2008 ta report innovation
TRANSCRIPT
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The Spirit
of Innovation
2008 Missile Defense Agency Technology Applications Report
Guided by intellectual freedom and
entrepreneurial bravery, Americas innovators
are developing tomorrows technology today.
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To be free in America today meansenjoying the freedom to succeed or to fail.
To be brave in America today means
standing up for new, often untested, ideas.
Innovators know what it means
to be free and to be brave in America today.
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The Spirit of Innovation
2008 Missile Deense Agency Technology Applications Report
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We the People o the United States, in Order to orm
a more perect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic
Tranquility, provide or the common deence, promote
the general Welare, and secure the Blessings o Liberty to
ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this
Constitution or the United States o America.
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ter more than a century and a hal
o being ruled by an autocratic monarch, the Found-
ing Fathers o the United States ought with both pen
and sword to establish a government dedicated to
protecting lie and liberty in ways that enable all o us
to pursue happiness to the best o our abilities. They
set orth their vision in the Constitution, a living docu-
ment that reects our national ideals and values. It is
the soul o this Nation, and it is a document that ex-
tends beyond the era in which it was written.
The words in the Constitution that introduce this en-
during national vision appear in the Preamble where we nd the Founders reasonsor creating a new government, eloquently described as a more perect Union.
One key reasona needespoused in the Preamble is to provide or the com-
mon deense, and in this area the Missile Deense Agency (MDA) plays a vital role by
developing and elding increasingly robust ballistic missile deenses. But there are
other needs laid out in the Preamble, and MDA, through its Technology Applications
(TA) program, helps ulll these as well by pushing technology beyond deense and
into everyday lie.
This year s Technology Applications Report is ull o examples showcasing ways in
which MDA-unded technology contributes to the core needs mentioned in the
Preamble: to ensure domestic tranquility, to promote the general welare, and to
secure the blessings o liberty. MDA-unded technology is also helping other orga-nizations provide or the common deense.
The TA program is dedicated to helping move technology into the commercial
marketplace. Since the earliest days o the Strategic Deense Initiative Organization,
the TA program has been providing services to missile deense researchers, help-
ing them mature their technologies into dual-use products or a variety o markets.
Already, missile deense research has led to innovations in areas as diverse as medi-
cine, energy, transportation, and inormation technology. And, these innovations
have boosted the American economy and improved countless lives. We can expect
more success in the uture.
The technologies and applications highlighted in the ollowing pages demon-
strate the remarkable ingenuity o MDA-unded researchers, and underscore theexcitement that surrounds cutting-edge missile deense research. I hope this re-
port will give readers a new appreciation or MDAs broader role in creating a more
prosperous society, as envisioned by the ramers o the Constitution.
Robert S. Barnes,
Deputy, Advanced Technology,
Missile Deense Agency
Foreword
A
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Using technologies developed or missile deense,
we can make the United States a peaceul place to live.
We can, in eect, help ensure domestic tranquility by
helping shore-up this Nations inrastructure, by deterring
crime, tackling pollution and high energy consumption,
and developing more durable, eco-riendly materials.
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The Spirit of Innovation2008 Missile Deense Agency Technology Applications Report
he Missile Deense Agency (MDA) mission is to develop and eld an
integrated Ballistic Missile Deense System capable o providing a layered deense
or the homeland, deployed orces, riends, and allies against ballistic missiles o
all ranges, in all phases o ight. MDAs predecessor agenciesthe Ballistic Mis-
sile Deense Organization and the Strategic Deense Initiative Organizationalso
pursued similar missions.
The Ballistic Missile Deense System will use assets such as complementary in-
terceptors; land-, sea-, air-, and space-based sensors; and battle-management
command-and-control systems. The system being developed is primarily based
on hit-to-kill technology. The challenge has been described as hitting a bullet with
a bulleta capability that has been successully demonstrated in test ater test.
Building the tools required to accomplish the mission has presented a host o
complex technical challenges. To help address those challenges, MDA and its pre-
decessors have unded businesses, as well as universities and national laboratories,
to develop technologies that can play a role in missile deense. The innovations
that emerge rom these unding partnerships range rom computer systems to
sensors to advanced materials.
Today, MDA continues to und scores o research-and-development projects an-
nually to help promising missile deense technologies thrive. But, MDA-unded
researchers also must seek commercial opportunities that will allow their innova-
tions to mature. By nding commercial partners and new markets, researchers can
pull in additional capital and resources to improve their technologies, meaning
that promising technologies arent limited to use by MDA only; the innovationscan nd application beyond missile deense. The benets o a new material, or
example, can be enjoyed by commercial markets, not just military uses.
Ultimately, MDA can benet rom commercial enhancements to the technologies.
For example, commercial customers o MDA-unded innovations such as sotware
or imaging technology might suggest improvements or eatures that MDA also
could nd helpul.
MDAs investment in new technology or its missile deense mission already is pay-
ing o in many commercial sectors as commercial successes have arisen amid an
ever-changing landscape sculpted by world events, policy decisions, and continu-
ing development o the Ballistic Missile Deense System.
Missile Defense Agency Mission
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By developing innovative, resourceul, and successul technologies,
MDA-unded rsearchers are helping We the People take ull advantage
o living in the America envisioned by the Founding Fathers.
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The Spirit of Innovation2008 Missile Deense Agency Technology Applications Report
he MDA Technology Applications (TA) program helps MDA-unded re-
searchers commercialize and scale up their technologies. Commercialization and
technology transer eorts by the program ensure that MDA-unded technologies
survive and mature, allowing them eventually to be rolled into the Ballistic Missile
Deense System.
The program helps MDA-unded researchers by guiding business strategies and
increasing public and industry awareness o their MDA-unded technologies. In
seeking to ulll this mission, the TA program oers ree workshops and commer-
cialization reviews that help these researchers and companies ocus on their busi-
ness strengths and problems. The program also disseminates inormation about
MDA-unded technologies through special reports, a searchable Web-based data-
base, and the quarterly MDA TechUpdate newsletter, which is distributed to a broadrange o readers in business, government, and media.
MDA supports commercialization because it reduces costs and improves the reli-
ability o the Ballistic Missile Deense System. Commercialization also benets the
economy o the United States and helps improve the lives o its citizens.
The success o the TA program and its ocus on commercialization, thereore,
contributes to the development o superior technology or deending the United
States and its allies; promotes the economic growth o the Nation; and helps en-
hance the quality o lie in the United States.
The TA program is supported by the National Technology Transer Center-Wash-
ington Operations (NTTC-WO), located in Alexandria, VA. NTTC-WO is a not-or-prot, ull-service technology transer organization that helps publicly unded agencies
and programs identiy their most-promising technologies, and it provides resources or
guiding those innovations toward commercial use.
