Critical & Emerging Technologies

Metamaterials are artificially structured materials designed to control and manipulate physical phenomena such as light and other electromagnetic waves, sound waves and seismic waves in unconventional ways, resulting in exotic behavior that’s not found in nature. This class of micro- and nano-structured artificial media are predicted to be able to protect …

The term, structural electronics (SE), refers to a next-generation based electronics technology, which involves the printing of functional electronic circuitries, across irregular-shaped architectures. SE is expected to replace bulky load-bearing structures within a circuitry with smart electronic components that can conform to complex shapes for ensuring optimum space utilization. SE …

Cryogenics is the study of the production of extremely cold temperatures and is a field of science that looks at what happens when materials, whether metals or gases, are exposed to very low temperatures. The range of temperature associated with cryogenics does tend to vary but is usually associated with …

Antennas are our electronic eyes and ears on the world. They play a very important role in mobile networks, satellite communications system, military communications, radars and electronic warfare by transforming a Radiofrequency ( RF) signal, traveling on a conductor, into an electromagnetic wave in free space and vice versa. The …

Traditionally, we have designed machines to handle well-defined, high-volume or high-speed tasks, freeing humans to focus on problems of ever-increasing complexity. In the 1950s and 1960s, early computers were automating tedious or laborious tasks. It was during this era that scientists realized it was possible to simulate human intelligence and …

Laser attacks targeting pilots and air crews are a major concern across the world with most attacks reported to take place during take-off and landing. According to figures from the US Federal Aviation Authority, there were 6,753 laser illuminations reported in 2017. Until recently, the expense of lasers had limited their use …

Spectrum congestion is a growing problem. It increasingly limits operational capabilities due to the increasing deployment and bandwidth of wireless communications, the use of net-centric and unmanned systems, and the need for increased flexibility in radar and communications spectrum to improve performance and to overcome sophisticated countermeasures.   Ongoing wireless …

Navies of various countries have announced making their warships and submarines  propelled with an electric propulsion system. Instead of driving the ship’s propellers directly, diesel engines turn electric generators, which in turn power electric motors that drive the propellers. This arrangement enables diesels to be placed away from the shafts and …

Supercomputers have  become essential for National Security, for decoding encrypted messages, simulating complex ballistics models, nuclear weapon detonations and other WMD, developing new kinds of stealth technology, and cyber defence/ attack simulation. Because of the expense, supercomputers are typically used for the most intensive calculations, like predicting climate change, or …