Military and Defense

Magnetic materials could help expand the capabilities of traditional electronic components. A new $26 million DARPA program called Magnetic, Miniaturized, and Monolithically Integrated Components aims to integrate miniaturized magnetic components with chip-based RF systems to help meeting growing military and civilian demands for new tools as the electromagnetic spectrum becomes crowded.

Terahertz lasers could potentially be used in security and medical diagnostics because of their ability to detect chemicals and evaluate materials. However, the technology will need to be improved before it is widely adopted.

Prolonged exposure to loud sounds like gunshots and explosions can permanently damage a person’s hearing. Soldiers can protect their hearing with ear plugs at a gun range, but they can’t afford to take the risk of drowning out sounds in a battlefield where situational awareness is essential. To solve this dilemma, the U.S. Army has developed a hearing aid that protects the ears, filters out unwanted background noise, and boosts softer sounds.

The United States Marine Corps is loosening restrictions on personal fitness trackers. Previously, this type of emerging technology was forbidden under blanket protection orders. Now, Marines are permitted to wear devices such as the Jawbone or Fitbit, even in areas that contain classified information.

The U.S. Navy has selected Northrop Grumman to develop a ship-board laser weapon. The deal has three phases: initial design, ground testing, and finally, weapons testing aboard a ship. Northrop Grumman will design and demonstrate a 150-kilowatt-class solid state (electric) laser weapon system. The $53 million deal could extended to become a $91 million, three year project.

A team of engineers at the Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City Division is developing a Divers Augmented Vision Display, which is a high-resolution, transparent head-up display embedded directly into helmets.

Sensors can now become invisible in both thermal and electric environments. Engineers at the...

Infrared detectors can see through fog, the dark, and other situations where visible light...

Explosives could soon be detected with a handheld device that uses terahertz spectroscopy to identify chemicals. A team of researchers developed a chip scale system that could replace traditional bulky and slow terahertz spectroscopy systems.

Tiny insect-sized drones can help with search and rescue missions by looking for survivors in hard to reach places. But small drones don’t have a lot of space for batteries, so they run out of energy quickly. A team of Harvard roboticists has developed a way for small drones to stay in the air longer.