Archive | October 31, 2011 | Armed with Science

DARPA Challenge: Reconstruct Shredded Documents, Win $50,000!

Filed under Challenge, Technology by Carla Voorhees on October 31, 2011 at 10:06 am {no comments}

On Thursday the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) announced a new competition to find the best technologies for document reconstruction. DARPA’s Shredder Challenge has a prize of up to $50,000 for the best solution for in-the-field reconstruction of destroyed documents.

An example puzzle piece, courtesy DARPA

Today’s troops often confiscate the remnants of destroyed documents in war zones, but reconstructing them is a daunting task. DARPA’s Shredder Challenge calls upon computer scientists, puzzle enthusiasts and anyone else who likes solving complex problems to compete for up to $50,000 by piecing together a series of shredded documents. The goal is to identify and assess potential capabilities that could be used by our warfighters operating in war zones, but might also create vulnerabilities to sensitive information that is protected through our own shredding practices throughout the U.S. national security community.

Presently, a variety of techniques exist for reconstructing shredded documents including manual assembly, fully automated (computerized) algorithms and hybrid operator-assisted approaches. DARPA hopes to gain new insight into which of these or other innovative techniques are quicker and more efficient, and, whether the wide availability of high resolution photography, communication and crowd-sourcing strategies offer unexpected advances.

“The ability to reconstruct shredded documents will potentially yield information that may save lives or offer critical information about an adversary’s plans,” said Mr. Dan Kaufman, Director of DARPA’s Information Innovation Office. “Currently, this process is much too slow and too labor-intensive, particularly if the documents are handwritten. We are looking to the Shredder Challenge to generate some leap-ahead thinking in this area.”

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Air Force launches Delta II rocket – VIDEO

Filed under Space by Julie Weckerlein on October 28, 2011 at 3:17 pm {5 comments}

A Delta II rocket launches from Space Launch Complex 2 here Oct. 28, 2011. The rocket carried NASA's NPOESS Preparatory Project (NPP) satellite into orbit. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Andrew Satran)

California night owls got to see an amazing streak of light zip across the sky early Friday morning.

It was a weather satellite on it’s way to space to collect data on both long-term climate change and short-term weather conditions.

Airmen at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California launched the Delta II rocket carrying NASA’s NPOESS Preparatory Project (NPP) satellite from Space Launch Complex-2W at 2:48 a.m. PDT today.

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Research And Development’s Global Role in Force Health Protection

Filed under Life Sciences, Physical Sciences by Julie Weckerlein on October 27, 2011 at 2:57 pm {no comments}

By Vice Adm. Adam M. Robinson Jr., MC, US Navy

Vice Adm. Adam M. Robinson Jr., MC, US Navy

I have said throughout my tenure as your 36th Surgeon General that medical research and development is crucial to future capability of our armed forces because, more often than not, our medical innovations derive from an idea or experiment in one of our laboratories. Researchers and scientists epitomize the spirit of interdisciplinary scholarship, innovation, and entrepreneurship that lead to translational advancements in critical areas.

Our global research and development arm is dedicated to enhancing the health, safety, readiness and performance of Navy and Marine Corps personnel deployed around the world through cutting edge medical research in a wide range of disciplines.

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Assessing Brain Injury: Virtual Reality May Hold Answer

Filed under Life Sciences, Technology by Julie Weckerlein on October 26, 2011 at 2:23 pm {no comments}

Researchers at the University of Southern California's Institute for Creative Technologies are developing and testing virtual reality assessment tools for return-to-duty decisions after brain or psychological injury. They have also been developing virtual environments for stress resiliency training and for exposure therapy to treat post-traumatic stress disorder. (U.S. Army Photo)

By Barb Ruppert,
TATRC science and technology writer for Army.mil

With the possibilities of concussion, neurotoxin exposure and post-traumatic stress disorder among service members, the need for accurate and widespread assessment of brain function is critical.

An individual’s performance on standardized cognitive tasks can reveal the extent of injury, even when other signs and symptoms are not immediately apparent. This enables healthcare staff to start treatment earlier, monitor its effectiveness more closely, and make more accurate return-to-duty decisions.

