depend upon relief wells to alleviate underground pressure when water levels are high. However, microorganisms and natural chemicals in the water gradually leave a residue that clogs the wells’ porous screen walls, reducing their practical value and increasing the risk of dam or levee failure. Existing maintenance methods are costly,…

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