DSIAC collects and publishes articles related to our technical focus areas on the web to share with the DoD community.
A new flow battery from the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) stores energy in organic molecules dissolved in neutral pH water. Losing only one percent of its capacity per 1000 cycles, the non-toxic, non-corrosive device offers the potential to significantly decrease the costs of production. “Lithium ion batteries don’t
Inspecting the condition of dykes and other sea defence structures is typically a task for robots, working in a team and in a highly autonomous way. But if they move around across the dykes, perform tests and communicate the results for six hours a day, they use a lot of energy. Introducing charging stations are
Researchers at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) think they are on the path to giving aircraft a way to avoid potentially hazardous icing conditions from a safe distance. Clouds composed of supercooled liquid can cause aircraft to ice over quickly because the liquid water droplets are below the freezing point and will freeze after
The US Army is investigating how one of its drones took an unplanned 623-mile excursion and ended up stuck in a tree two states away. The Shadow RQ-7 drone was launched by soldiers from the 2nd Stryker Brigade of the 7th Infantry Division during a training mission in Arizona at 17:16 local time. It was
Drones are designed to fly, but crashes are a fact of life, whether because of external forces or pilot error. Some commercial drones employ techniques like propeller guards to at least protect the drone, or humans nearby, but they’re not exactly effective all the time. More industrially-inclined drones even have “cages” that protect them but
Soldiers view live-stream full-motion video from unmanned aerial vehicles via a smartphone. They access 3D digital maps to send precision target coordinates. Soldiers are relying on these advanced technologies to improve lethality and maintain battlefield dominance. These are among the improvements that will be embedded in future fire-support capabilities. The Army has started testing four
Picatinny Arsenal engineers have fired the newly modified M777A2 howitzer at Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona, completing the next step towards expanding the system”s current firing range. Engineers put together an integration test bed for the M777A2 Extended Range (M777ER) howitzer program, incorporating a 55 caliber cannon tube on the M777A2 towed howitzer. The modification added
The new research project builds on acquired expertise from the previous EDA Formulation and Production of New Energetic Materials (FPNEM) project in the framework of the Agency’s capability technology group dealing with ammunition technologies (CapTech AMMO). Under the lead of Sweden, experts will develop mutual awareness and knowledge of selected future energetic materials, production methods
Could we soon be saying goodbye to long-haul flights? One company has taken an important step in making this dream come true. Oxford”s Reaction Engines Ltd (REL) announced it has received a €10m development contract with ESA, so it can work on its revolutionary Synergistic Air-Breathing Rocket Engine (SABRE). This technology can work both in
Laser weapons will be developed through a three-phased approach in order to fire the weapon from destroyers at cruise missiles, drones, aircraft and small boats. The U.S. Navy is moving at warp speed to develop lasers with more lethality, precision and power sources as a way to destroy attacking missiles, drones aircraft and other threats.
AMES, Iowa – Money doesn’t grow on trees, but electricity might someday. Iowa State University scientists have built a device that mimics the branches and leaves of a cottonwood tree and generates electricity when its artificial leaves sway in the wind. Michael McCloskey, an associate professor of genetics, development and cell biology who led the
Why do militaries invest in some emerging technologies but not others? Conventional wisdom suggests that capable states have reasons to hedge their bets and invest in emerging military technologies as widely as they can. Yet, even the most capable states do not invest in all technologies of military utility. Moreover, in some cases, early investments