DSIAC collects and publishes articles related to our technical focus areas on the web to share with the DoD community.
Reliable power, information overload, size and weight, and interpreting old-fashioned infantry hand signals top research priorities for digitizing the warfighter. The first recorded war took place between Sumer and Elam in Mesopotamia in 2700 BC, but archaeological evidence shows a history of violent mass conflict for more than 12,000 years, about the time humans began
With this hand-held cogintive EW device, a soldier can see where enemy signals are coming from presented on a virtual plane. This morning, BAE revealed a “lightweight, handheld tactical sensor” for cognitive electronic warfare. Developed for DARPA, the sensor is designed for soldiers and marines to carry into battle, where it will identify and classify
The concept sounds relatively simple: A team of special operations troops sees an area of interest, and aims their smartphones. Then software magically produces instant GPS coordinates of where the operators are looking, giving commanders the option to strike the target or watch a live-stream of events from their command center. It’s the type of
The US Army is spending from $17 million to $30 million per year from 2017 to 2021 on High Energy Laser (HEL) weapons technology. The major effort under this project is the phased approach for mobile high power solid state laser (SSL) technology demonstrations that are traceable to the form, fit, and function requirements for
The Defining Challenge of Our Generation is Sustainable Energy and Manufacturing. Our mission is to identify innovators with ideas for energy- and science-based technologies that can have a significant impact on the lives of billions of people. We will provide these innovators with the laboratory tools, seed capital, and collaborators needed to grow their early-stage
UC ALPHA AI recently won out during simulated aerial combat against U.S. expert tacticians. It did so using no more than the processing power available in a tiny, affordable computer (Raspberry Pi) that retails for as little as $35. Artificial intelligence (AI) developed by a University of Cincinnati doctoral graduate was recently assessed by subject-matter
By “programming” customized soft materials, CSAIL team can 3-D print safer, nimbler, more durable robots. Anyone who’s watched drone videos or an episode of “BattleBots” knows that robots can break — and often it’s because they don’t have the proper padding to protect themselves. But this week researchers at MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence
Achieving Affordable System Operational Effectiveness. The Program Manager (PM) can address the return on investment (ROI) of ‘up-front’ expenditures by designing for the optimal balance between performance (technical and supportability), life-cycle costs, schedule, and process efficiency. A development program that targets only some categories of technical performance capability; or fails to optimize system Reliability, Availability,
On today”s battlefield, approximately four to five support soldiers back up each combat-arms soldier, especially in an armored brigade task force. The reason for this becomes clear when considering the fuel, food and ammunition required on a daily basis by these units. As it has been throughout history, support units are vital lifelines to a
Superconductivity is a hot phenomenon that occurs only at very cold temperatures. Finding ways to change that and make superconductivity practical at higher temperatures is a major goal for physicists and engineers. One possibility involves the metallic phase of hydrogen, theorized to be superconducting at ambient temperatures but yet to be achieved in practice. By
Pentagon researchers are taking a project to bring a real-time operational picture to squads in the field into the next phase. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has awarded Lockheed Martin a $10.6 million contract to start work on Phase II of the Squad X Core Technologies program, which is intended to deliver the kind
The Pentagon is looking for the next wave in warfighting technologies, inviting industry to offer ideas in key areas, such as dealing with the electromagnetic spectrum and ways to manage the flood of data collected by its growing number of sensors. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is staging a Proposer’s Day Sept. 20 to