JSTARS is a joint development project of the US Air Force and Army which provides a picture of the ground situation equivalent to that of the air situation provided by AWACS. Operating from a stand-off position often in excess of 200 km, it can detect, locate and classify tracks and …

Researchers have looked into nature for inspiration, understanding the mechanisms animals, insects and plants use to capture and process light and then designing next generation optoelectronics devices and systems like light-emitting diodes (LEDs), sensors and materials. Biomimicry has led to the development of several naturally inspired structures, such as curved …

Nature provides many examples of optical structures whose properties arise from an intricate morphology. The brilliant colors seen in butterfly wings, beetle carapaces, and peacock feathers, for example, are due in large part to their complex structure, says DARPA. These hierarchical structures, scaling from micron to nanometer level, achieve remarkable …