As the importance of our nation's critical assets grow, so too does the need to secure and safeguard them from every angle.
The first Aggies Invent of the 2024-25 school year, hosted by the Meloy Engineering Innovation & Entrepreneurship Program in partnership with Sandia National Laboratories, centered on the theme 'Advanced Manufacturing: A Return to Prominence' and challenged students to design technologies that serve to strengthen national security and economic resilience.
Team Overwatch took first place among eight student teams, impressing judges with an interactive prototype of a real-time tamper-monitoring system that can be discreetly embedded into any shipping container. Using a copper wire, a computer, and the team’s wide skillset, they developed a commercially viable prototype which could be used to secure some of our nation's most critical assets. Overwatch included Adbullah Almorebah, Musab Althurwi, Nacer Eddine Boussoussou, Kyle Rex, Puneet Kaur and Timothy Hausnperger.
Kyle Rex, a junior Multidisciplinary Engineering Technology Mechatronics major and Corps of Cadets member, joined Overwatch with a strong interest in research and development in manufacturing. A summer internship at Sandia National Labs, where he spent months researching the intricacies of electrical components in weapons subsystems, solidified his vision for the future — a career that blends his passions for engineering and national service.
By combining his experience in the Corps and the Lab with the engineering expertise of five other Aggies, the team started off strong with what every engineer needs: a passion for the problem.
However, as the hours dwindled on the 48-hour clock, Overwatch faced challenges in gaining momentum toward a viable solution.
“We were actually one of the last groups to nudge out our product from the problem statement; it was a long road to figure out what our solution would be. If you had told us in the beginning we would win, I really wouldn’t have believed it.”
Rex emphasized the struggle in feeling as though none of their ideas would be unique enough.
“At first, we started to move away from our ideas because it felt like a lot of them had already been done before. But then, we locked in and realized that of course we weren’t going to reinvent the GPS tracker, but just integrating that, plus the nanowires into the structure of the package and blending those components into a fully functioning system was actually the goal all along.”
By weaving a structure of interlaced nanowires within the package, alongside a GPS tracker and modern RFID technology, Overwatch developed a nearly fail-proof tamper-monitoring system.
“The idea is that those nanowires are continually sending an encrypted heartbeat signal until the wire is cut and the connection is broken, which sends an alert that the asset has been tampered with to the local and central monitoring systems,” Rex said.
This breakthrough not only won them first place with the judges from Sandia National Labs, but also earned the titles of “Most Feasible Solution” and “Best Presentation” among an audience vote.
While the team pinpointed national labs and government facilities as their primary markets, their system also possesses significant potential to penetrate several specialized sectors as recent advancements in material sciences have made the mass production of conductive nanowires not only feasible but cost-effective.
When asked about plans to continue their work, Rex explained that they may use a portion of their winnings from the event to secure a provisional patent for the idea.
“The Meloy Entrepreneurship program consistently offers grants for stuff like this too, which is definitely something we’re considering. If this could be the next big thing, I think it would be a disservice for us to not explore it.”
Rex elaborated on how his internship with Sandia and participation in the recent Aggies Invent have illuminated a clear career path for him. Upon graduating from Texas A&M University, he plans to join the Army Reserves and pursue a mechanical engineering position at a national lab.
“I have a lot of buddies who go active duty after graduation, and to know that I could be developing something they could be using to help save American lives would certainly make my career that much more fulfilling.”
As for those of his friends who have yet to graduate, Rex emphasizes the value of participating in Aggies Invent to each of them.
“Everyone uses the excuse of being busy, which I get it — we all are. But it’s just one weekend, and you will be so happy that you spent 48 hours at this event. You’ll have fun, build friendships and apply the engineering skills you’ve been learning in a practical way. If you push yourself, it will be worth it, no matter what.”