Technology Applications Program
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8
Advancing Missile Deense ..................................................................................................................10
The Spirit o Innovation ..........................................................................................................................12
Table of Contents
Section One Ensure Domestic Tranquility
Introduction ...................................................................................................................................................14
Sensing Roadway Integrity
Blue Road Research ...................................................................................................................................16
Lighting the Olympic Spirit
Cree, Inc. ...........................................................................................................................................................18
Enabling Emergency Communications
GATR Technologies ....................................................................................................................................20
Powering In-ight Entertainment
Innovative Power Solutions, LLC .......................................................................................................22
Erasing the Work o Vandals
Integument Technologies, Inc. ...........................................................................................................24
Keeping Trains on Tracks
Mid Technology Corporation ...........................................................................................................26
Detecting Toxic Leakage
Odyssian Technology, LLC .....................................................................................................................28
Section Two Provide for the Common Defense
Introduction ...................................................................................................................................................30
Replicating Large Parts Fast
2Phase Technologies, Inc. ......................................................................................................................32
Enabling High-speed Signal Processing
S2 Corporation .............................................................................................................................................34
Improving Warghter Response Time
Schaer Corporation ..................................................................................................................................36
Destroying Roadside Bombs
SiMMtec, Inc...................................................................................................................................................38
Planning the Next Battle
TechFinity, Inc................................................................................................................................................40
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The Spirit of Innovation2008 Missile Deense Agency Technology Applications Report
Section Three Promote the General Welfare
Introduction ...................................................................................................................................................42
Accelerating Cancer Therapy
AccSys Technologies, Inc. ......................................................................................................................44
Stimulating Aural Functionality
Aculight Corporation ............................................................................................................................... 46
Casting Bone Replacements
Advanced Ceramics Research, Inc. ..................................................................................................48
Simulating and Simpliying SurgeryEnergid Technologies Corporation ..................................................................................................50
Beaming Medical Diagnoses
Maxion Technologies, Inc. .....................................................................................................................52
Blending a Better Drug
Resodyn Corporation ...............................................................................................................................54
Section Four Secure the Blessings of Liberty
Introduction ...................................................................................................................................................56
Stabilizing Flight-deck Electronics
Lawrie technology, Inc. ...........................................................................................................................58
Improving Aircrat Aerodynamics
NanoSonic, Inc. ............................................................................................................................................60
Enhancing Image Quality
Novalux, Inc. ...................................................................................................................................................62
Revealing Countereit Documents
Optodot Corporation ...............................................................................................................................64
Fueling Next-generation Vehicles
ZTEK Corporation .......................................................................................................................................66
Conclusion ......................................................................................................................................................68
Contacts ...........................................................................................................................................................70
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10
And the rockets red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proo through the night that our fag was still there.
hen Francis Scott Key penned these words during the War o 1812,
Americas history orever became linked to the deense o reedom through the
use o rockets and missiles. For almost two centuries, these words have given
Americans the resolve to deend this great Nation and the ag that characterizes
our ounding values. Today, the deense o America continues to mean deending
the land o the ree and the home o the brave.
To be ree in America today means enjoying the reedom to succeed or to ail.To be brave in America today means standing up or new, oten untested, ideas.
Innovators know what it means to be ree and to be brave in America today.
They continue to exercise intellectual reedom and entrepreneurial bravery to de-
velop modern technologies or deense and to leverage those tools into commer-
cial products.
It is an ongoing tale o challenges, breakthroughs, and benets or all Americans.
For Defense and Beyond DefenseAmbitious, mission-driven technology development resulted in creation o the rst
atomic bombs, which helped bring World War II to an end. The new technology
a proverbial genie released rom the bottlespread quickly into two realms. First,
other nations acquired the tools and knowledge to create their own atomic weap-
ons. Second, nuclear technology did not remain among only military users. Know-
how was transerred to applications beyond deense. Today, nuclear power provides
electricity or heating homes, powering industrial equipment, and lighting ofce
buildings.
To counter military threats posed by the spread o nuclear technology to other na-
tions, United States leaders ultimately decided that a Ballistic Missile Deense Sys-
tem was needed. Today, such a system is operational and continues to undergo
enhancement and expansion. Building the system has relied on ambitious, mission-
driven technology development, and it has heavily involved private and academic
Advancing Missile Defense
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researchers unded by the Federal Government. As the system has emerged, innova-
tions developed or MDA have been leveraged into commercial applications that go
beyond deense.
Pushing Technology Forward
Developing and continually improving a robust missile deense system requires in-
novation, it requires risk, and it requires thinking outside the box. Each year, MDA
unds businesses, universities, and national laboratories to develop technologies that
can play a role in its ever-expanding planned arsenal o missile deense systems.
To develop, eld, and advance the integrated ballistic missile deense system, it
is essential that these technologies, and the companies and researchers who de-
velop them, continue to thrive. And, MDA actively works through its Technology
Applications (TA) program to help transition them into the commercial sector and
other government uses.
The TA program works side by side with MDA-unded researchers to nd addition-
al markets or their innovations beyond deense, such as health care, homeland
security, environmental sciences, energy, and personal electronics.
To best address the business needs o MDA-unded companies, the program oers
two specialized orums, held regularly across the country: Business Focus Work-shops and Technology Application Reviews. The Business Focus Workshop helps
primarily Small Business Innovation Research Phase I winners ocus on the stra-
tegic goals o building a business, which include developing business plans and
identiying market competition. The second orum, the Technology Applications
Review, is essentially a Board o Directors or a day, which helps companies rene
their business goals, improve corporate business models, and gain valuable indus-
try contacts and investment advice.
The TA program also provides broad exposure or MDA-unded innovations
through publications such as the quarterly MDA TechUpdate newsletter; two Web
sites, www.mdatechnology.net and www.mda.mil; and special industry and ap-plications reports such as this one.
These services are available to MDA-unded companies, ree-o-charge. Inorma-
tion about these workshops and publications and the technologies they serve can
be ound on both Web sites.
The Spirit of Innovation2008 Missile Deense Agency Technology Applications Report
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12
he Preamble to the U.S. Constitution sets in motion a series o prin-
ciples that our leaders have been addressing or more than 220 years. It reads:
We the People o the United States, in Order to orm a more perect Union,
establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide or the common deence,
promote the general Welare, and secure the Blessings o Liberty to
ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution
or the United States o America.
This Preamble and the rest o the Constitution allowed or the creation o very
specic laws to protect and ulll this vision. Under the resulting new government,a national deense emerged; roads, post ofces, and currency came into being;
departments and agencies were created to support the laws and specic missions.
Meanwhile, an environment o liberty helped oster a nation o entrepreneurs and
innovatorsthe people who developed the cotton gin, the steam engine, the
light bulb, the airplane, the automotive assembly line, and the technology to send
people into space.
MDA sits at the crossroads o providing common deense and tapping into this vi-
brant environment o private-sector technology development. The Agency and its
predecessors have unded businesses, as well as universities and national labora-
tories, to develop technologies that can play a role in missile deense. The innova-
tions that emerge rom these unding partnerships range rom computer systems
to sensors to advanced materials.But MDA alone cannot und the entire development lie cycle or each technology.
So, MDA-unded researchers also must seek commercial opportunities that will al-
low their innovations to mature.
By nding commercial partners and new market opportunities, researchers can
pull in additional capital and resources to improve their technologies and expand
their application base beyond missile deense. From semiconductors to sotware,
technologies that answer todays deense needs are providing the building blocks
o tomorrows American dreams.
With the help o MDAs Technology Applications program, American businesses
are taking the lead in meeting some o the challenges stated in the Preamble to
the Constitution.
The Spirit of Innovation
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n Using technologies developed or missile deense, we can make the
United States a peaceul place to live. We can, in eect, help ensure domes-
tic tranquility by helping shore-up this Nations inrastructure, by deterring
crime, tackling pollution and high energy consumption, and developing
more durable, eco-riendly materials.
n Commercialized MDA-unded technologies allow our Nation to provide
or the common deense by giving the worlds most technically savvy mili-
tary such tools as sotware to improve battleeld response time, lasers to
destroy roadside bombs, techniques or quickly manuacturing military ve-
hicle parts.
n Innovations with roots in MDA research promote general welare withinour country by providing the health industry with a composite material or
prosthetic bones, robotic technology or non-invasive surgery, and a preci-
sion device or targeting deep-seated tumors.
n And American businesses whose technologies have been unded by MDA
are creating commercial products that help us live ree, comortable, and
happy lives and to enjoy the blessings o liberty. These products include an
anti-countereiting technology that helps make identity documents more
secure, uel cells that will enable easy and aordable automobile travel,
and laser technology to enhance the image quality o consumer electronic
products.
