Critical & Emerging Technologies

The United States relies on chemical manufacturing to provide products ranging from everyday consumer goods (plastics, fabrics, adhesives, paints) to cutting edge technologies (medicines, electronic materials), industrial goods (dyes, pesticides) and military supplies (fuels, explosives). While many high-volume, petroleum-derived chemical feedstocks are produced domestically, much of the fine chemical manufacturing …

Artificial intelligence (AI) and additive manufacturing (AM) are both disruptive new technologies. AI has entered many aspects of our lives, but has not been fully realized in the world of AM. Because of the vast amount of data and the digital nature of the technology, AM offers tremendous opportunities in …

Militaries are facing complex operational and tactical environments such as the increasing challenge of non-state/lone actors; persistent rapid technological development along with its broad availability via the internet; and the advent and expansion of new domains of possible threat such as information systems, space, cyberspace, electronic warfare, and autonomous weapons. …

All modern personal computers including desktops, notebooks, smartphones, and tablets, are examples of general-purpose computers. General-purpose computing incorporates ‘Von Neumann’ approach, which states that an instruction fetch and a data operation cannot occur simultaneously. Therefore, being sequential machines, their performance is also limited.   On the other hand, we have …

Quantum computing has the potential to create new machines that can vastly exceed the capabilities of today’s most powerful supercomputers. A quantum computer harnesses quantum mechanics to deliver huge leaps forward in processing power. Instead of the binary bits used by digital computers, quantum computers use qubits – subatomic particles …

Design in any discipline – electronics, mechanical, aerospace, etc. – begins with a specification that captures what the end product should do and essentially drives the entire development cycle.  Verification is intended to check that a product, service, or system meets a set of design specifications. Validation is intended to …

The Product Requirements Document or PRD describes all aspects of a new idea required or desired to make its realization a success. The PRD is the bridge between the often vague project briefing and the highly detailed engineering implementation plan. It is also known as the Program Of Requirements (POR), …