Hartford Business Journal

www.HartfordBusiness.com • November 20, 2017 • Hartford Business Journal 13 makes UTRC one of the world's best "fix-it'' shops, officials said. Amid their R&D respon- sibilities, when a mysterious breakdown or flaw occurs in one of UTC's products, critical teams are expected to drop everything to answer an "all- hands'' call to focus attention and efforts on resolving the problem. The U.S. Navy benefitted from cold spray technology when a 3,500-pound propellor on one of its ships cracked. The usual fix would have taken eight months and cost $350,000. UTRC cold-sprayed the propellor back to shape in two weeks, billing the Navy $20,000, UTRC of - ficials said. Perhaps most intriguing among UTRC's long list of applied-research ventures are its efforts around artifi - cial intelligence and machine learning. In the "autonomous and intelligent sys- tems" lab, UTRC showcased its latest efforts to imbed intelligence into robots, drones and other hardware. For instance, UTRC scien- tists are working out how to teach machines to learn from their experiences, the way humans do. By analyzing the volumes of real-time data flowing into their data banks each second and minute, future machines will be able to spot problems and alert technicians before they occur, UTRC scientists said. Otis Elevator already relies on a network of sensors embedded into lift doors, cable rollers and other elevator hardware, to alert its mechanics when a part or system has failed, or is about to. UTRC's early autonomous- intelligence research led it to team a few years back with its former Sikorsky Aircraft division to design a self-piloting helicopter. In another lab, there was a demon - stration of a "human- machine interaction." UTRC researchers invited participants to don virtual-reality goggles linked to powerful software that lets users "see" and "walk'' through images simulating the flow patterns of a commer - cial chiller. Donned by UTRC designers and engineers, they provide a real-world visage of airflow patterns in the heart of the unit, allowing researchers to determine ways to increase the chiller's efficiency. Deep roots and history UTRC has a long history of contribu- tions to its par- ent company, the state and various industries. Started nearly a century ago, UTRC's predeces- sor scientists and engineers at Pratt developed the leg- endary "wasp'' radial engine that powered Allied aircraft to vic- tory in Europe and the Pacific in World War II; it also helped thrust Pratt into the jet-age with refine- ment of turbofan engines for commer- cial and military jets and helicopters. Its research has improved not only the heating, air conditioning and ventilation in homes and buildings, but also in spacesuits. As innovator- gatekeeper of UTC's ongoing research and patented intel- lectual property, UTRC illustrates the impact and prow- ess of Connecticut's manufacturing sector at harnessing ideas and information, then converting them into global products and new, more efficient pro- duction processes and technologies, officials said. UTRC, said UConn chemical and bioengineering pro- fessor George Bollas, "is a perfect bridge'' for parent UTC to be able to work closely with — and capitalize on — its own R&D as well as innovation flowing from other institu- tions in the U.S. and abroad. UTRC officials said they publicly share some of their research in scholarly papers and at technology conferences. UTRC also helps Connecticut keep a competitive advantage over other states in technological innovation, said Bollas, who directs the UTC-sponsored Institute for Advanced Systems Engineering at UConn. "The only way to be successful in what they do is to have a technology advantage,'' said Bollas. "The technology [from UTRC] is the product.'' Mun Y. Choi was UConn provost when UTC in Nov. 2013 pledged $10 million to launch the Institute for Advanced Systems Engineering. Choi is now president of the University of Missouri system, which like UConn, partners closely with its major area employers such as Boeing, agrichemical maker Monsanto and engineering firm Burns & McDonnell. Choi said UTC leadership "has been very visionary to make the required invest- ment that will make advanced science and technology a key difference in economic and workforce development" in Connecticut. In 2014, Connecticut's economic-develop- ment agency and lawmakers cemented ties with UTC, allowing the Farmington company to access up to $400 million in stranded tax credits, including R&D tax credits, in exchange for UTC committing a half-billion dollars to stay and expand in the state. Adjacent to UTRC's facility sits Pratt's new, 425,000-square-foot engineering-technology center for commercial and military engines, bristling with much of the latest technology available from UTC's security and building- systems divisions. It will eventually house up to 1,750 workers. But perhaps UTRC's biggest technological contribution is as a talent incubator. UTRC's 500-person East Harford staff — half of whom were hired in the last five years and who hold master's or doctoral degrees — is performing cutting-edge, often classified research that attracts some of the top minds around the world. The No. 1 mission for UConn's UTC insti- tute is to be a talent pool for Pratt and UTC's other divisions, Bollas said. Nearing gradua- tion are about 15 UConn doctoral candidates — many specializing in cyber-physical sys- tems, like those found in self-piloting autos and aircraft — and some who will likely land jobs at UTRC, he said. Worldly impact UTRC's reach and impact was recently on display during a press conference at UTC Aerospace Systems (UTAS) in Windsor Locks — a UTRC client — where company officials updated staff, Congresswoman Elizabeth Esty and media about its involve- ment in space contractor Lockheed Martin's and NASA's ambitious Orion space program, which is contribut- ing to the concep- tual "gateway'' for missions to Mars. UTRC has a hand, officials said, in R&D related to UTAS- assembled onboard power systems for Orion. UTRC also is collaborating with NASA on a next-gen- eration propulsion system for passen- ger jets, technology about a decade away from commercial ap- plication. Ex-space shuttle astronaut Tony Antonelli, now a director at Lock- heed Martin, one of UTAS' two primary Orion customers, said that while in orbit he at times contemplated the "unbelievable'' prospect "that engineers around the globe, including from Connecticut," designed, made and assembled all the systems and equipment that rocketed he and fellow astronauts into space and returned them safely home. "The engineering, it's a complete marvel,'' Antonelli said. UTRC By The Numbers 650 Number of employees worldwide. 45 Number of countries represented by its workforce. 68% Percentage of UTRC's 400 technical employees who hold Ph.D.'s 5 Number of UTRC's worldwide innovation centers. Other locations include Berkley, Calif., Ireland, Italy and China. UTC's Research and Development Spending From 2008 to 2014, United Technologies Corp. spent the following on research and development activities (company-funded): 2014: $2.6B, or 4% of total revenues 2013: $2.5B, or 4% of total revenues 2012: $2.4B, or 4.1% of total revenues 2011: $2.1B, or 3.5% of total revenues 2010: $1.7B, or 3.2% of total revenues 2009: $1.6B, or 2.9% of total revenues 2008: $1.8B, or 4% of total revenues Sources: FI.AeroWeb.com, United Technologies Corp. UTRC engineers and technicians (from left) Tianli Zhu, Ryan Witherell and Sunilkumar Soni perform creative problem solving to devise and improve hundreds of products and technology for United Technologies Corp. PHOTOS | CONTRIBUTED

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