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| DARPA Program Brings Sci-fi Capability to Warfighters | |
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| Topic Started: Oct 19 2009, 09:07 PM (75 Views) | |
| shure | Oct 19 2009, 09:07 PM Post #1 |
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DARPA Program Brings Sci-fi Capability to Warfighters By Donna Miles American Forces Press Service http://www.defenselink.mil//news/newsarticle.aspx?id=56269 WASHINGTON, Oct. 16, 2009 – Moviegoers were captivated as they watched a metallic assassin morph before their eyes in "Terminator 2." The villain turned to liquid before assuming new forms capable of squeezing through narrow openings and transforming its arms into bladed weapons and solid metal tools. Scientists at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency were wowed too. Now they're working to deliver that same kind of technology to support the good guys: warfighters on the battlefield. Mitchell R. Zakin, program manager for DARPA's Programmable Matter division, said he's convinced the concept depicted for decades in blockbuster movies and comic books has real-life applications. He's leading up the effort to develop "programmable matter," which he calls "the ultimate adaptable material." It will be capable of changing size and shape and taking on new properties for one use, he explained, then adapting to a whole different form for another use. Zakin clarified that he's not out to change warfighters themselves, just the equipment they use, the clothing they wear and the loads they carry. "Warfighters carry an incredible amount of stuff and they don't have any more room to carry more," he said. "Yet they are facing much more complicated battle spaces. They're going into caves and working in cities. They need more sophisticated tools to deal with these environments, yet they can't carry them." The logistical challenge of getting equipment to remote areas such as Afghanistan exacerbates the problem, he said. Enter the concept of programmable matter, a convergence of the fields of chemistry, information, mathematical theory and engineering. Zakin envisions a day when warfighters will be able to reach into their kit, pull out a lump of programmable matter and form it into whatever they need. Think of it as carrying a paint can with a bunch of particles inside, he advises anyone struggling to understand how it all would work. The particles could be different shapes and sizes, be made up of different materials and have different functions. Depending on the requirement, the warfighter would instruct the particles to become whatever was needed at the moment -- a wrench, a hammer, a spare part. The particles would then organize themselves to form it. After using the device, the warfighter would return it to the bucket, where it once again would become a bunch of particles until instructed to become something else. The same principle would work for uniforms, which could change their thermal insulating properties according to the climate: the deep freeze of the Afghan mountains, the blast furnace of summertime in the Middle East. Fantastic as this all sounds, it's on its way to becoming a reality. Five university-led teams are participating in DARPA's Programmable Matter program, and by the middle of next year, at least one is expected to emerge with a demonstration project. Halfway through the program's second and final phase, all five teams are making convincing progress that it's all possible. The teams began the first phase of the program doing computer modeling, but got so excited by the project that they jumped headfirst into the second phase and began building actual prototypes, Zakin said. By the end of the second phase, they're expected to demonstrate that they can take a single set of building blocks and create five different geometric shapes with the strength of engineering plastic. "Everyone is making progress toward meeting these goals in a very meaningful way," Zakin said. "I'm confident that most, if not all the teams, will succeed." The ultimate benefit to warfighters would be mind-boggling. "Imagine the possibilities: an entire toolbox originating from a single material form, or flexible clothing or equipment that can adapt to the immediate and changing needs of the warfighter, perhaps even 'smart' bandages embedded with diagnostic sensing capabilities," Zakin said. "The possibilities are endless." In the simplest terms, programmable matter would bring warfighters "maximum capabilities with minimum carry weight," he said. "It would give them the ability to carry a little amount of stuff and do a lot with it. It creates a whole new paradigm in flexibility for the warfighter." But the implications go far beyond warfighting, Zakin said. Aircraft wings built of programmable matter could change in flight to provide the best aerodynamic properties. Everything from computers to televisions to cars could be programmed to automatically update themselves with the newest features and configurations. Clothing could morph into the latest fashion styles. In a nutshell, nothing would ever have to become obsolete. "This is not fantasy, actually," Zakin said. "Aspects of this already are being done in this project." Programmable matter also has the potential of turning the entire manufacturing process on its head. No longer would one design and one manufacturing process be needed for every single consumer product. "Personal manufacturing" could take over. Consumers could go online, buy a blueprint for whatever they need, download the instructions, then feed them into a personal assembler that makes the product before their eyes, he said. In some ways, Zakin said he's been preparing for the Programmable Matter program since he first saw as a young boy the concept depicted in the 1950s sci-fi movie, “The Blob.” "Most of my programs come out of the movies or comic books," he said. "It's what I do for a living." Decades later, he said, it's gratifying to be at DARPA, where he's on the leading edge of helping bring fantasy to life. "It allows us to do something very, very important, and something no one else has ever done before," he said. "It's very DARPA-like." |
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| shure | Oct 19 2009, 09:10 PM Post #2 |
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Oozy new military robo can squeeze through tiny spaces London, Sat, 17 Oct 2009 ANI http://www.newstrackindia.com/newsdetails/128516 London, October 17 (ANI): A technology company has developed a new military robot that resembles an oozy blob, which has the ability to squeeze through all manner of cracks and crevices. According to a report in The Sun, the 'ChemBot', made by technology company iRobot, can ooze and pulsate across the floor. This little robot is not just a fun gimmick, as the company were in fact given military funding to build the blob. The idea is that the palm-sized machine can assist in reconnaissance or search and rescue missions by transforming to fit through tiny spaces. Its secret is a process called "jamming" which sees material changing between a semi-liquid and solid state by increasing and decreasing its density. The ChemBot, short for chemical robot, features compartments filled with air and loosely packed particles within its flexible silicon skin. When the air is removed, the decrease in pressure constricts the skin and the particles shift slightly to fill the void left by the air, resulting in the solidification of the compartment. Beneath the skin is an incompressible fluid and an actuator that can vary its volume. Still at an early stage of development, potential applications for ChemBots include space exploration, military operations and medical devices that can be implanted in the human body. They might also prove useful for rescue operations in hostile environments such as subterranean or undersea mines and caves. (ANI) |
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| shure | Oct 19 2009, 09:13 PM Post #3 |
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Oozy new military robot By STAFF REPORTER Published: 16 Oct 2009 http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/2686587/Oozy-new-military-robot-which-can-change-shape.html  THIS is no ordinary shapeless blob - it is in fact the latest in robot technology. Looking more like a sinister alien life-form, the ChemBot oozes and pulsates across the floor. It has been developed by technology company iRobot and has the ability to squeeze through all manner of cracks and crevices. This little robot is not just a fun gimmick, the company were in fact given military funding to build the blob. The idea is that the palm-sized machine can assist in reconnaissance or search and rescue missions by transforming to fit through tiny spaces. Its secret is a process called "jamming" which sees material changing between a semi-liquid and solid state by increasing and decreasing its density. The ChemBot, short for chemical robot, features compartments filled with air and loosely packed particles within its flexible silicon skin. When the air is removed, the decrease in pressure constricts the skin and the particles shift slightly to fill the void left by the air, resulting in the solidification of the compartment. Beneath the skin is an incompressible fluid and an actuator that can vary its volume. Still at an early stage of development potential applications for ChemBots include space exploration, military operations and medical devices that can be implanted in the human body. They might also prove useful for rescue operations in hostile environments such as subterranean or undersea mines and caves. The project was funded by the US Army Research Office and D.A.R.P.A. (The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency), who gave iRobot $3.3million. |
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