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Simulation of Hypersonic Vehicle Structures at the Air Force Research Lab

Filed under Physical Sciences, Technology by Carla Voorhees on October 25, 2011 at 3:21 pm {no comments}

Dr. Michael Spottswood is a aerospace research engineer at the Structural Sciences Center at the Air Force Research Lab. He is the recipient of the 2010 Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers for his research simulating extreme environments on hypersonic vehicle structures.

Dr. Spottswood, winner of a 2010 Presidential Early Career Award for Science and Engineering

As a civilian researcher for the Air Force Research Lab (AFRL), I work on many exciting projects. It is very rewarding to have a job that allows me to continually explore new concepts in the development of aircraft technologies. Currently, I am part of the Structural Sciences Center (SSC), a small basic research group within AFRL. The objective of our group is to explore and develop methods for the simulation of hypersonic vehicle structures operating in extreme environments such as excessive temperatures, thermally-induced stresses and aeroacoustic loading. To put it simply, we would like the ability to simulate the response, material evolution and ultimately predict the useful life of these extreme-environment structures. In order to achieve this goal, the SSC conducts in-house research and experimentation, and we also have collaborative efforts with targeted groups in the aerospace industry, NASA, and the academic community.

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Treebeard was Right: Travelers are Less Rational than they’d like to Believe

Filed under Life Sciences, Social Sciences by Carla Voorhees on October 24, 2011 at 10:48 am {3 comments}

Dr. Tad Brunyé is a cognitive scientist at the U.S. Army Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center (NSRDEC) in Natick, Massachusetts. He is the recipient of the 2010 Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers for his research examining the information Soldiers and civilians use when planning routes and navigating through environments.

Dr. Tad Brunyé, recipient of the 2010 Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers. (Photo by Mr. David Kamm, NSRDEC)

Most people assume that if they look at a map they are able to make an easy and deliberate decision regarding which routes to take. Most husbands (including myself) spend a decent amount of their lives attempting to convince their wives of exactly that.

“Trust me, I know the way.”

“Trust me, this is the best way to get there.”

These types of statements are pretty well-founded. People are generally very confident in their route plans (even while shopping), and usually they have selected the route for pretty good reasons. Maybe it looked like the shortest route, most direct route, fastest route, or the route with the fewest number of turns. Or perhaps it looked like the route with the most right-turns, the one avoiding back-roads, or the one likely to have the least amount of traffic. These are all very rational factors to consider. They are based on quantifiable measures such as route length, traffic density and patterns, and number and direction of turns. There is nothing wrong with this strategy.

But what is actually happening under the hood, so to speak? Do these factors alone account for all route plans? What factors might people consider without their knowledge?

In the Lord of the Rings, Twin Towers, the bombastic Treebeard states “I always like going south. Somehow it feels like going downhill.”

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Afghanistan Theater Receives State-of-the-Art MRI Systems

Filed under Technology by Carla Voorhees on October 21, 2011 at 3:33 pm {no comments}

From Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery (BUMED) Public Affairs

WASHINGTON (NNS) — The top doctor for the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps announced the delivery of two mobile Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) systems to Afghanistan Oct. 4-7.

CAMP BASTION, Afghanistan (Oct. 5, 2011) An MRI machine is set up at the Role 3 Medical Facility at Joint Operating Base, Bastion, Afghanistan. (Royal Air Force photo by Sgt. Mitch Moore/Released)

Navy Surgeon General Vice Adm. Adam M. Robinson Jr. said that the delivery marked the end of an unprecedented medical equipment procurement initiative to deliver a first-ever MRI capability to a combat theater.

The first mobile MRI system arrived on a mega-cargo Antonov AN 124 Russian aircraft Oct 4. Weighing more than 70,000 pounds, the MRI and its accompanying supplies were unloaded using a prime mover, two flatbeds, and a forklift to travel to its final destination at the Role 3 hospital at Camp Bastion. A second MRI was delivered to the Role 3 hospital in Kandahar Oct 7, and progress continues on both systems for final installation, prepping and testing.

“Fielding MRIs into active combat theaters is unprecedented as both logistics and clinical procedures had to be created,” said Robinson. “The fact that our team was able to design, acquire and deliver this new capability to the battlefield in less than 12 months is a testament to the commitment and creativity of the joint medical and logistics teams.”

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