coats the build plate with additional layers of powder until the
part is complete.
The result is a piece of steel that feels like it was forged
traditionally but has intricate design features that no mold
could create and is about 50% stronger than anything
commercially available.
"I think it's going to really revolutionize logistics," said Dr. Brandon
McWilliams, an Army team lead. "Additive manufacturing is going
to have a huge impact on sustainment… instead of worrying about
carrying a whole truckload, or convoys loads of spares, as long
as you have raw materials and a printer, you can potentially make
anything you need."
Researchers say this capability has the potential to replace parts
of today's tanks, or support future, state-of-the-art systems.
HUMAN INTEREST DETECTOR
Have you ever wanted to get inside a Soldier's head? Army
researchers have developed a human-interest detector that can
determine where people are looking and decode their brain
activity. By monitoring brainwaves, researchers track neural
responses and assess what captures a Soldier's attention among
a myriad of stimuli in threat environments.
Researchers say this will lead to better situational awareness
on the battlefield, enable commanders to make better decisions
and ultimately improve the ability of the Soldier to team with
future AI agents.
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE TO IDENTIFY
FUEL-EFFICIENT MATERIALS
A new system of algorithmic bots could tackle the most complex
challenges beyond human experimental capabilities.
Building on amazing successes in artificial intelligence, which
can even win a game like Jeopardy, Army funded researchers at
Cornell University developed a system called CRYSTAL to explore
new materials for long-lasting power for Soldiers. CRYSTAL relies
on a collective of algorithmic bots that sift through hundreds of
thousands of combinations and elements, a number so vast that it
is inaccessible through traditional experimentation.
The system can obey the laws of physics and chemistry, where
existing machine learning approaches fail and could identify the
next generation of material breakthroughs that will equip Soldiers
on the future battlefield.
"The exciting part about basic science research is you can't
always predict where the results will lead," said Dr. Purush
Iyer, division chief, network sciences at Army Research Office.
"We funded this research to better understand collective
intelligence (wisdom of crowds). While material science
application, such as design of novel alloys, were always on
the cards, the serendipitous nature of the eventual outcome,
that of a catalyst to aid in designing better fuel cells, is solving
a problem of immense importance for the Army--battery
power in the field--shows the importance of investing in
basic research."
76 ARMY 245: Call to Duty