Lifeboat Foundation

Young Bae of Advanced Space and Energy Technologies in Tustin, California, has improved his photonic laser thruster. was developed with NASA funding. His thruster works because light exerts pressure when it hits something. In theory, it is possible to move an object like a CubeSat by nudging it with a laser beam. In practice, however, the pressure which light exerts is so small that a device able to do a useful amount of nudging would require a laser of unfeasibly large power.

Dr Bae has overcome this limitation by bouncing light repeatedly between the source laser and the satellite, to multiply the thrust. In his latest experiments, Dr Bae has managed to amplify the thrust imparted by a single nudge of the laser by a factor of 1,500, which is big enough to manoeuvre a CubeSat as well as a conventional thruster would. This brings two advantages. First, since no on-board propellant is required, there is more room for instruments. Second, there being no fuel to run out, a CubeSat’s orbit can be boosted as many times as is desired, and its working life prolonged indefinitely.

Continue reading “YK Bae can now amplify photonic laser thrust” »

At the U.S. Army’s annual Maneuver and Fires Integration Experiment (MFIX), the Blitzer railgun performed successfully during eleven test firings. The test projectiles contained a Guidance Electronics Unit (GEU), which beamed back telemetry indicating the shells achieved an acceleration of over 30,000 gravities, and that all components survived the multi-Tesla magnetic field that powers the launcher.

“We continue to perform risk reduction and technology maturation of projectile designs and components to culminate in an integrated demonstration of a maneuvering railgun launched projectile,” says Nick Bucci, vice president of Missile Defense and Space Systems at General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems.

Continue reading “Future Warfare: Meet The Electromagnetic Railgun” »

Many have asked me what does this DARPA announcement on their project (RadioBio) mean. Well, imagine a world in the next 10 to 15 years where you no longer need any devices (no smartphone, no AR contacts, no smartwatch, no wearables, no external BMIs or invasive implants, etc.) of any kind as Quantum Bio technology uses (in DARPA’s case) connected cell technology to connect people to people and information online (private and publically available. This approach is the least invasive method of turning cells into connected technology.

Military will mean no more lugging of devices and certain types of equipment around on the battlefield plus lower risk of stolen intelligence as no device or equipment left behind or stolen.

What does it mean to consumers? Means no more losing phones and other devices as well as broken down equipment be replaced every 2years and no more insurance and extra-warranty payments for devices; and no more devices stolen with your information on it. And, it means my doctors and body (AI and non-AI methods) can monitor my health and activate pain relief, etc. through biosystem treatments such as pain can be suppressed via the readings or before the pain is felt. It also empowers the immune system to proactively prevent diseases as the biosystem technology will monitor and treat as needed.

Engineers at the U.S. Army Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center, or ARDEC, have been making advancements in an initiative called “Component Miniaturization.”

Its mission focuses on making armament systems more precise, energy efficient, scalable and effective by reducing the size of critical components in sub-systems such as safe and arm devices, electronics packages, power supplies and inertial measurement systems. Size reductions in one sub-system can have a positive effect on another. For example, a smaller and more efficient electronics package design can reduce power supply demands as well as reduce the need for heavier supporting structures. The space savings and mass savings could then be used to add a larger explosive warhead or increase control surfaces for additional maneuverability. The reduced size and mass could also allow for additional portability to smaller calibers or to systems with greater launch velocities.

The initiative involves several discrete projects, some of which are described below:

Continue reading “Smaller and smarter MEMS and electronics for bullets that can monitor a building during urban warfare” »

The Pentagon’s plan to bring A.I. to the military is taking shape as Chinese researchers assert themselves in the nascent technology field. And that shift is reflected in surprising commercial advances in artificial intelligence among Chinese companies.

Robert O. Work, the veteran defense official retained as deputy secretary by President Trump, calls them his “A.I. dudes.” The breezy moniker belies their serious task: The dudes have been a kitchen cabinet of sorts, and have advised Mr. Work as he has sought to reshape warfare by bringing artificial intelligence to the battlefield.

Last spring, he asked, “O.K., you guys are the smartest guys in A.I., right?”

Continue reading “China’s Intelligent Weaponry Gets Smarter” »

Daily Caller

China is making progress on its first indigenous aircraft carrier, the Shandong.

After two years and nine months of construction, China’s first domestically-built aircraft carrier is “taking shape.” The ship is under construction at a shipyard in Dalian, where the superstructure has already been mounted onto the hull. The vessel is expected to be launched this year; however, it will probably be a few more years before the ship enters military service.

Continue reading “China Expected To Launch First Home-Grown Aircraft Carrier This Year” »

Nice.

When you think of diamonds, rings and anniversaries generally come to mind. But one day, the first thing that will come to mind may be bone surgery. By carefully designing modified diamonds at the nano-scale level, a Missouri University of Science and Technology researcher hopes to create multifunctional diamond-based materials for applications ranging from advanced composites to drug delivery platforms and biomedical imaging agents.

Dr. Vadym Mochalin, an associate professor of chemistry and materials science and engineering at Missouri S&T, is characterizing and modifying 5-nanometer nanodiamond particles produced from expired military grade explosives so that they can be developed to perform specific tasks. His current research studies their use as a filler in various types of composites.

Continue reading “Missouri S&T researcher works to develop nanodiamond materials” »

A little delayed in sharing this.

Threats posed by adaptive radars to electronic warfare systems are a colossal challenge for the U.S. Navy, but a combo of advanced signal processing, intelligent algorithms, and machine learning techniques are being developed to help warfighters detect and counter them.

Electronic warfare (EW) systems – whether on land or aboard U.S. military ships and aircraft – tap the electromagnetic spectrum to sense, protect, and communicate. But, when necessary, these same systems can be turned against adversaries to deny their ability to disrupt or use radio, infrared, or radar signals.

Continue reading “Cognitive electronic warfare: Countering threats posed by adaptive radars” »

Overcoming the biggest obstacle for small drones.