Topic

Lasers Destroy Drones as Additive Manufacturing Builds Them

In February, the Joint Interagency Field Experimentation team at the Naval Postgraduate School executed another highly collaborative week of rapid prototyping and defense demonstrations with dozens of emerging technology companies. Read on to learn more about it.

Unmanned Aircraft Systems Help Responders in Urban Environments

In November 2024, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s National Urban Security Technology Laboratory teamed up with Mississippi State University’s Raspet Flight Research Laboratory, and DAGER Technology LLC, to conduct an assessment on selected models of cybersecure “Blue UAS.” The drones are cybersecure and commercially available to assist emergency responders with their public safety operations. Read on to learn more.

Low Cost Air Traffic Control for Drones

Using a network of small, low-cost radars, engineering professor Cammy Peterson and her colleagues have built an air traffic control system for drones that can effectively and accurately track anything in an identified low-altitude airspace. Read on to learn more about it.

Engineers Enable a Drone to Determine Its Position in the Dark and Indoors

MIT researchers have introduced a new approach that enables a drone to self-localize, or determine its position, in indoor, dark, and low-visibility environments. Self-localization is a key step in autonomous navigation. Read on to learn more about it.

Human-Focused Research Aims to Enhance UAS Effectiveness, Readiness

As the capabilities of unmanned aerial systems continue to evolve rapidly in response to the tactical and strategic necessities of the modern battlefield, the U.S. Army Aeromedical Research Laboratory is exploring a unique approach to improving their operational effectiveness – by focusing on the protection and performance of UAS operators. Read on to learn more about it.

AI Automates Drone Defense With High Energy Lasers

To counter the rapidly mounting threats posed by the proliferation of inexpensive uncrewed autonomous systems, or drones, Naval Postgraduate School researchers and collaborators are applying AI to automate critical parts of the tracking system used by laser weapon systems. Read on to learn more about it.

Reverse Engineering the Security Risks of the AeroScope Drone Detection Module

Da Jiang Innovations' AeroScope drone detection platform has proven to be an effective security tool for military and law enforcement. It identifies and tracks drones in real time, providing AeroScope users with information like flight status, path and pilot location for drones up to 50 kilometers away. Read on to learn more about it.

The Evolution of Autonomous Systems in UAV Technology

So, let’s talk about it: What’s happening in 2025? Well, the sky is no longer the limit — it’s just the beginning of a new era in autonomous UAV technology. Read on to learn more.

Swarm Robotics: A Requiem for the Assembly Line

Aircraft manufacturing is on the cusp of its most profound transformation since the dawn of powered flight. The assembly line — a staple of industrial production for over a century — is about to be replaced by a far more efficient and cost-effective alternative: Swarm Robotics. Read on to learn more about it.

Is It a Material? Is It a Robot? It's Both!

Engineers have created a type of material that can expand, assume new shapes, move, and follow electromagnetic commands like a remotely controlled robot even though it lacks any motor or internal gears.

Guest Editorial: The Next Wave of Medical Devices: Personalized with Local Impact

As an industry, AM is experiencing advancements at a rapid pace. Innovation is enabling enhanced capabilities across the entire workflow from software and materials through 3D printing technologies. Additionally, we see 3D printers with much smaller footprints enabling the technology to be used in smaller spaces such as hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, and dental laboratories and clinics. Read on to learn more.

A Compact, Mid-Infrared Pulse Generator

Physicists in the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) have created a compact laser that emits extremely bright, short pulses of light in a useful but...

Knowing the Right Trigger Strategy Ensures Capture of High-Speed Application With Precision

In the field of technical imaging, the term “trigger” is often used synonymously with the term frame-synchronization (or f-sync) signal. In the...

Tying Overlapping Laser Beams into Stable 'Optical Knots'

A beam of light doesn’t sound like a material that can create a knot. Until now.

The Growing Impact of Cybersecurity on Patient Safety in Medical Devices

The growing impact of medical device cybersecurity on patient safety.

Technology

In April 2004, FDA approved what kind of system allows to treat epilepsy?

This Tiny Robot Could Save Your Life One Day

A tiny, soft, flexible robot that can crawl through earthquake rubble or travel inside the human body may seem like science fiction, but a team is pioneering such adaptable robots by integrating flexible electronics with magnetically controlled motion.

Engineering the EL9: Electra's Ultra Short Hybrid-Electric Aircraft

Marc Allen, CEO of Electra, is the guest on this episode of the Aerospace & Defense Technology podcast.

3D-Printed C-17 Replacement Part Saves Thousands for Air Force

Innovation isn’t always pretty. Sometimes, it’s downright grimy — but worth its weight in gold. At the 911th Airlift Wing, a collaboration with Boeing has resulted in a...