US Army

3D Printed Electronics for Agile, On-demand Manufacturing

3D printed electronics, here explored in detail, is an emerging technology that enables a new manufacturing paradigm.

Laser Jolts Microscopic Electronic Robots into Motion

In 1959, former Cornell physicist Richard Feynman delivered his famous lecture "There's Plenty of Room at the Bottom," in which he described the opportunity for shrinking technology, from machines to computer chips, to incredibly small sizes. Well, the bottom just got more crowded

Army Robo Teammate can Detect, Share 3D Changes in Real Time

Something is different, and you can't quite put your finger on it. But your robot can. Even small changes in your surroundings could indicate danger. Imagine a robot could detect those changes, and a warning could immediately alert you through a display in your eyeglasses. That is what U.S. Army scientists are developing with sensors, robots, real-time change detection and augmented reality wearables.

Versatile New Material Family Could Build Realistic Prosthetics

Nature's blueprint for the human limb is a carefully layered structure with stiff bone wrapped in layers of different soft tissue, like muscle and skin, all perfectly bound together. Achieving this kind of sophistication using synthetic materials to build biologically inspired robotic parts or multicomponent, complex machines has been an engineering challenge.

Flame-Retardant, Insect Repelling Fabric for Soldiers

Using methods to measure heat release capacity and total heat release, as well as a vertical flame test, they found that the modified material performed at least 20% better than the untreated material. They also used a standard insect repellency test with live mosquitoes and found that the efficacy was greater than 98%. Finally, the fabric remained "breathable" after treatment as determined by air permeability studies.

3D Electronics: An Alternative to PCBs?

Mention an electronic circuit and you are likely to picture a printed circuit board (PCB): a rigid rectangle in a characteristic green color with copper lines and a bewildering array of components soldered onto it. But does adding electronic functionality means using a PCB and thus requires shoehorning a rigid rectangle into the product?

Soft Robot Actuators Heal Themselves

Repeated activity wears on soft robotic actuators, but these machines' moving parts need to be reliable and easily fixed. Now a team of researchers has a biosynthetic polymer, patterned after squid ring teeth, that is self-healing and biodegradable, creating a material not only good for actuators, but also for hazmat suits and other applications where tiny holes could cause a danger.

Hybrid Electric Drive Integrated onto a Combat Vehicle

BAE Systems has been awarded a $32 million prototype agreement by the US Army's Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office to integrate a Hybrid Electric Drive system onto a Bradley Fighting Vehicle.

Flexible Hybrid Electronics Focused Solicitation Request for Proposals

Since 1993, SEMI-FlexTech has funded over 200 projects in R&D, with a total public/private investment in excess of U.S. $220 million. SEMI-FlexTech solicits proposals from the flexible electronics industry for candidate projects which will receive funding.

Transparent Graphene Electrodes for New Generation of Solar Cells

A new way of making large sheets of high-quality, atomically thin graphene could lead to ultra-lightweight, flexible solar cells, and to new classes of light-emitting devices and other thin-film electronics.

nScrypt

nScyrpt manufacturers 3D printing equipment, with a single machine capable of micro-dispensing many materials, extruding polymers, pick-and-place of electrical components, and even mechanical milling. This profile focuses on their application in 3D electronics, although nScrypt also target other applications including printing biological materials.

Training in the Age of Social Distancing. AR/VR/MR the Answer?

In the age of social distancing, training and maintenance of many complicated tasks and services has come to a standstill. However, there are technological solutions to this problem.

Noble Biomaterials

IDTechEx interviewed Steve Milner, Senior Vice President of Sales EMEA at Noble Biomaterials. We discussed their product portfolio, technology and their role in the electronic textiles and wearable technology markets.

Energy-Harvesting Design Aims to Turn Wi-Fi Signals Into Useable Power

Any device that sends out a Wi-Fi signal also emits terahertz waves —electromagnetic waves with a frequency somewhere between microwaves and infrared light. These high-frequency radiation waves, known as "T-rays," are also produced by almost anything that registers a temperature, including our own bodies and the inanimate objects around us.

What immersive experiences can benefit from VR?

Flight simulation is one industry which can benefit from the introduction of VR for training. This premium article discusses the various ways VR can be used for training simulations.

Triton and Titomic to Collaborate

Titomic Limited has entered into a strategic partnership with Triton Systems Inc to implement Titomic's Kinetic Fusion capabilities for validation through R&D projects with the US Department of Defense.

New Sensor Could Help Prevent Food Waste

As flowers bloom and fruits ripen, they emit a colorless, sweet-smelling gas called ethylene. Chemists have now created a tiny sensor that can detect this gas in concentrations as low as 15 parts per billion, which they believe could be useful in preventing food spoilage.

Deep Learning for Mechanical Property Evaluation

A standard method for testing some of the mechanical properties of materials is to poke them with a sharp point. This "indentation technique" can provide detailed measurements of how the material responds to the point's force, as a function of its penetration depth.

Army Scientists Develop Cutting-Edge, Durable 3D Printing Technology

Army scientists are on the brink of a pioneering additive-manufacturing technology to help soldiers quickly swap out broken plastic components with durable 3D printed replacements, says a top Army researcher.

Brilliant Sole

Brilliant Sole have developed smart insole products for applications including VR tracking, sports performance and medical monitoring. IDTechEx interviewed them at CES 2020.