By developing innovative, resourceul, and successul technologies, MDA-undedresearchers are helping We the People take ull advantage o living in the America
envisioned by the Founding Fathers.
From a technological perspective, our Nation barely resembles the America o the
18th century. But beneath our shiny 21st century exterior, our modern hopes re-
main the same. We all want to live better lives. To do that, we create, we invent, we
innovate. Thats what the Founders did when they crated the Constitution, and,
thats what visionary MDA-unded researchers are doing today. They are creating,
inventing, and innovating to help all Americans live ree, sae, and better lives.
The Spirit of Innovation2008 Missile Deense Agency Technology Applications Report
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We the People o the United States, in Order to orm a more perect Union, establish Justice, insuredomesticTranqu
ility,provideforthecommondefence,p
romotethe
generalWelfare,andsecuretheBlessingsofLibertytoourselvesandourPosterity,doordainandestablishthisConstitutionfortheU
nitedStatesofAmerica.
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Section One
Domestic tranquility amounts to peace within our Nations bordersthe absence o chaos
and major internal conict.
For the Founding Fathers, ensuring domestic tranquility might have meant avoiding conict
among actions in a new nation. But in its capacity as a living document, the Constitution
allows us to acknowledge modern needs within the context o domestic tranquility. Today,
a peaceul Nation relies on adequate resources and ecient use o those resources, sae
inrastructure, capabilities or countering crime, and tools or dealing with the emergencies
that threaten to racture our domestic tranquility.
As researchers and manuacturers commercialize MDA-unded technologies to improve
the lives o Americans, they carry orward the Founders long-standing vision to make this
Nation a peaceul place to live.
The technologies eatured here show promise in
n monitoring the structural integrity o the bridges we drive over every day,n illuminating our homes with energy-ecient lighting,
n providing emergency communications in remote or weather-ravaged areas,
n reducing aircrat payload weights to increase airline and passenger cost savings,
n coating buildings with a special appliqu to simpliy the removal o grati,
n monitoring train brake orce to improve transportation saety, and
n warning utility operators o pending uel and chemical leaks to protect our environment.
Addressing such contemporary challenges will improve the tranquility o American lives
now and in the uture.
Ensure Domestic Tranquility
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16
Blue Roads ber-optic-enabled sensor-and-sotware suite can
monitor and assess the structural integrity o bridges and high-
ways to reduce the chances o catastrophic ailure.
Sensing Roadway Integrity
Blue Road Research Gresham, OR
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The Spirit of Innovation2008 Missile Deense Agency Technology Applications Report
Ensures domestic tranquility by
reducing the possibility o catastrophic bridge collapses
by detecting structural deciencies or strain in materials,
including composites. Blue Roads ber-optic-enabled
sensor sotware also can be used to monitor the struc-
tural integrity o aircrat, buildings, roadways, and hydro-
gen uel tanks or uture hybrid vehicles. The companys
technologies oer considerable advantages in sensitivity
and robustness or nondestructive evaluation systems,
and there are signicant time and cost savings, too.
How it works
Blue Roads ber-optic systems are used to detect in-
ternal strain in composite structures. When a part in
which a ber-optic sensor undergoes strain or deor-
mation, the light transmitted through the ber is al-
tered, thereby signaling a potential problem. The sen-
sors can be embedded in a structure or attached to
the surace o a part. Multiple ber-optic sensors can
be distributed throughout a material, and their unc-
tions can be monitored and recorded by simple signal
transducers or computers. The data they provide canbe analyzed to determine the location and severity o
the damage.
Status of the product
Fully equipped ber-optic sensor readout systems are
commercially available and can be congured to be
completely automated or customized. Data acquisition
cards, cables, basic sotware, the accompanying graphi-
cal user interace and data logging sotware, educational
kits and instructional videos, product development kits,
and individual sensors and components come standardwith the system.
For missile defense
Blue Road was unded to improve the integrity o solid
rocket motor casings or missiles. Further enhance-
ments were made through a subsequent Army con-
tracts ocusing on propellant strain monitoring.
n Blue Roads sensor technology can monitor the structural in-
tegrity o railroad bridges, like the one shown above, and warn
management o a pending collapse.
Ensure Domestic Tranquility
Provide for the Common Defense
Promote the General Welfare
Secure the Blessings of Liberty
We the People
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Crees energy-efcient LED lighting is commercially available and
being used across the country and internationally. During the
2008 Olympic Games the technology illuminated the 444,000
color-changing bubbles comprising the aade o the Beijing
National Aquatics Center, known as the Water Cube.
Lighting the Olympic Spirit
Cree, Inc. Durham, NC
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The Spirit of Innovation2008 Missile Deense Agency Technology Applications Report
Ensures domestic tranquility by
oering long-lasting, energy-efcient lighting solu-
tions to brighten our worldin cars, homes, ofces,
and Olympic venues. Since its original unding back in
the 1980s or semiconductor materials, improvements
to Crees light-emitting diode (LED) technologies have
increased lighting perormance 10 times over ordinary
light bulbs, 4 times that o halogen bulbs, and 1.5 times
that o most uorescent bulbs. Plus, using LEDs reduces
overall lighting costs by nearly eliminating the need or
replacements and by requiring less energy to operate.Cree is well ahead o the game when it comes to lighting,
being on the oreront o the congressional mandate
to phase out the use o incandescent bulbs. And its
LEDs can be used anywhere lighting is needed.
How it works
LEDssolid-state semiconductors that convert elec-
trical energy into lighthave come a long way since
they were rst used as indicator lamps in consumer
electronics and small- display illuminators on mobile
phones and other portable devices. The key to producingwhite light, though, depended on the development
and efcient exploitation o blue LEDs.
Indium-gallium-nitride-based white LEDs were con-
ceptualized by Cree to acilitate its ability to build a
more efcient and longer lasting ashlight bulb. White
light could be generated by combining emissions rom
red, green, and blue LEDs, although this approach is
not avored by those making LED systems or the com-
mercial market today because o the difculty in main-
taining the consistency o three light sources. Rather,most white LED devices are made by covering blue
LEDs with a yellow phosphor, which to the human eye
gives the appearance o white light.
Several companies have explored using sapphire as
a substrate or the blue LEDs, while Cree ocused on
silicon-carbide (SiC) semiconductor materials because
Status of the productCrees LED technologies are commercially available
and are readily in use wherever more efcient light-
ing is desiredas oodlights, emergency lighting,
industrial lighting, street lighting, or even ashlights
and ceiling lights. The technology gained even higher
visibility in 2008, lighting both the Pentagon and the
Aquatics Center at the Beijing Olympic Games. It is ex-
pected Crees market share will drastically increase as
the congressional mandate eliminating incandescent
lighting becomes eective in 2012.
For missile defense
Cree was unded to develop semiconductor materials
or space-based systems required radiation-hardened
electronics. This hardening property allays the ear o
space radiation degrading or disrupting the operation
o electronic devices and components on satellites
used or monitoring, tracking, and missile deense.
n Crees LEDs produce cool-white and warm-white light.
they are better heat conductors. Cree uses SiC as a
growth substrate, with gallium nitride as the active
blue-emitting lighting element on top. Much o the
companys success in developing white LEDs can be
attributed to advances in the perormance o blue-
light emitters.
