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Military Invention Day 2018 banner logo; : a pixelated head in profile surrounded by icons representing inventions, with the caption Military Invention Day 05.19.2018.

Join us for Military Invention Day 2018 on May 19!

Military Invention Day logo: a pixelated head in profile surrounded by icons representing inventions

Military Invention Day 2018

April 24, 2018

Come to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History on Saturday, May 19, to see leading-edge technologies from armed forces research, meet scientists and engineers, and try your hand at family-friendly invention challenges.

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On 19 May 2018, the Smithsonian’s Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation will showcase examples of today’s leading-edge military inventions alongside historical technologies from the Museum’s world-class collections. This daylong festival celebrates the crucial role of invention for the United States, explores the changing relationship between military research and commerce, and gives visitors an opportunity to envision how advances in military technology will impact their daily lives in the future.

Armed Forces Tech at Military Invention Day

Air Force

programs-military-invention-day-2018-air-force-isaac-450-inline-edit.jpg

In a trade show setting, a small robot navigates an obstacle course on the floor while one man explains its movement to another man. Other men look at other displays.

ISAAC Ground Robot. Clear communication is critical for future human–robotic joint missions. The Infrared and Sonar Autonomous Avoidance Comrade (ISAAC) is a ground robot with sonar and infrared sensors that help it navigate through a novel environment while providing feedback to humans via text communications. Courtesy of US Air Force

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  • Automatic Integrated Collision Avoidance Technology
  • Battlefield Trauma Observation Kit (BATDOK)
  • Flexible Hybrid Electronics
  • Hypersonic Flight Boundary Layer Transition (BOLT)
  • Insect-controlled Robots
  • ISAAC Ground Robot
  • Open Architecture Navigation
  • BendiGlass
  • TEC Torch

Army

  • Augmented Reality
  • Department of Defense Combat Feeding Research and Engineering
  • Evolution of Night Vision Technology
  • History of the Conquest of Darkness
  • Imaging with PUMA Unmanned Aerial Vehicle
  • Immersive Conquest of Darkness Experience
  • Intelligent Aquatic BioMonitoring System
  • SHRAIL Flexible Field Litter
  • Silent Utility Rover Universal Superstructure (SURUS)
  • Thermal Weapon Sights & Image Intensifier Technology

programs-military-invention-day-2018-army-shrail-750-inline-edit.jpg

A man points to a mannequin simulating a medical patient lying on a stretcher. A rail, called the SHRAIL, is attached to the side of the stretcher and holds an IV bag. Several more unattached SHRAILs fill the foreground.

SHRAIL. Conceived by two US Army surgeons, Capt. Maxwell Sirkin and Col. Jason Hiles, the lightweight Sirkin-Hiles Rail System (SHRAIL) mounts to a standard NATO litter to transform it into a highly-functional operating table or intensive-care-unit bed. The rails provide a standardized means of attaching a broad range of medical devices, monitors, and products. Courtesy of US Army

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Coast Guard

programs-military-invention-day-2018-coast-guard-hammer-hook-2-450-inline-edit.jpg

The left shoulder and tattooed arm of a man wearing a Coast Guard work shirt are visible. He holds a maul with a large hook attached to the head.

Hammer Hook. Petty Officer First Class Kevin Spratt of the Coast Guard Cutter Spar welded a hook to the head of a maul, combining two tools frequently used on a buoy deck. The Hammer Hook reduces clutter on the deck and makes it easier for crewmembers to switch between tools. Courtesy of US Coast Guard

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  • Hammer Hook
  • Helicopter Rescue Baskets
  • Unmanned Maritime System

Marine Corps

  • VR Enhanced Maintenance Operations

Navy—Naval Research Laboratory

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  • Energy from Seawater
  • GelMan Surrogates for Armor Design and Injury Assessment
  • Lasers and Plasma Physics

programs-military-invention-day-2018-nrl-gelman-2-750-inline-edit.jpg

Three scientists posing with GelMan synthetic substitutes for live animals or clay materials used in testing new body armor, helmets, and flak jackets. A mold, partial skull, and 2 helmets are on the table in front of the scientists.

GelMan. Dr. Amit Bagchi, Dr. Peter Matic, and Dr. Thomas O'Shaughnessy (left to right) use GelMan surrogates, made of synthetic bones and soft tissue, to test helmets and armor for the military. "Our job is to provide some basic understanding of what's going on," says Matic. "Then we can contribute to the design and selection of the best protective equipment." Courtesy of US Naval Research Laboratory; photo by Jamie Hartman

DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency)

programs-military-invention-day-2018-darpa-aqueti-mantis-camera-450-inline-edit.jpg

Side view of a wedge-shaped camera with multiple lenses at the wide end. Logotype for Aqueti is printed on the side of the camera.

The Mantis camera has better than 100-megapixel resolution, operates at 30 frames per second, and can achieve face recognition at 120 meters. Courtesy of Aqueti, Inc.

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  • Aqueti, Inc.: Mantis Camera
  • Toyon Research Corporation: Spider AI Biohazard Identification

Draper

  • Skymark
  • Zero-Force Accelerometer

programs-military-invention-day-2018-draper-skymark-750-inline-edit.jpg

A landscape scene, showing a curving road that winds from the foreground to the background, passing under low-lying clouds, and heading toward a mountain. City lights are at the right of the image and the sky is filled with circular star trails.

Skymark provides a location fix through a unique combination of advanced optics, sensors, and algorithms to triangulate from known positions of stars and satellites. The result is accuracy better than 15 meters and direction-finding in the absence of GPS. Courtesy of Draper

Dynamis

  • COBRA Drones and Virtual Reality

programs-military-invention-day-2018-dynamis-cobra-drones-500-inline-edit.jpg

An overhead view of the northwest section of the Lagoa de Jacarepaguá area in Rio de Janeiro. Some buildings are marked with grey or green nuclear symbols and head-and-shoulders outlines of people, simulating the tracking of sensors.

COBRA is a scalable suite of drones, cameras, and digital tools that supports military operations and also are used in managing security for special events and for emergencies and disasters. This photo shows an example of work with the Brazilian army on integrating chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosive (CBRNE) detection and identification technologies. Courtesy of Dynamis, Inc.

MIT Lincoln Laboratory

  • Detecting Infection Before Illness

10 am – 5:30 pm   Free and open to the public


 

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