Innovation

DARPA-Funded Work May Help Troops See Around Corners

A U.S. Air Force loadmaster uses night vision goggles during a night flight over Bulgaria, July 15, 2018.

By setting up multiple sensors, researchers have learned to “see” what’s out of sight.

  • By Patrick Tucker, Defense One
Cody Wilson, with Defense Distributed, holds a 3D-printed gun called the Liberator at his shop, Wednesday, Aug. 1, 2018, in Austin, Texas. Cody Wilson, with Defense Distributed, holds a 3D-printed gun called the Liberator at his shop, Wednesday, Aug. 1, 2018, in Austin, Texas.

3D-Printed Guns Are Dangerous. Ammo Control Could Help

New ammunition regulations in California could make it harder for people who shouldn’t have guns to use the ones they have.

  • By Natasha Frost, Quartz

The Military Now Has Tooth Mics For Invisible, Hands-Free Radio Calls

The future of battlefield communications is resting comfortably near your back gums.

  • By Patrick Tucker, Defense One

Pentagon Will Spend $2 Billion Developing Next-Generation AI

The massive investment comes as other global powers like China pour significant resources into their own programs.

  • By Jack Corrigan

Should Startups Ask For Permission or Beg For Forgiveness?

Hundreds of innovative businesses operate in legal grey areas.

  • By Simone Stolzoff, Quartz
A Transportation Security Administration officer checks travelers luggage to be screened by an x-ray machine at a checkpoint at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. A Transportation Security Administration officer checks travelers luggage to be screened by an x-ray machine at a checkpoint at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.

TSA Wants to Expand Use of 3D Luggage Scanning Machines

Keep your liquids in your luggage with this new scanner.

  • By Caitlin Fairchild

There’s Finally a Perfect Use for Drone Delivery

Burgers and beers take flight.

  • By Mike Murphy, Quartz
The Ratnik-3 exoskeleton The Ratnik-3 exoskeleton

Russia, U.S. Are In a Military Exoskeleton Race

A look at the Iron Man-like dreams and power-starved realities of dueling technology programs.

  • By Patrick Tucker, Defense One
First responders in New York City First responders in New York City

DHS Gives ‘Power Suit’ a Whole New Meaning

The agency wants first responders’ clothing to be able to generate and store electricity.

  • By Jack Corrigan
U.S. Army Undersecretary Ryan McCarthy, Army Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Jim McConville a University of Texas at Austin 3D printing lab, Thursday, August 23, 2018. U.S. Army Undersecretary Ryan McCarthy, Army Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Jim McConville a University of Texas at Austin 3D printing lab, Thursday, August 23, 2018.

Austin, Texas, Just Became the U.S. Army’s Silicon Valley

The service is making a big bet that getting closer to tech startups will help deter future adversaries.

  • By Patrick Tucker, Defense One

The Pentagon Wants AI to Take Over the Scientific Process

The project is part of DARPA’s newly launched Artificial Intelligence Exploration program, which aims to develop next-generation artificial intelligence applications.

  • By Jack Corrigan
A Falcon 9 SpaceX heavy rocket lifts off from pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2018. A Falcon 9 SpaceX heavy rocket lifts off from pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2018.

How Rocket-Makers Ensure 3D Printed Parts Are Strong Enough for Space

X-rays and microscopes are involved.

  • By Tim Fernholz, Quartz

Blockchain Could Help Bring Renewable Energy to the Power Grid, Experts Tell Congress

But lawmakers want to know how to stop cryptocurrency miners from overwhelming local utility companies.

  • By Jack Corrigan

Pilot-Optional Helicopters Could Be the Future of Fighting Wildfires

The Interior Department’s been working on a plan to expand its aerial firefighting efforts from daylight-only to a 24-hour cycle.

  • By Jack Corrigan
A U.S. Army CH-47 Chinook helicopter crew chief assigned to Task Force Flying Dragons, 16th Combat Aviation Brigade, 7th Infantry Division scans below near Mazar-e-Sharif, Afghanistan. A U.S. Army CH-47 Chinook helicopter crew chief assigned to Task Force Flying Dragons, 16th Combat Aviation Brigade, 7th Infantry Division scans below near Mazar-e-Sharif, Afghanistan.

Soldiers May Soon Be Hailing a Taxi to the Frontlines (Again)

But this time, they'd fly.

  • By John Breeden II

Digital Wallets Could Become as Big a Selling Point for Phones as Cameras And Displays

Mobile wallets are catching on around the world.

  • By John Detrixhe, Quartz

A Silicon Valley Startup is Giving Lithium-Ion Batteries a Much-Needed Silicon Boost

The tech needs to undergo a step change, and there are many startups currently trying to make it happen.

  • By Akshat Rathi, Quartz

DARPA Wants to Make Underground Maps on the Fly

The agency is challenging teams to build systems that chart caves, tunnels and underground urban infrastructure.

  • By Jack Corrigan

The Pentagon's Startup Outreach Office is No Longer an Experiment

Officials renamed the Defense Innovation Unit Experimental to show the permanence of the program.

  • By Jack Corrigan
A Flyer personal aircraft cruises above a body of water. A Flyer personal aircraft cruises above a body of water.

Google’s Larry Page Thinks We’ll Soon Be Soaring Over Traffic in These Cute Flying Cars He’s Building

For now, the Flyer is clearly a novelty, meant to appeal to the ambitions and pocketbooks of wealthy hobbyists.

  • By Erik Olsen, Quartz