Ensure Domestic Tranquility
Provide for the Common Defense
Promote the General Welfare
Secure the Blessings of Liberty
We the People
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20
GATRs commercially available satellite communications termi-
nal was deployed during Hurricanes Ike and Katrina to provide
Gul Coast victims and emergency response crews access to
the outside world with high-speed Internet capabilities. GATRs
portable communications system provides the benet o a larger
antenna, but requires less power.
Enabling Emergency Communications
GATR Technologies Huntsville, AL
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The Spirit of Innovation2008 Missile Deense Agency Technology Applications Report
Ensures domestic tranquility by
providing emergency communications access to civil-
ians, military, and rescue workers when no other orms
o transmission are possible. GATRs satellite commu-
nications terminal, which can be used just about any-
where and in any weather condition, resembles an
inatable beach ball with a built-in antenna. It is light-
weight, inexpensive to operate, and has low power
consumption. Potential applications include military
and emergency communications, and remote news
broadcasts. The company has successully used its an-tenna technology to enable communications in the
hurricane-ravaged Gul Coast region.
How it works
Compared to conventional technologies, GATRs an-
tenna design provides an order o magnitude o im-
provement in packaging efciency and mass, and at a
raction o the cost. GATRs 70-pound beach-ball-shaped
antenna anchors to the ground using wires and stakes
and inates with a blower, which is included. Inside, a
parabolic-shaped reector membrane is attached to theball. Pressure is monitored on both sides o the reector
membrane by a sensor and blower. At the top o the ball
a eed assembly allows the mounting o ampliers and
modulators. The 1.8-meter antenna is designed or X, Ku,
and other bands. A lightweight mount holds the anten-
na and provides automated pointing and tracking.
Transmission power output is also important. In general,
the larger the aperture o the antenna, the less transmis-
sion power it requires; thereore, smaller antennas need to
boost transmission power. But this can cause their trans-missions to interere with other satellites. GATRs antenna
provides the transmission power benets o a large aper-
ture antenna, but with the portability o a smaller antenna.
The antennas power needs are low. GATR has successully
operated its antenna or long periods using only a 1,000-
watt o-the-shel power generator.
Status of the productThe antenna has been tested successully in the eld or
emergency communications. Ater Hurricanes Ike and
Katrina swept through the Gul Coast, GATR ofcials de-
ployed their communications system to local elemen-
tary schools to assist residents displaced by ooding.
The equipment was online in about 1 hour, and a satel-
lite communications link to the Internet, equivalent to a
T-1 line, was established. Katrina victims then were able
to access Federal aid Web sites and to send video clips
and e-mails to riends and amily. Reporters and law en-
orcement ofcers also beneted rom GATRs technol-ogy during the week it was in operation.
For missile defense
GATR was unded to develop a deployable satellite
communications terminal capable o providing high
data-rate transmissions in remote areas or Ground-
based Midcourse Deense.
n GATRs inatable antenna can be quickly deployed to provide
emergency communications access.
Ensure Domestic Tranquility
Provide for the Common Defense
Promote the General Welfare
Secure the Blessings of Liberty
We the People
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22
Innovative Power Solutions 1-megawatt generator could pro-
vide a lightweight option or airlines wanting to power in-ight
entertainment systems, such as the one shown above. Such
generators could increase ight efciencies, including uel e-
ciency, by reducing the overall weight o generators used in
commercial aircrat.
Powering In-ight Entertainment
Innovative Power Solutions, LLC Eatontown, NJ
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The Spirit of Innovation2008 Missile Deense Agency Technology Applications Report
Ensures domestic tranquility by
oering airlines a cost-eective way to increase pay-
load weight and aerodynamic efciencies by installing
a single, high-voltage generator to power cabin de-
vices such as in-ight entertainment systems. Beyond
aerospace, the Innovative Power Solutions (IPS) tech-
nology could provide backup power or commercial
buildings and provide power to geographically remote
areas or disaster sites.
How it worksIPS technology uses a patented cooling system that
enables the generation o 1 megawatt o energy by
a device weighing one-tenth less than conventional
generators being used on commercial aircrat today.
This is possible by enabling every wire inside its gen-
erator rotors to come in direct contact with the cooling
media along the entire perimeter o the coil.
An IPS generator cools its rotorsbladelike devices
used in generating powerto prevent overheating.
Round wires, typically used, do not allow every coil tobe directly cooled. IPS uses at wire in an edge-wind-
ing ashion, similar to how a Slinky looks. With edgewinding and at wire, is much easier to eectively cool
the unit.
Once the rotors have been cooled, heat in the stator
the stationary part o the electric generatorbecomes
a actor needing to be addressed. IPS has added radial
ans to the rotor and designed ns into the internal
housing to help remove heat rom the air within the
generator. The housing is then cooled by oil.
Status of the product
IPS markets its generators to prime contractors or vari-
ous commercial and military aerospace platorms to
increase operational efciency o aircrat. The company
plans to partner with companies in the emergency
power and homeland security industries.
For missile defense
IPS was unded to develop innovative onboard power
and cooling solutions or directed energy weapons
as well as sophisticated countermeasure systems, all
o which require substantially more electrical power
than the conventional aircrat power system can cur-
rently supply.
n Gold portions shown in this cross-sectional image indicate the
cooling locations in the IPS 1-megawatt generator. The device
employs a patented cooling technique that lends itsel to a morecompact generator design.
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24
Integuments anti-corrosive FluoroGrip appliqu can reduce
the eort required o public works employees to remove gra-
ti rom building walls and highway overpasses. The nonstick
ouropolymer appliqu material allows paint to be quickly
washed o.
Erasing the Work of Vandals
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Ensures domestic tranquility by
enabling public-works employees to easily remove ur-
ban artwork that deaces buildings, bridges, and over-
passes. The environmentally riendly, thin-lm plastic
material, a nonstick uoropolymer, can be applied like
wallpaper to grafti-prone inrastructure.
How it works
The appliqu closely resembles wallpaper; it is a thin,
exible material that has an adhesive on one side, which
bonds to the surace being covered. Unlike wallpaper,which just has an aesthetic purpose, Integuments ma-
terial provides corrosion protection and can be engi-
neered to provide other benets as well.
Integument bases its appliqu on a amily o plastics
called uoropolymers, which are highly regarded or
their resistance to a wide variety o chemicals and tem-
peratures up to 475F as well as their being environ-
mentally riendly. The materials nonstick sur aces (e.g.,
Teon) are uropolymers that also prevent lth and
grime rom building up, reducing cleaning and main-tenance. In addition, uoropolymers can be colored or
have patterns created in them.
A patented surace-activation process with cold gas
plasma treatment modies the surace o the uoropo-
lymer and allows bonding with a pressure-sensitive ad-
hesive. This creates the technologys unique peel-and-
stick capability, which can be applied on a wide variety
o materials including other polymers, adhesives, ce-
ramics, coatings, composites, and metals. The appliqu
oers superior mechanical-, thermal-, and chemical/
environmental-resistance properties to those o paints
currently used in industry and the military. Additionally,
its abrication, application, maintenance, removal, and
disposal do not harm the environment.
The appliqu ranges in thickness rom 1 to 30 mil; most
applications require thicknesses o 2 to 5 mil.
Status of the product
Integuments appliqu is being sold commercially.
For missile defense
Integument was unded to develop appliqu materials
with embedded corrosion sensors or in-situ corrosion
detection. Such devices would be ideal or use on MDA
structures located in warm, humid, and salty environ-
ments like the South Pacic.
n Integuments FluoroGrip easily can be applied to products,
such as the outdoor storage tank shown above, to protect
against rust, corrosion, and even grati.
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26
Mids energy-harvesting sensors can be installed as power
sources or trains, aerospace vehicles, automobiles, and indus-
trial machinery to monitor brake orce and prevent catastrophic
accidents.
