US Navy

Hyper-Efficient Conservation Robot

For the next several months, visitors to the Atlanta Botanical Garden will be able to observe the testing of a new high-tech tool in the battle to save some of the world's most endangered species. SlothBot, a slow-moving and energy-efficient robot that can linger in the trees to monitor animals, plants, and the environment below, will be tested near the Garden's popular Canopy Walk.

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.

New AI Tool to Evaluate all Possibilities in Robot Decisions

Just like humans, when robots have a decision to make there are often many options and hundreds of potential outcomes. Robots have been able to simulate a handful of these outcomes to figure out which course of action will be the most likely to lead to success. But what if one of the other options were equally likely to succeed - and safer?

Robotics in Maintenance and Repair

Inspecting fuel and ballast tanks. Sand-blasting old paint coatings and applying new ones. Removing corrosion on ships, submarines, aircraft and other vehicles. These are some of the unpleasant jobs in naval shipyards and maintenance facilities that could be made safer by pairing human workers with robots.

Finalists Announced for 2019 R&D 100 Awards

Finalists for the venerable R&D 100 Awards have been announced by R&D World magazine and its new parent company, WTWH Media, LLC.

Revolutionary Artificial Intelligence Warship Contracts Announced

The UK Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA) has announced the first wave of £4 million funding.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - Zhao Lab

MIT's Zhao Lab created a magnetically steerable robotic thread designed to navigate the narrow, winding pathways of brain's blood vessels.

BNNT

BNNT, LLC make high quality high aspect ration boron nitride nanotubes. IDTechEx spoke with Tom Henneberg (CEO).

Airbus' VSR700 Drone Copter Prototype Makes Maiden Flight

The prototype of Airbus Helicopters' VSR700 unmanned aerial system has performed its first flight at a drone test centre near Aix-en-Provence in the south of France. The VSR700 performed several take-offs and landings with the longest flight lasting around 10 minutes.

Silatronix

Silatronix is a Wisconsin-based firm that has developed flame-retardant additives for Li-ion batteries based on organosilicon compounds. This profile is an updated version. IDTechEx senior analyst Lorenzo Grande interviewed Silatronix VP Global Sales Carl Thoemmes in 2016.

Optomec Delivers 500th Industrial 3D Printer

Optomec, Inc has delivered its 500th Industrial 3D printer. The machine is installed at a division of General Electric, which now counts more than 20 Optomec systems in use across GE business units including aviation, healthcare, power, and oil & gas.

DNA as Tool to Build Graphene Circuits

Graphene is a groundbreaking material in the nanotechnology field, but it has characteristics that limit its potential applications. A research team is investigating ways to incorporate DNA nanotechnology as a construction tool to assemble graphene in new ways that could make the material more useful in electronic devices, among other applications.

Race for 1000 km Electric Vehicles

Range sells electric cars. Long range ones sell in 100 times the numbers and have three times the resale value. In this article Dr Peter Harrop discusses the future of electric vehicles capable of 1000km range.

A lithium-ion battery that won't catch fire

A flexible lithium-ion battery designed by a team of researchers and built to operate under extreme conditions—including cutting, submersion, and simulated ballistic impact—can now add incombustible to its résumé.

Tunabot: First robotic fish to keep pace with tuna

Mechanical engineers have created the first robotic fish proven to mimic the speed and movements of live yellowfin tuna.

Boeing completes test flight of unmanned aerial refueler

Boeing and the U.S. Navy successfully completed the first test flight of the MQ-25™ unmanned aerial refueler.

Robotic thread is designed to slip through the brain's blood vessels

Engineers have developed a magnetically steerable, thread-like robot that can actively glide through narrow, winding pathways, such as the labrynthine vasculature of the brain.

Robots assisting in the search for Amelia Earhart

Researchers have developed an autonomous surface vehicle, or robot, that can explore the seafloor in waters that may be too deep for divers.

Next-generation robot helps Marines explore dangerous areas

The Marine Corps is in the process of fielding the Ultra-Light Robot—a small, mobile robot system that enables Explosive Ordnance Disposal Marines to interrogate improvised explosive devices and other explosive threats or conduct various other reconnaissance activities.

Unmanned vessels can travel further to inhospitable environments

BAE Systems has successfully completed a series of trials on a 'first of its kind' autonomous boat that will allow navies to go beyond the limits of human endurance with unmanned vessels that can travel further, for longer and to more inhospitable environments.