3D printing or additive manufacturing is ongoing revolution in manufacturing with its potential to fabricate any complex object and is being utilized from aerospace components to human organs, textiles, metals, buildings and even food. Additive manufacturing is defined by ASTM International as the process of joining materials together, layer by …
Read More »Electromagnetic Propulsion systems (EMP/EMPS) for Aerospace and Military
Electromagnetic propulsion (EMP) is the principle of accelerating an object by the utilization of a flowing electrical current and magnetic fields. The term electromagnetic propulsion (EMP) can be described by its individual components: electromagnetic – using electricity to create a magnetic field, and propulsion – the process of propelling something. …
Read More »Growing demand, Strategic importance and scarcity of Rare Earth Elements is driving search for new mitigation strategies
REEs are a series of chemical elements found in the Earth’s crust that are essential components of many technologies, including electronics, computer and communication systems, transportation, health care, and national defense. Rare Earths Elements (REE) are incorporated into many sophisticated technologies with both commercial and defense applications including smartphones and …
Read More »Revolutionizing Satellite Ground Stations with Software-Defined Radios: Advantages and Opportunities
The operation of artificial satellite systems involves three main components: the space segment, user segment, and ground segment. The space segment consists of the satellite or constellation of satellites in orbit, along with the uplink and downlink satellite links. The user segment includes the end-user devices that interact with the …
Read More »Smart Microrobots can self-reconfigure, merge, split, and heal themselves
We are on the verge of new transitions that will transform robotics. One is already underway—the miniaturization of robots, to the point where invisible, microscopic robots could be around us and inside us, performing monitoring or even life-saving functions. We have seen systematic bio-inspired efforts to create microbe-like, microscopic robots. …
Read More »New materials for Soft Actuators or Artificial muscles enabling life like Soft Robots and augment Soldiers performance
The emerging field of soft robotics aims to improve robot/human interactivity promising to bring robots into all aspects our daily lives, including wearable robotics, surgical robots, micromanipulation, search and rescue, and others. Soft robotics differ from traditional counterparts in some important ways: Soft robots have little or no hard internal …
Read More »Military employment of animals for Warfare
Throughout history animals have accompanied men into combat as modes of transport and communication, protectors and companions. They have fulfilled a variety of roles – from carrying men and munitions to evacuating the wounded, performing guard and sentry duties to carrying out search and rescue operations, detecting gas in trenches to locating …
Read More »Vehicle Manufacturing trends
Vehicle manufacturing has come a long way since 1908 when Henry Ford began production of the Model T automobile using a mass production assembly line.
Read More »DARPA Ouija employing very low- Earth orbit (VLEO) satellite sensors to predict military high-frequency (HF) radio communications
Whether in the field of battle, search-and-rescue or humanitarian aid efforts, the ability to share real-time, networked information between ground, sea and airborne forces is rapidly becoming the defining factor in a mission’s success. However modern satellite and other communications systems in higher frequecies are under constant threat from adversaries …
Read More »DARPA ALIAS fly-by-wire kit turns commercial Helicopters and Aircrafts into Unmanned Drones with autonomous landing
Military aircraft today have evolved over a period of decades to have ever more automated capabilities, improving mission success and safety. At the same time, these aircraft still present challenging and complex interfaces to operators, and despite demanding training regimens, operators can experience extreme workload during emergencies and other unexpected …
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