Scientists at the U.S. Army Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center are developing tiny automatic sensors that can be manufactured right into the armored plates of vehicles. The sensors self-report when they’re in good condition – and when they’ve been damaged.

Dr. Thomas Meitzler, team leader of TARDEC’s nondestructive testing and evaluation laboratory, says (more…)

The Electrochemistry Branch in the Sensors and Electron Devices Directorate at Army Research Laboratory is working to fix that by creating fuel cells that are lighter, more efficient and more durable than existing batteries. The new fuel cells will help soldiers by lessening the number of batteries that they carry for missions lasting longer than 24 hours.

Dr. Cynthia Lundgren, chief of the electrochemistry Branch, discussed that fuel cell technology, which has the potential to lower the weight burden carried by soldiers, during a Oct. 21 webcast of “Armed with Science: Research and Applications for the Modern Military.”

Depending on their role in the battalion, some soldiers may carry as much as 35 pounds of batteries with them for a 72-hour mission, Lundgren said. She’d like to see that weight reduced to 12 pounds.

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Dr. Barry Spargo, head of the Chemical Dynamics and Diagnostics Department at the Naval Research Laboratory, discussed research related to the development of new and alternative sources of energy. As global first responders, the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps rely on readily available, reliable sources of energy to perform a variety of missions, and the vulnerability of energy supplies could jeopardize naval forces’ ability to support forces afloat and ashore. The Department of the Navy’s energy strategy aims to decrease U.S. naval forces’ dependence on foreign fuel sources. Science and technology investments will provide many solutions.

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