Keeping Trains on Tracks
Mid Technology Corporation Medford, MA
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Ensures domestic tranquility by
providing the behind-the-scenes power to sensors,
batteries, or supercapacitors or monitoring braking
systems o trains, planes, and cars. Mids energy-
harvesting distributed power systems, including the
MDA-unded Volture product line, can be attached to
any structure that vibrates to convert or scavenge the
otherwise wasted mechanical energy it radiates into
direct current (DC) electrical energy. Volture has been
tested in the laboratory and real-world situations, and
it is commercially available in many congurations aso-the-shel systems.
How it works
Mids energy-harvesting devices, patented as the Vol-
ture product line, can be used to power other devices
such as low-power sensors. An energy harvester can be
attached to any structure that vibratesbe it a bridge,
a moving car, or industrial machineryto convert the
mechanical energy radiated by that structure into usable
DC electricity. The key to Voltures power-conversion abili-
ties is Mids proprietary process o packaging piezoelec-tric actuators in polyimides and epoxies, making them
more robust and less brittle than raw, cantilevered
piezoelectric materials which generate a voltage when
a mechanical orce is applied.
In the brake-orce-measurement application now being
explored by the Department o Transportation, Mids
Volture system provides its own power to charge the
measurement device by harvesting a trains vibrations
during normal operation. When the trains brakes are ap-
plied, the system turns itsel on, records the appropriatedata, and then wirelessly transmits that data to a central
management hub where it can be retrieved wirelessly.
Since railroad-car saety and maintenance costs are
directly related to knowing how much actual braking
orce is provided by a brake shoe, it is crucial that brake
shoes be replaced beore the end o their lietimes.
Status of the product
The Volture line o energy-harvesting products is com-
mercially available. Large-scale use is expected in the
near uture because o its continued development or
transportation systems. Already, major national and
international train operators are expressing interest in
Mids energy-harvesting technology or brake orce
measurement.
For missile defense
Mid was unded to develop distributed power sys-
tems using energy harvesting. Such systems could be
used throughout the Ballistic Missile Deense System
to power remote sensors and other devices, as well as
to charge batteries.
n Mids Volture energy-harvesting technology can power de-
vices such as light-emitting diodes, seen above, without batteries
or an external power source.
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28
Odyssians smart piping system enables quick warning o pend-
ing toxin leakagerom chlorine to natural gas to petroleum
to help prevent explosions or groundwater contamination and
seepage. The companys smart pipes come tted with chemi-
cally-responsive sensors, which alert command centers o po-
tential hazards through embedded wireless communications.
Detecting Toxic Leakage
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Ensures domestic tranquility by
improving environmental quality through the detec-
tion o oil leaks that cause groundwater contamination
and rerigerant leaks that increase greenhouse gas emis-
sions. The pipings sensor system alerts public-utility
providers and other piping-systems operators o struc-
tural deciencies that are likely to leak, or even cause
explosions. Odyssians smart pipes and smart seals are
made o lightweight composites that have embedded
sensors designed to detect toxic chemical leaks. Once
a possible leak is detected or occurs, the sensors broad-cast via wireless protocol to the piping systems opera-
tions monitoring center or quick response. Odyssians
piping system is particularly well-suited or both origi-
nal use and upgrades to public utility inrastructure,
such as natural gas lines, as well as to automobile uel
and air-conditioning systems, and in aircrat to protect
against corrosive chemicals like chlorine.
How it works
The technologys advanced sensor system uses an ar-
ray o MEMS (microelectromechanical system) andother micro- and mini-sensors located inside the pipes
composite laminar structure and within the specially
developed seals. The sensor system consists o net-
worked sensor nodes that have unique addresses to
correlate sensory data to specic seals, gaskets, and
pipes within the plumbing system.
Odyssians sensor-laden seals and pipes orm the
smart-piping system, which has a redundant contain-
ment structure, sealing suraces, and a sensor place-
ment scheme. Together, these components provideleak-progression detection, allowing an alert to be
sent beore a leak occurs. The smart-pipe system also
allows the operator to monitor the operational status
o the plumbing system by measuring and reporting
on system pressure, temperature, and vibration at each
tting and pipe segment.
Status of the product
Odyssian is working with ofcials in South Bend, IN, to
develop and integrate low-cost composite smart pip-
ing and smart seals with integrated sensors or use inthe citys municipal water system.
For missile defense
Odyssian was unded to develop a smart-piping light-
weight containment system to detect imminent leaks
in high-energy, chemical-oxygen-iodine laser systems
used aboard military aircrat.
n Odyssians smart-pipe and smart-seal technologies use ad-
vanced sensors to detect and warn o chemical or toxin leaks.
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insuredomesticTranquility,provideforthecommondefence,p
romotethe
We the People o the United States, in Order to orm a more perect Union, establish Justice,
generalWelfare,andsecuretheBlessingsofLibertytoourselvesandourPosterity,doordainandestablishthisConstitutionfortheU
nitedStatesofAmerica.
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Americas Armed Forces maintain our national integrity by deending against military
aggression.
Whether helping local authorities with search-and-rescue operations, tracking hostile in-
truders by satellite, assisting Federal agencies secure our Nations borders, or engaging
armed insurgents on the ground in the Middle East, the U.S. military deends our interests
with superior technology.
For MDA, the mission tied to providing or the common deense is clear: Deter the threat o nu-clear-weapon-tipped ballistic missiles being launched against the United States or its allies.
But our Nation also can benet greatly rom MDA-unded technology that has moved into
other military unctions beyond missile deense. As MDA-unded researchers have developed
their technologies, many o the innovations also have proved useul or more traditional
rontline needs.
Such products show promise or
n quickly replicating large vehicle parts through a revolutionary tooling system,
n enhancing surveillance by tracking wideband signals with an advanced radar processor,
n improving battleeld response time using new sotware,
n destroying roadside bombs with precision accuracy through the use o a cooled-laser
technology, and
n inorming battleeld commanders o the best places to deploy ballistic missile deense
equipment using probability to kill algorithmic sotware.
By deending against ballistic missiles and by encouraging the transer o its technology to
other U.S. Deense agencies and the Armed Forces, MDA strongly contributes to the com-
mon deense.
Provide for the Common Defense
Section Two
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2Phases Recongurable Tooling System supports our Nations
deense through the quick and inexpensive manuacture o
large composite parts or military vehicles, such as the Black
Hawk helicopter shown above. Through the use o this com-
mercially available technology, damaged combat vehicles can
quickly be retted and returned to operational status.
Replicating Large Parts Fast
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Provides for the common defense by
oering military vehicle repair depots an innovative
way to abricate tooling or large partsup to 65 eet
in lengthin less than 15 minutes and at a raction o
the cost. Products that could be replicated with this
tooling system range rom Black Hawk and Chinook
helicopter doors to rocket motor casings.
How it works
The Recongurable Tooling System (RTS) utilizes a
large, deep, exible tray (tool bed) lled with a slurry ounique engineered quicksanda state-change ma-
terial o ceramic powder mixed with a water-soluble
inorganic binder solutionand covered by a thin, ex-
ible silicone membrane. To replicate a part, the master
is placed on the membrane and covered by a vacuum
cap. Once capped, the air around the master is then
pumped out, so it sinks into the slurry mix, which ex-
actly conorms to the parts shape. Ater the mold is
ormed, the liquid is withdrawn rom the quicksand
and rapidly hardens into a rm, chalk-like shape. The
entire process takes just 15 to 30 minutes, and in manycases the solidied mix can now be used as a tool or
low-temperature composite molding. I a harder, more
durable tool is required, the newly abricated tool can
be heated to temperatures as high as 250F to remove
any remaining liquid and urther solidiy the mix to a
ceramic-like state. The process o ully hardening the
tool takes between six and eight hours.
