Southwest Research Institute

July 15, 2026 — A Southwest Research Institute-led study has proposed a connection between a specific collision in the main asteroid belt and an inner-solar-system-wide bombardment episode that may have had measurable biological and geological consequences on Earth. The research suggests that the catastrophic breakup of the Eulalia parent body could be linked to an impact shower that struck the terrestrial planets about 800 million years ago.

SwRI will be exhibiting at the SupplySide Global, booth no. 7379. For more information, please contact James Oxley.

SwRI will be exhibiting at the Society of Toxicologists (SOT) 66th Annual Meeting and ToxExpo, booth no. 1021. For more information, please contact Norma Cantu.

July 14, 2026 — Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) and SMU are developing an AI-driven controller for hybrid microgrid systems that integrate multiple energy sources and storage systems to function. The project is funded by a $129,842 grant from the Seed Projects Aligning Research, Knowledge and Skills (SPARKS) joint program, which aims to strengthen and cultivate long-term research between SwRI and the Lyle School of Engineering at SMU.

July 13, 2026 — Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) and Southern Methodist University (SMU) are collaborating to advance solid-state battery technology. Solid-state batteries are safer, longer-lasting, and more efficient alternatives to traditional lithium-ion batteries, offering faster charging and greater energy storage potential. They are especially promising for powering electric vehicles, but current designs are held back by electrodes and interfaces that degrade over time.

July 8, 2026 — A new Southwest Research Institute-led study proposes a solution to a long-standing puzzle in planetary science — what caused the concentration, assembly and preservation of millimeter-sized, spherical mineral grains within the parent bodies of the most common meteorites? Chondritic asteroids are ancient bodies that orbit the Sun, while a chondrite meteorite is a rocky fragment that falls to Earth. Both contain primitive materials.

In this Episode The future will be fast! That’s why our guests Dr. Nicholas Mueschke and Dr. James Walker launch projectiles faster than Mach 5, five times the speed of sound. They’re studying hypersonic speeds in an SwRI lab, reaching thousands of miles per hour and temperatures hotter than the sun. In this episode, we discuss their discoveries and where their work could one day take us.

Advanced science. Applied technology. The Supercritical Transformational Electric Power (STEP) pilot plant at SwRI will demonstrate a more efficient, cost effective, environmentally friendly method of producing power with supercritical carbon dioxide (sCO2). One day, we could be using sCO2 technology to provide electricity to our homes and businesses. What happens when nontoxic, nonflammable sCO2 replaces water as the thermal medium in power cycles?

The referenced media source is missing and needs to be re-embedded. SwRI R&D Manager Jody Little is collaborating with the Department of Defense to develop 5G programs in security and health care. Little says 5G capabilities extend beyond talk, text and gaming. The technology will eventually save lives by connecting health care providers with critical patient data in real time. Jody Little (JL): Thank you, Lisa. It's a pleasure to be here. LP: So we're going to get right to it.

The “Oscar of Innovation” goes to… R&D World Magazine recognized SwRI’s Laser Coating Removal (LCR) Robot and the System Performance and Real Time Analysis (SPARTA) software, with prestigious 2020 R&D 100 awards. Often called the “Oscars of Innovation,” the awards recognize the top 100 revolutionary technologies each year. Since 1971, SwRI has won 47 R&D 100 awards.