US Army Research Laboratory

Researchers Shrink Camera to the Size of a Salt Grain

Micro-sized cameras have great potential to spot problems in the human body and enable sensing for super-small robots, but past approaches captured fuzzy, distorted images with limited fields of view.

RedTail Delivers LiDAR System to DoD's Explosive Ordnance Disposal

The RedTail LiDAR Systems RTL-450 was integrated onto the Teledyne FLIR SkyRaider Unmanned Aerial System to address a broad range of the EOD community's 3D mapping needs.

Robust Artificial Tissue Mimics Lobster Underbelly's Stretch

Researchers have fabricated a hydrogel-based material that mimics the structure of the lobster's underbelly. The researchers ran the material through a battery of stretch and impact tests, and showed that, similar to the lobster underbelly, the synthetic material is remarkably "fatigue-resistant," able to withstand repeated stretches and strains without tearing.

Improved 3D Printing for Lightweight Components for Soldiers

Army researchers collaborated with academic partners to improve additive manufacturing. This partnership may help deliver extreme lightweight components to future soldiers.

Innovative Battery Chemistry Revolutionises Zinc-Air Battery

High-performance, eco-friendly, safe and at the same time cost-effective: the zinc-air battery is an attractive energy storage technology of the future. Until now, the conventional zinc-air battery has struggled with a high chemical instability, parasitic reactions which rooted in the usage of alkaline electrolytes lead to electrochemical irreversibility.

Army Strengthens Future Tech with Muscle Bound Robots

Robotic systems packed with muscle tissue can produce never-seen-before agility and versatility, Army researchers said.

Augmented Reality for Animals - the Next Step for AR Headsets

The newest toy for dogs is a high-tech augmented reality headset.

Augmented Reality Dog Goggles Could Help Protect Soldiers

Military working dogs often scout areas for explosive devices and hazardous materials and assist in rescue operations, but giving dogs the necessary commands to perform these missions can put soldiers in harm's way. Augmented reality may change that.

Laser Jolts Microscopic Electronic Robots into Motion

In 1959, former Cornell physicist Richard Feynman delivered his famous lecture "There's Plenty of Room at the Bottom," in which he described the opportunity for shrinking technology, from machines to computer chips, to incredibly small sizes. Well, the bottom just got more crowded

Army Robo Teammate can Detect, Share 3D Changes in Real Time

Something is different, and you can't quite put your finger on it. But your robot can. Even small changes in your surroundings could indicate danger. Imagine a robot could detect those changes, and a warning could immediately alert you through a display in your eyeglasses. That is what U.S. Army scientists are developing with sensors, robots, real-time change detection and augmented reality wearables.

Versatile New Material Family Could Build Realistic Prosthetics

Nature's blueprint for the human limb is a carefully layered structure with stiff bone wrapped in layers of different soft tissue, like muscle and skin, all perfectly bound together. Achieving this kind of sophistication using synthetic materials to build biologically inspired robotic parts or multicomponent, complex machines has been an engineering challenge.

Soft Robot Actuators Heal Themselves

Repeated activity wears on soft robotic actuators, but these machines' moving parts need to be reliable and easily fixed. Now a team of researchers has a biosynthetic polymer, patterned after squid ring teeth, that is self-healing and biodegradable, creating a material not only good for actuators, but also for hazmat suits and other applications where tiny holes could cause a danger.

Flexible Hybrid Electronics Focused Solicitation Request for Proposals

Since 1993, SEMI-FlexTech has funded over 200 projects in R&D, with a total public/private investment in excess of U.S. $220 million. SEMI-FlexTech solicits proposals from the flexible electronics industry for candidate projects which will receive funding.

Energy-Harvesting Design Aims to Turn Wi-Fi Signals Into Useable Power

Any device that sends out a Wi-Fi signal also emits terahertz waves —electromagnetic waves with a frequency somewhere between microwaves and infrared light. These high-frequency radiation waves, known as "T-rays," are also produced by almost anything that registers a temperature, including our own bodies and the inanimate objects around us.

Deep Learning for Mechanical Property Evaluation

A standard method for testing some of the mechanical properties of materials is to poke them with a sharp point. This "indentation technique" can provide detailed measurements of how the material responds to the point's force, as a function of its penetration depth.

Army Scientists Develop Cutting-Edge, Durable 3D Printing Technology

Army scientists are on the brink of a pioneering additive-manufacturing technology to help soldiers quickly swap out broken plastic components with durable 3D printed replacements, says a top Army researcher.

SEMI-FlexTech Launches Six New Projects

SEMI-FlexTech announced the launch of six projects to accelerate sensor and sensor system innovations for new applications in industries including healthcare, automotive, industrial and defense.

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.