DSIAC collects and publishes articles related to our technical focus areas on the web to share with the DoD community.
Thanks to a U.S. Navy Small Business Innovation Research, or SBIR, contract, Natick”s Thermal Test Facility has a new, one-of-a-kind, articulating manikin to conduct flame and thermal testing on individual uniforms and personal protective equipment. The Pfc. Joseph Ouellette Thermal Test Facility, known as TTF, is a joint Army-Navy flame and thermal research facility located
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has published its plan for a rapidly manufactured “Flying Missile Rail” drone that can be launched off the wing of a tactical jet. The concept sounds strange, and to some degree it is, but its existence could help underline the fact that unmanned systems can break the current
Researchers at the U.S. Army Research Laboratory and the University of Maryland have developed a battery that uses a water-salt solution as the electrolyte medium. The electrolyte helps ferry lithium ions between the battery”s cathode and anode, allowing for the loading and unloading of electric energy. Using the new solution, researchers were able to generate
The Pentagon wants another crack at shooting down ballistic missiles with laser beams. According to The War Zone, the U.S. Missile Defense Agency is looking to put lasers on high-flying drones. Their mission: to intercept enemy missiles during the so-called “boost phase.” This is the second attempt to build such a thing, following an aborted
The Pentagon wants another crack at shooting down ballistic missiles with laser beams. According to The War Zone, the U.S. Missile Defense Agency is looking to put lasers on high-flying drones. Their mission: to intercept enemy missiles during the so-called “boost phase.” This is the second attempt to build such a thing, following an aborted
Electrical engineers at Duke University have invented an inexpensive printed sensor that can monitor the tread of car tires in real time, warning drivers when the rubber meeting the road has grown dangerously thin. If adopted, the device will increase safety, improve vehicle performance and reduce fuel consumption. The group hopes that the tire wear
The American Society of Quality has published the 3rd edition of the Certified Reliability Engineer Handbook. This handbook is fully updated to the 2018 Body of Knowledge for the Certified Reliability Engineer (CRE), including the new sections on leadership, performance monitoring, root cause analysis, and quality triangles. Its purpose is to assist individuals preparing for
Researchers from the U.S. Army Research Laboratory have shown that early fatigue damage behavior in structures may be predicted through the study of the microscale mechanical behavior of the material. The findings are an important result for the structural health monitoring (SHM) community and may lead to new sensing techniques for predicting the service life
The German Aerospace Center, Germany’s space agency, will fly two experiments on a suborbital flight by Blue Origin’s New Shepard vehicle later this year as part of an effort to diversify its microgravity research efforts. Thomas Driebe, head of the physical and material sciences program at the center, known by the German acronym DLR, said
As virtual reality technology becomes less expensive and delivers a more realistic, immersive experience, some national security experts warn that it is only a matter of time before terrorists use it for recruiting, training and plotting attacks. The virtual reality (VR) marketplace is exploding. Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, Sony PlayStation VR, Google Cardboard, Microsoft HoloLens,
The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) is seeking a new high altitude long endurance (HALE) unmanned aerial vehicle with the unique capacity to carry a high energy laser system that can stop enemy missiles when they have barely left the launch pad, according to a new MDA request for information. “Our vision is to shift the
The Army’s future air-and-missile defense capabilities are taking shape under the newest Space and Missile Defense commander, Lt. Gen. James Dickinson, particularly in laser-armed combat vehicles and the Integrated Air-and-Missile Defense system (IAMD), both considered to be crucial enablers for the maneuver force. How the Army will employ laser weapons in combat and what the