-
Day of charged-particles engine nears
A Texas rocket company tests world’s most powerful ion engine; the engine uses radio waves to heat argon gas, turning it into a hot plasma — a state of matter in which electrons are no longer bound to atomic nuclei; magnetic fields then squirt the superheated plasma out the back of the engine, producing thrust in the opposite direction
-
-
Strap-on UGV kit
Now you can turn you car into a UGV (unmanned ground vehicle): A retrofit from a Utah company allows you to turn your car into a UGV in about four hours
-
-
Princeton, Rice researchers develop new sensor for nitric oxide
Researchers develop new nitric oxide detector; the sensor could now be incorporated into a portable, shoe-box-sized system ideally suited for mass deployment in large-scale unattended sensor networks
-
-
New advanced sensors developed
Queen’s University Belfast researchers use Raman spectroscopy, which involves shining a laser beam onto the suspected sample and measuring the energy of light that scatters from it to determine what chemical compound is present; they mixed nanoscale silver particles to amplify the signals of compounds
-
-
U.S. military jets, vehicles to run on biofuels and animal-corpse grease
Honeywell says the U.S. Air Force will buy 400,000 gallons of algae/weeds/corpse-fat jet fuel, and the U.S. Navy will take 190,000 gallons
-
-
Smiths Detection, AeroVironment show chemical-sensing UAV
UAV technology combined with chemical sensors and advanced algorithms allow rapid aerial chemical detection and tracking
-
-
Wearable textile antenna for soldiers, first responders
Finnish company demonstrated that an antenna can be built using textiles that can be worn and used for personal satellite communication
-
-
The day of military smart phones nears
It is only a matter of time before we see military-related iPhone apps; the iPhone can use thousands of programs, and some of these are very useful for military personnel; officers see how useful the iPhone could be with software designed for military purposes; a military version of the iPhone, able to operate on a closed military network, would be a big help in the combat zone
-
-
ASE shows cargo and vehicle inspection system
American Science and Engineering, Inc. combines its patented Z Backscatter technology with High Energy Transmission to offer enhanced scanning system for vehicles, cargo; system may be used in drive-by mode to scan stationary objects, or in portal mode to scan vehicles as they drive past the system
-
-
Raytheon uses millimeter-wave radiation to keep food safe
Missile and defense contractor Raytheon offers a solution which uses millimeter-wave radiation to pasteurize food; new method is both healthier and more energy efficient than current pasteurization technologies
-
-
Boeing releases video of air-born tactical laser in action
In the (near) future, a laser weapon-carrying aircraft might be hidden by distance or darkness, and selected targets — cars, buildings, cell towers, etc. — would appear suddenly and inexplicably to burst into flames
-
-
Pain weapon in a potable version may end up in police hands
The Pentagon’s efforts to develop a beam weapon that can deter an adversary by causing a burning sensation on their skin has taken a step forward with the development of a small, potentially hand-held, version
-
-
High-tech nuke detectors check Puget Sound small vessels for WMD
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory coordinated activities with the Coast Guard and Customs and Border Protection, and many other state, local, and tribal agencies for the two-day nuclear detection exercise
-
-
Camera manufacturers going HD
High definition technology gives users the capability to make out faces and license plates more easily, which in the future will also have implications for video analytics, making them more effective
-
-
Magnetically levitating "Sky Pods" to solve traffic congestion, pollution
It would more economical — and cleaner — if people were using public transportation rather than drive their own cars; most people, though, are reluctant to give up the privacy of individual travel; the solution: individual “sky pods”
-
The long view
New Technology is Keeping the Skies Safe
DHS S&T Baggage, Cargo, and People Screening (BCP) Program develops state-of-the-art screening solutions to help secure airspace, communities, and borders
Factories First: Winning the Drone War Before It Starts
Wars are won by factories before they are won on the battlefield,Martin C. Feldmann writes, noting that the United States lacks the manufacturing depth for the coming drone age. Rectifying this situation “will take far more than procurement tweaks,” Feldmann writes. “It demands a national-level, wartime-scale industrial mobilization.”
How Artificial General Intelligence Could Affect the Rise and Fall of Nations
Visions for potential AGI futures: A new report from RAND aims to stimulate thinking among policymakers about possible impacts of the development of artificial general intelligence (AGI) on geopolitics and the world order.
Keeping the Lights on with Nuclear Waste: Radiochemistry Transforms Nuclear Waste into Strategic Materials
How UNLV radiochemistry is pioneering the future of energy in the Southwest by salvaging strategic materials from nuclear dumps –and making it safe.
Model Predicts Long-Term Effects of Nuclear Waste on Underground Disposal Systems
The simulations matched results from an underground lab experiment in Switzerland, suggesting modeling could be used to validate the safety of nuclear disposal sites.