Sensors

Gallium nitride has become an important material for high-performance radar, communications and electronic warfare systems because it can handle far more radio-frequency power than...

Building robots at microscopic scales creates an unusual engineering problem: even the simplest movements become difficult to produce. Conventional motors, gears and hydraulic systems...

Modern battlefields are increasingly crowded with radio-frequency signals. Drones, aircraft, ships, communications equipment and electronic warfare systems all transmit across the electromagnetic spectrum, creating...

Attack helicopters are facing a growing challenge on today's battlefield. The widespread use of inexpensive drones, loitering munitions and persistent aerial surveillance has made...

Protecting critical systems becomes especially difficult once an attacker gets inside the device itself. Conventional cybersecurity tools can monitor network traffic, identify known vulnerabilities...

Air defense systems today must contend with a wide range of fundamentally different threats: ballistic missiles traveling at high speeds and altitudes, fighter aircraft,...

Modern armored vehicles are increasingly equipped with camouflage, thermal-management technologies and other measures intended to make them harder to identify and engage. At the...

Modern military operations depend heavily on satellite navigation, secure communications and precise timing. That dependence creates vulnerabilities: GPS and other satellite signals can be...

Maritime surveillance requires military forces to monitor enormous areas while identifying ships, submarines and other potential threats as quickly as possible. Crewed patrol aircraft...

Flying autonomously through complex environments requires more than knowing where a drone is. The aircraft must continuously understand what surrounds it, distinguish open routes...

Inspecting pipelines, power lines and transportation corridors presents a difficult logistical problem. These assets can stretch for hundreds of kilometers through remote terrain, making...

Persistent surveillance is one of the biggest challenges in modern military operations. Conventional drones are limited by battery capacity or fuel, requiring frequent landings...

As wireless networks carry ever-growing amounts of data, communication systems face increasing pressure to transmit information faster while consuming less power and bandwidth. This...

Small military drones are taking on increasingly complex missions, from reconnaissance and target tracking to autonomous navigation and coordinated swarm operations. Yet many of...

Protecting large industrial sites, airports, campuses and critical infrastructure often requires continuous patrols over wide areas. Autonomous security robots are increasingly being used to...

Unexploded bombs, naval mines, and artillery shells left behind by past conflicts remain a hazard in coastal waters around the world. Buried beneath sand...

Vision has improved dramatically in modern robots, but touch remains one of the most difficult human senses to reproduce. Detecting exactly how much pressure...

Countering small drones has become increasingly difficult as unmanned aircraft grow smaller, cheaper, and more numerous. Traditional radar systems can detect many aerial threats,...

The growing use of small drones on the battlefield is creating new challenges for military forces. Detecting an incoming unmanned aircraft is only the...

Resupplying personnel in remote or contested areas is one of the most difficult challenges in military and emergency operations. Landing a drone to deliver...

Maritime surveillance often requires both surface vessels and aerial drones to maintain awareness over large areas. While drones provide a much wider field of...

Modern battlefields are saturated with electronic activity. Radars, jammers, drone control stations, communications systems, and other emitters constantly transmit radio-frequency signals that can reveal...