Defense Technology International - December 2007 - (Page 45)

Read Hockmuth’s posts on DTI’s weblog, Ares, updated daily: AviationWeek.com/ares U.S. MARINE CORPS U.K. MINISTRY OF DEFENSE Programmable Matter The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is launching a program that will enable mesoscale building blocks to reversibly assemble into 3D objects. The capability could be used by soldiers to create an “instant toolkit” in which an amorphous material is programmed to turn into a wrench, screw driver or hammer on demand and then revert to its original form for reuse. Mesoparticle-based construction is the key because mesoparticles, which are up to 1 cm., can have a variety of shapes, sizes and compositions, Darpa says. They communicate and interlock with each other and offer functionality. Mesoparticles are of sufﬁcient size to build practical macroscale objects. “Building blocks can include mesoscale computers, wireless transmitters, machines, gears, ﬂuidics and other devices, as well as polymer, metal, ceramic and other particles,” Darpa states in a program announcement. Darpa wants to assemble 3D objects from programmable matter in less than 24 months once work begins. I 1 Hide in Plain Sight Invisibility cloaks have been making news this year, with university researchers around the world demonstrating the usefulness of metamaterials, small coils and wires that bend light waves around an object to make it seem invisible. But the U.K. Ministry of Defense conﬁrms that its Royal Engineers and scientists from research agency Qinetiq are testing technology that makes tanks and troops invisible by simpler means: cameras and projectors. Their solution involves using cameras to record the surrounding landscape and then projecting the image onto a tank, which is coated with silicon to make it more reﬂective. Researchers say a system could be deployed by 2012. The only drawback is that the camera trick works from one angle. Researchers want to achieve invisibility from every direction without using cameras, perhaps by diverting light around the target. Theoretical researchers say that technology could lead to fabric for invisible uniforms. I 2 OVER THE EDGE Got Exoskeleton? Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have developed a prototype exoskeleton that relieves 80% of the burden of an 80-lb. pack. This makes it handy for dismounted soldiers, but there is a tradeoff: It impedes a walker’s gait and requires a user to consume 10% more oxygen than normal. The spring-based device, however, only requires a 1-watt power source. Solve the problem with the gait, and it could be viable. The exoskeleton uses passive and quasipassive mechanisms to enhance mechanical energy storage and exchange between the device and the wearer. A pair of boots attach to tubes that run up a wearer’s legs and connect to a backpack with a carbon ﬁber harness. Springs at the heel, ankle and hip and a knee damper facilitate walking. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency funded the project, which is led by Hugh Herr, director of MIT’s Biomechatronics Group. The group unveiled the world’s ﬁrst robotic ankle for lower-limb amputees last summer (DTI October, p. 54). Herr’s goal is to create exoskeletons for everyone so people will someday run without breathing hard and never be burdened with a heavy load. I DECEMBER 2007 DEFENSE TECHNOLOGY INTERNATIONAL 45 MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY 3 www.aviationweek.com/dti http://AviationWeek.com/ares http://www.aviationweek.com/dti

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Defense Technology International - December 2007

Defense Technology International - December 2007 Contents Around the World Science Watch Tech Watch BrahMos: Ramjet Ship Killer r-e-s-p-e-c-t Deja Vu Trump Card Dubai Demos Agile Helos Joint Force Online Charge UGVs Creep, Crawl to Victory Sweet Ride Fast, Lethal Ship Defense Networking Stealth: Why Raptors Can't Talk The Net Cutting Edge First Person In Review Insight

Defense Technology International - December 2007

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