When abrication o the composite part is complete,
the tool can be used again. I the part is ully hardened,
the tool bed can be recongured to make anothertype o part by reintroducing the water-based binder
mixture, dissolving the inorganic binder, and re-lique-
ying the solidied state-change material. This process
returns the tool bed to its original slurry state, allowing
the shop to begin work on another tooling project.
Status of the product
2Phases technology is commercially available and
marketed as the RTS-4000. The system is being soldprimarily to military and large-scale industrial machining
customers needing large, composite parts in short order.
For missile defense
2Phase was unded to develop a process or the manuac-
ture, modication, and redesign o rocket motor casings
through the use o its recongurable tooling approaches.
n 2Phases recongurable tooling system provides rapid, low-
cost, and very large original or replacement parts to the aero-
space and transportation industries.
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34
S2 Corporations radar-signal processor, i deployed onboard
satellites such as the one above, could enhance our Nations
deense by enabling high-speed targeting and identication o
missiles. The technology is enabled by rare-earth doped optical
crystals to allow real-time processing o complex, high-band-
width radio requencies.
Enabling High-speed Signal Processing
S2 Corporation Bozeman, MT
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Provides for the common defense by
enhancing the capabilities o military radar-ranging
systems through the use o rare-earth optical crystals
to process in real time complex, higher-bandwidth
radio-requency waveorms. Besides oering a target
enhancement or missile deense, the Spatial-Spectral
Radar Signal Processor (S2RSP) could be developed
or use in other national security areas such as surveil-
lance, signal intelligence, and port-security container
screening.
How it works
To reduce ambiguities, including pseudo-random
noise sequences known as arbitrary waveorms, the
S2RSP operates as an analog system capable o opti-
cally storing and processing each radar pulse o a spec-
trum through the use o spectral holography. I such
ambiguities are not resolved, the processors useul-
ness in deense-critical applications can be limited.
The S2RSP is activated when a received radar signal
modulates a laser that writes holographic representa-tions in an optical crystal located within the processor.
This scientic process is known as spectral hole-burn-
ing or spectral holography, which is used to aect ionic
change o the materials. The ions change can be short-
term or long-term, depending on the materials used,
and is chosen to match the signal-processing require-
ments o a given application. The approach allows the
spectrum o each radar pulse, in both amplitude and
phase, to be processed and optically stored with high
resolution in the material, or range-Doppler-matched
ltering. As return radar signals arrive, the material isilluminated and the Doppler shit inormation is stored
as a spatial-spectral hologram.
The optical crystal (cryocooled to achieve the required
coherence stability) can record the holograms o ex-
tremely wide-bandwidth signals and can store many
thousands o such holograms or processing.
Status of the product
The S2RSP is currently being tested in high-level gov-
ernment and military demonstrations or uture de-
ployment into radar systems. While ocused primarily
on the militarys needs, the company wants to partner
with other agencies or commercial entities that needhigh-perormance radar signal-processing technology.
For missile defense
S2s optical crystal technology, originating rom Scien-
tic Materials Corporation, was unded to enable real-
time processing o high-bandwidth radio requencies
used in radar transmissions.
n Laser-modulated radar signals are stored in optical crystals, as
seen in the image above.
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Schaers uzzy-logic sotware could help warghters make the
most inormed decisions during maneuvers. In testing, this sot-
ware reduced operator reaction time while improving accuracy.
Improving Warghter Response Time
Schafer Corporation Chelmsford, MA
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Provides for the common defense by
equipping our warghters in the eld with accurate
data analyses rom which to make inormed decisions
about engagements, based on location and position o
enemy troops, weapons, and known inventories. This
sotware allows variables to be programmed, including
changes in military tactics, to ensure an attack is prop-
erly executed. Tests show the sotware can reduce re-
sponse time by 43 percent and can improve accuracy
by 58 percent in situations requiring human discretion.
How it works
The technology is based on uzzy logica mathematical
way o handling gray areaswhich includes quanti-
able data like the projected amount o ammunition
held by approaching enemy combatants. While com-
mon algorithmic systems can make generalized pro-
jections, they are unable to determine quantiable
metrics, such as levels o weapons held by an enemy.
Schaers uzzy-logic technology can determine such
metrics, enabling eld commanders to better antici-
pate needed levels o deployment to counter enemyorce levels.
Schaers uzzy-logic technology ocuses a users atten-
tion on specic data, which helps them understand and
identiy those situations needing discretion to be ap-
plied. The algorithmic program examines the data be-
ing presented to the command-and-control sotware.
I certain red-ag variables are present, as determined
by the needs o the mission, the program electronically
alerts the operator by highlighting the critical inorma-
tion. Because it is unobtrusive and does not alter theunderlying command and control, Schaers system can
easily be incorporated into other control sotware.
Status of the product
Schaer continues to develop its algorithmic-based
technology with the hope o its adoption by the mili-
tary. The technology also is being considered or use in
other command-and-control environments, including
chemical plants, petroleum reneries, and computervideo-gaming systems.
For missile defense
Schaer was unded to improve the efciencies o com-
mand and control or displays used in the Ground-
based Midcourse Deense system and to help mini-
mize operator atigue.
n Schaers uzzy-logic sotware also can help deense command
centers give orders based on well-inormed enemy troop analyses.
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Provides for the common defense by
equipping our Armed Forces with technology that
can destroywith precision accuracyimprovised
explosive devices (IEDs) and other ordnance, which
have caused many casualties during the Iraq conict.
SiMMtecs cooled diode-pump lasers require minimal
cooling, meaning that more vehicles, as well as smaller
vehicles, may be able to carry laser weaponry onto the
battleeld. In addition, the lasers can be powered on and
o at will and diode array units easily can be repaired on
the battleeld without manuacturer assistance.
How it works
SiMMtec uses special metallization processes and mi-
crochannel etching techniques to create its solid-state
diode pumps. The end product is a 10-bar diode array
that can be packaged with other 10-bar arrays to create
powerul lasers capable o delivering many kilowatts
o power. Each diode array is ormed o glass and sili-
con that is etched and metallized with chrome, silver,
nickel, gold, and indium. The metallizing enables the
production o a part which can be soldered to diodebars through which current can pass to produce laser
light. The very uniorm metal thickness can pass 100
amps o current or lighting the diode bars. And, these
metals, bonded with the etched silicon, also serve as
an excellent cooling surace that removes the heat
produced by the diodes. SiMMtecs technology can be
cooled with only 5 gallons o liquid coolant per hour,
compared with an estimated 30 gallons per hour used
by competing solid-state, copper-microchannel-based
laser technologies.
Status of the product
SiMMtecs diode-pumped laser is currently being test-
ed by the military or use in various ordnance-destruc-
tion platorms. The technology could be applied to
medical lasers or tattoo removal, and it shows promise
or use in long-haul telecommunications and varioussemiconductor manuacturing processes.
For missile defense
SiMMtec was unded to develop improved high-power
laser diode arrays or use in high-energy heat capacity
lasers, which could be used to deend against rockets,
mortars, and other short-range arti llery.
n SiMMtec has employed special metallization and etching tech-niques to create solid-state laser diode pumps that operate coolly
and eciently.
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TechFinitys Deense Planner sotware uses real-time inorma-
tion to evaluate and inorm command centers o where to best
position assets and resources to avert military threats, including
missile attacks.
Planning the Next Battle
TechFinity, Inc. Sherman Oaks, CA
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Provides for the common defense by
enabling military commanders to plan, organize, and
optimize the location o missile-deense assets such
as ships, ground-based shooters, sensors, and related
equipmentgiven the potential o incoming threats.
