Powerwalk energy harvesting will be tested by the US Army in 2017 with production readiness in 2019

In 2017, Army scientists will be testing an energy-harvesting device that straps to the legs and generates power from walking. The PowerWalk is designed to extract the energy expended when the knee is flexed and negative work is being performed. The system adjusts to a person’s gait, so soldiers don’t feel like they are wearing …

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First full level 4 autonomy self driving truck delivery was 50,000 cans of Budweiser beer

A commercial truck,with $30,000 worth of hardware and software from San Francisco startup Otto made the world’s first autonomous truck deliver. The delivery was 50,000 cans of Budweiser. The truck self drove 120 miles south to Colorado Springs. The technology works only on the highway, where it doesn’t have to deal with tricky variables like …

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Lockheed and Elbit are working together on upgrading the British Challenger 2 tank

Lockheed Martin UK is to bid for the Ministry of Defence’s contract to upgrade the British Army’s Challenger 2 tanks. In collaboration with Elbit Systems UK, Lockheed Martin UK will submit a proposal to undertake the Life Extension Project (LEP) that will see the main battle tanks in service until 2035. Lockheed Martin UK is …

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Zebra fish, Salamander and bichir have the same genetic control mechanisms for limb regeneration

In a paper published in the journal PLOS ONE, MDI Biological Laboratory scientists Benjamin L. King, Ph.D., and Voot P. Yin, Ph.D., identified these common genetic regulators in three regenerative species: the zebrafish, a common aquarium fish originally from India; the axolotl, a salamander native to the lakes of Mexico; and the bichir, a ray-finned …

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DARPA guided bullet program and the commercial Trackpoint precision firearms

In 2015, DARPA’s Extreme Accuracy Tasked Ordnance (EXACTO) program developed a self-steering bullet to increase hit rates for difficult, long-distance shots, completed its most successful round of live-fire tests to date. An experienced shooter using the technology demonstration system repeatedly hit moving and evading targets. Additionally, a novice shooter using the system for the first …

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Sandia’s high-efficiency sparkplug-free gasoline auto engines

Researchers at Sandia National Laboratories’ Combustion Research Facility are helping to develop sparkplug-free engines that will help meet ambitious automotive fuel economy targets of 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025. They are working on low-temperature gasoline combustion (LTGC) operating strategies for affordable, high-efficiency engines that will meet stringent air-quality standards. Sandia researchers Isaac Ekoto and …

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DARPA awards contracts to develop smarter, faster unmanned and manned armored vehicles

Today’s ground-based armored fighting vehicles are better protected than ever, but face a constantly evolving threat: weapons increasingly effective at piercing armor. While adding more armor has provided incremental increases in protection, it has also hobbled vehicle speed and mobility and ballooned development and deployment costs. To help reverse this trend, DARPA’s Ground X-Vehicle Technology …

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Google Fiber coming to parts of San Francisco

Google Fiber will provide service to some apartments, condos, and affordable housing properties in San Francisco, using existing fiber. By using existing fiber to connect some apartments and condos, as we’ve done before, we can bring service to residents more quickly. This approach will allow us to serve a portion of San Francisco, complementing the …

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Manoeuvrable warheads are back due to expectations of improved anti-missile missiles, lasers and railguns

On 5 February 2016 Chinese state TV revealed for the first time the manoeuvrable warhead that could be from the DF-21C medium-range ballistic missile (MRBM) produced by China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC). However, subsequent Chinese TV reporting from 12 February shows an exercise involving what may be the CASIC DF-21D anti-ship ballistic missile …

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Commander in charge of US nuclear forces calls for modernization and buildup of US nuclear forces to counter strengthening China and Russia

Rick Fisher, a China military analyst at the International Assessment and Strategy Center, said China appears to be seeking to “sprint to parity” with the United States in warhead numbers along with growing space warfare capabilities. Rick Fisher feels this poses “a much greater danger to U.S. strategic forces and should prompt a build up …

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