The sotware can run scenarios based on enemy mis-
sile inventories and possible trajectories and then
generate likely outcomes. These scenarios, displayed
on computer-enhanced map projections, will pro-
vide commanders the data needed to ensure efcient
weapons resource management. Its algorithms cananalyze battlespace to give advance warning and extend
the window o time or engagement, while running on
more than one machine simultaneously to allow or
aster computing.
How it works
Deense Planner relies on numerical methods to produce
accurate results in a matter o minutes. The approach
uses only a handul o sample scenarios, chosen in a
certain way, and then generates a weighted average.
Algorithms that rely on other methods can take hoursto produce a result since they otentimes rely on several
thousand samples o scenarios to generate a solution
or recommend an action.
TechFinitys algorithms perorm an analysis o the entire
battlespace, instead o using a single probability-o-kill
metric, to generate a probability distribution. Such an
approach can extend the window o opportunity or
engaging and destroying threats.
Deense Planner also uses a distributed-computing
approach that allows each process o the application
to run on its own machine, concurrently within a net-
work, to solve a problem ast.
Status of the product
The Deense Planner sotware is a developed product, and
it is being packaged into a larger system by TechFinity. The
company plans to market this sotware to the medical in-dustry or determining preliminary diagnoses.
For missile defense
TechFinity was unded to develop sotware that could
determine the best locations or a company com-
mander to utilize air- and missile-deense weaponry
on a battleeld.
n TechFinitys Deense Planner sotware can evaluate missile
threats and present the inormation on maps like the one shown
above, to help military commanders make educated decisions
about which weaponry to use.
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We the People o the United States, in Order to orm a more perect Union, establish Justice, insuredomesticTranquility,provideforthecommondefence,p
romotethe
generalWelfare,andsecuretheBlessingsofLibertytoourselvesandourPosterity,doordainandestablishthisConstitutionfortheU
nitedStatesofAmerica.
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Section Three
The Founding Fathers wrote in the Constitutions Preamble that it is necessary or the
Government to Promote the General Welare in the United States. For them, the concept
might well have meant economic prosperity. And over the years, Government has acilitated
that prosperityby creating conventions such as uniorm currency and a postal service,
or example. But in a broader context, general welare as we see it today encompasses not
only prosperity, but health and happinessall elements o living well.
At MDA, the general welare o the American people is intertwined with our mission. Our
most visible priority is to deploy technologies that can destroy weapons o mass destructionbeore they reach the ground and kill civilians. We stand ready to deend the lives o Amer-
icansserving as a shield to protect the general welare o our citizenry.
But MDA is about more than advanced weaponry. Companies unded with MDA contracts
are commercializing their technologies to benet the public health sectorthereby con-
tributing to the general welare.
Some o the healthcare solutions arising rom technologies originally developed or missile
deense include
n a proton accelerator that now provides nely tuned cancer treatment to patients,
n a laser-based auditory aid that protects residual hearing,
n a ceramic-based composite material or prosthetic bones that the human body accepts
as its own,n a robotic system that can conduct noninvasive surgery with ultrasound,n a laser-based sensor suite that can help diagnose a drug overdose in unconscious
patients, and
n an ecient, sound-induced industrial mixer that can reduce the time to manuacture
pharmaceuticals.
All o these technologies, spurred by MDA and shared with the commercial world via the
technology transer process, contribute to the goal o promoting the general welare
creating a healthy, sound, and able population.
Promote the General Welfare
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AccSys proton accelerator enables energy to be directed into
deep cancerous tumors such as in the brain and spinal cord,
while limiting patient discomort and producing little to no radia-
tion sickness. AccSys proton accelerators are commercially avail-
able and are in use at hospitals worldwide.
Accelerating Cancer Therapy
AccSys Technology, Inc. Pleasanton, CA
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Promotes the general welfare by
oering patients peace o mind through the use o
high-speed proton accelerators to destroy deep can-
cerous tumors without causing discomort or the
sometimes debilitating symptoms associated with
chemotherapy or radiation therapy. Proton therapy al-
lows or all the destructive energy to be ocused direct-
ly upon the tumor and administered in high dosages,
without damage to surrounding tissue, eectively de-
stroying the cancer with minimal side eects. AccSys
proton accelerators now are being used in hospitalsworldwide to provide cancer patients another thera-
peutic option.
How it works
AccSys proton acceleratorsknown as Radio Frequen-
cy Quadruple linear accelerators (RFQ linacs)are table-
top-size units that integrate various unctions previously
requiring several apparatuses. The RFQ linac uses elec-
tromagnetic elds to cluster and accelerate an incom-
ing stream o ions to speeds o up to 17,000 mph.
These clustered and accelerated ions are then beamed
into the patient in a very strategic manner, targeting
the tumor with the precision o a cruise missile strik-
ing an enemy compound. AccSys proton therapy has
been most successul in treating deep-seated tumors,
and has been clinically tested to be saer or the patient
than conventional radiation therapy. This is due to the
act that the accelerator deposits most o the proton
energy at the targeted tumor, which results in much
less damage to the surrounding healthy tissue.
Status of the product
AccSys technologies are commercially available. Mar-
keted as LiNSTAR, the companys proton linac sys-tems enable moderate energy applications (2 to 7
mega-electron-volts) used in cancer therapy and basic
physics research. Loma Linda University Medical Cen-
ter in Southern Caliornia uses a LiNSTAR system as
the dedicated injector to the synchrotron o its proton
therapy cancer treatment acility. The acility began
operating in 1990 and recently passed its 10,000 pa-
tient milestone. Other notable LiNSTAR units are op-
erating at the Midwest Proton Radiotherapy Institute
in Bloomington, IN, and at several cancer treatment
centers in Japan.
For missile defense
AccSys was unded to incorporate RFQ linac technolo-
gy into applications involving non-destructive materials
inspection and high-energy physics research. RFQ linac
research was originally unded by MDA-predecessor
SDIO or its potential use as a directed energy weapon.
n AccSys LiNSTAR proton accelerator can ofer cancer patients
new hope through the use o directed energy that destroys can-
cer cells and causes minimal side efects.
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Aculights bionic ear laser implant improves aural unctionality
with more precise neural mapping than that o current hearing-
aids (as being tted on the man in the image above), and does
so without generating any electricity, which can damage resid-
ual hearing.
Stimulating Aural Functionality
Aculight Corporation Bothell, WA
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Promotes the general welfare by
oering the hearing impaired a saer and more eective
way to signicantly improve their auditory unctioning
with implants that use laser stimuli. Aculights Capella
technology can be implanted in an ear without physi-
cally contacting the nerve tissue, producing irritating
electrical artiacts, or causing any residual damage.
How it works
The Capella uses an inrared laser to saely stimulate
hearing nerves; electrical leads used by normal hear-ing aids can damage nerve cells. Because there is no
physical contact between the probe and delicate
nerve tissue, the laser produces no electrical artiacts
and does not damage residual hearing. This approach
also allows or more independent channels to be stim-
ulated resulting in superior delity to existing electrical
methods.
The technology results in better spatial selectivity or
aural nerve mapping. Precise nerve mapping, in turn,
presents a clearer picture o the individual nerves beingstimulated. For designers o biomimetic devices such
as vestibular or cochlear implants, a more precise neural
map oers better unctionality with ewer side eects.
Compared with electric leads, Capella also allows or
ner resolution and truer representation o nerve unc-
tion, paving the way or more sophisticated prosthetic
devices in a wide range o areas.
Status of the product
The Capella technology is commercially available, and
is awaiting FDA approval or use on humans.
For missile defense
Aculight was unded to develop high-energy laser tech-
nologies including eye-sae inrared ranging lasers.
n Aculights Capella system stimulates aural nerves without
causing side efects.
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The Plasti-Bone technology developed by Advanced Ceramics
Research may soon provide patients an option in bone replace-
ment surgery. It will reduce bone-riction damage by eliminat-
ing the need or screws and pins, which are commonly used in
reconstructive surgery today.
Casting Bone Replacements
Advanced Ceramics Research, Inc. Tucson, AZ
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Promotes the general welfare by
providing patients who require bone repairs and trans-
plants a stronger and less painul long-term option by
using composites instead o common prosthetics that
require pins or screws. And, damage to adjacent bones
will be eliminated since the wear and riction caused
by metal bone-bonders is gone. The ceramic composite
used in Advanced Ceramic Researchs (ACRs) Plasti-
Bone technology is strong enough to carry human
body weight and is osteoconductive, meaning that
bone cells can grow on top o the articial bone.
How it works
To manuacture brous-monolithic (FM) ceramic ma-
terials, ACR takes ceramic or metal powders and mixes
them with a thermoplastic polymer binder. The result-
ing ber easily can be manipulated and extruded into
a variety o shapes. Objects made using this process
are sintered, or hot pressed, at temperatures greater
than 2,000C.
Plasti-Bone, designed with the idea o producing articialbone rom high-strength plastic that does not dam-
age adjacent healthy bones through constant riction
caused by todays metal bone replacements, screws,
and pins.
While strong enough to carry bodyweight, Plasti-Bone
is osteoconductive, which means bone cells can grow
right on top o it. And it is degradable over time so
that it will disappearabsorbed by the body when
its job is done. Currently, Plasti-Bone takes nearly 18
months to dissolve, but ACR is working to develop a
polymer-blend material that could be absorbed in just
six months to a year.
Status of the product
ACR is conducting long-term material perormance
tests in large laboratory animals. The company is still
awaiting Food and Drug Administration approval or
its technology.
While Plasti-Bone is not ready or prime use, the ce-ramic basis o ACRs FM technology has been licensed
by U.S. oil-exploration magnate Smith Corporation and
Japanese electronics giant Kyocera Corporation.
For missile defense
ACR was unded to develop high-perormance alterna-
tive materials or parts such as rocket nozzles.
n ACRs material could be used in treating broken bones, serving
as an alternative to metal bone replacements.
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Energids surgical simulators, enabled by MDA-unded multiuse
algorithms, could be used to help train surgeons to properly
make incisions by operating on computer-generated models
rather than practicing on cadavers or living patients. The algo-
rithms also are being used to develop a robotic ultrasound or
conducting minimally invasive surgical procedures.
Simulating and Simplifying Surgery
Energid Technologies Corporation Cambridge, MA
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Promotes the general welfare by
enabling algorithmic sotware to identiy and track ob-
jects used in the medical and aerospace arenas rom
scalpels to aircrat bridges. The sotware can track vir-
tually any object type using computer-aided design
(CAD) data. It also can track any number o objects
simultaneously, and it can use almost any type o sen-
sorsuch as a black-and-white camera, color camera,
ladar (laser radar), and hyperspectral imager. Energids
medical ocus is on machine-vision surgical simulation
and robotic ultrasound or minimally invasive surgery.Using the same MDA-unded algorithms, the company
has successully elded the rst robotic aircrat bridges
at a major U.S. airport, and is now working with the
Navy to develop a robotic satellite-retrieval apparatus.
How it works
Energids algorithms can identiy, in a raction o a sec-
ond, the position and orientation o an object in three
dimensions, even with only a single camera. The sot-
ware digitally separates the reerenced object rom its
natural environment. It then provides multiple possi-bilities or the objects type and orientationdening
what it is and which way it is acing. Possible object
types and orientations are rened using a graphics
processing unit (GPU) on a PC graphics card to make a
photorealistic rendering o the object. Ater the com-
puter-generated model o the object is developed, a
sequence o imagessimilar to a videois created
by the GPU to correlate the accuracy o the model on
a rame-by-rame basis. With video input, this process
tracks the movements and the geometric changes o
objects over time in any environment.
Status of the product
Beyond the applications already mentioned, Energid
has bold plans to enhance its product line to include
robotic and machine-vision technologies that are tai-
lored to industrial inspection, home-health monitor-
ing, and citrus harvesting.
Energids two medical technologies are not yet on the
market. The company is looking or partners to eld its
surgical simulator. It is also looking or additional undsto nish developing its robotic ultrasound system.
For missile defense
Energid was unded to develop sotware or a three-
dimension threat-object identication system to auto-
matically construct identication algorithms or ladar
and intensity sensor data.
n Energids surgical simulator enables surgeons in training to learn
new procedures and operate on 3-D computer-synthesized models.
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52
In the near uture, hospitals using Maxions laser-based inrared
sensor system may be able to noninvasively diagnose impending
organ ailure, drug overdose, or even the onset o a stomach
ulcer. Maxions technology will oer doctors a cost-eective and
more precise diagnostic tool, compared with the output o such
legacy devices as x-rays.
Beaming Medical Diagnoses
Maxion Technologies, Inc. College Park, MD
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Promotes the general welfare by
using laser-based sensors to diagnose drug overdoses,
pending organ ailures, or the onset o stomach ulcers
quickly, accurately, and noninvasively. The sensors use
interband cascade (IC) and quantum cascade (QC) la-
sers, which are semiconductor lasers that emit in the
mid- to ar-inrared portion o the electromagnetic
spectrum. Maxion developed efcient and cost-eec-
tive lasers that expand the capabilities o inrared-sens-
ing devices or various molecules having strong inra-
red-absorption ngerprints. This expanded capabilityis especially useul in the medical industry to diagnose
a patients illness or even perorm noninvasive, optical
glucose monitoring or diabetics.
How it works
The distributed eedback lasers developed by the com-
pany are mid-inrared lasers based on indium-arsenide,
gallium-antimonide, and aluminum-antimonide ma-
terials. This distributed eedback technique employs
a semiconductor grating structure along the entirelength o the laser. The laser design cascades electrons
to produce multiple photons as the electrons move
between the energy bands, or levels, o the multilay-
ered semiconductor structure used or the laser.
Common mid-inrared diode lasers have power efcien-
cies as small as 3 percent, with 97 percent o their in-
put power wasted as heat, according to the company.
Maxions lasers, however, can operate at 160 milliwatts
in continuous-wave mode at 80 Kelvin) with power ef-
ciencies higher than 17 percent, resulting in much moreefcient operation than comparable lasers. These ef-
ciencies compare with competitive lasers that, on aver-
age, generate less than 1 milliwatt o power.
Status of the product
Maxion is pursuing health monitoring applications, al-
though the technology is not yet commercially avail-
able. And, in an even more-sophisticated uture, the
company oresees its technology being used in emer-
gency-room situations where a physician may be able
to place a portable sensor over an unconscious patientand immediately rule out a narcotics overdose or other
toxic condition.
For missile defense
Maxion was unded to develop IC and QC lasers to
enhance missile sensor technologies in the inrared
spectrum.
n Maxions laser technology might one day be used in devices
or optical glucose monitoring, easing the testing burden on dia-betic patients.
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Using sound-induced technology, Resodyns industrial mixers
oer pharmaceutical companies the ability to manuacture
drugs without causing molecular damage oten attributed to
propeller-based mixing equipment. The companys industrial
mixers are currently being used by Dow Corning to blend vis-
cous materials.
Blending a Better Drug
Resodyn Corporation B