2008 TA Report Innovation

Guided by intellectual freedom and entrepreneurial bravery, Americas innovators are developing tomorrows technology today.
The Spirit of Innovation
2008 Missile Defense Agency Technology Applications Report
To be free in America today means enjoying 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.
The Spirit of Innovation 2008 Missile Defense Agency Technology Applications Report
We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.
Foreword
fter more than a century and a half of being ruled by an autocratic monarch, the Founding Fathers of the United States fought with both pen and sword to establish a government dedicated to protecting life and liberty in ways that enable all of us to pursue happiness to the best of our abilities. They set forth their vision in the Constitution, a living document that reflects our national ideals and values. It is the soul of this Nation, and it is a document that extends beyond the era in which it was written. The words in the Constitution that introduce this enduring national vision appear in the Preamble where we find the Founders reasons for creating a new government, eloquently described as a more perfect Union. One key reasona needespoused in the Preamble is to provide for the common defense, and in this area the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) plays a vital role by developing and fielding increasingly robust ballistic missile defenses. But there are other needs laid out in the Preamble, and MDA, through its Technology Applications (TA) program, helps fulfill these as well by pushing technology beyond defense and into everyday life. This years Technology Applications Report is full of examples showcasing ways in which MDA-funded technology contributes to the core needs mentioned in the Preamble: to ensure domestic tranquility, to promote the general welfare, and to secure the blessings of liberty. MDA-funded technology is also helping other organizations provide for the common defense. The TA program is dedicated to helping move technology into the commercial marketplace. Since the earliest days of the Strategic Defense Initiative Organization, the TA program has been providing services to missile defense researchers, helping them mature their technologies into dual-use products for a variety of markets. Already, missile defense research has led to innovations in areas as diverse as medicine, energy, transportation, and information technology. And, these innovations have boosted the American economy and improved countless lives. We can expect more success in the future. The technologies and applications highlighted in the following pages demonstrate the remarkable ingenuity of MDA-funded researchers, and underscore the excitement that surrounds cutting-edge missile defense research. I hope this report will give readers a new appreciation for MDAs broader role in creating a more prosperous society, as envisioned by the framers of the Constitution.
Robert S. Barnes, Deputy, Advanced Technology, Missile Defense Agency
Using technologies developed for missile defense, we can make the United States a peaceful place to live. We can, in effect, help ensure domestic tranquility by helping shore-up this Nations infrastructure, by deterring crime, tackling pollution and high energy consumption, and developing more durable, eco-friendly materials.
Missile Defense Agency Mission
he Missile Defense Agency (MDA) mission is to develop and field an integrated Ballistic Missile Defense System capable of providing a layered defense for the homeland, deployed forces, friends, and allies against ballistic missiles of all ranges, in all phases of flight. MDAs predecessor agenciesthe Ballistic Missile Defense Organization and the Strategic Defense Initiative Organizationalso pursued similar missions. The Ballistic Missile Defense System will use assets such as complementary interceptors; 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 successfully demonstrated in test after test. Building the tools required to accomplish the mission has presented a host of complex technical challenges. To help address those challenges, MDA and its predecessors have funded businesses, as well as universities and national laboratories, to develop technologies that can play a role in missile defense. The innovations that emerge from these funding partnerships range from computer systems to sensors to advanced materials. Today, MDA continues to fund scores of research-and-development projects annually to help promising missile defense technologies thrive. But, MDA-funded researchers also must seek commercial opportunities that will allow their innovations to mature. By finding 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 innovations can find application beyond missile defense. The benefits of a new material, for example, can be enjoyed by commercial markets, not just military uses. Ultimately, MDA can benefit from commercial enhancements to the technologies. For example, commercial customers of MDA-funded innovations such as software or imaging technology might suggest improvements or features that MDA also could find helpful. MDAs investment in new technology for its missile defense mission already is paying off in many commercial sectors as commercial successes have arisen amid an ever-changing landscape sculpted by world events, policy decisions, and continuing development of the Ballistic Missile Defense System.
By developing innovative, resourceful, and successful technologies, MDA-funded rsearchers are helping We the People take full advantage of living in the America envisioned by the Founding Fathers.
Technology Applications Program
he MDA Technology Applications (TA) program helps MDA-funded researchers commercialize and scale up their technologies. Commercialization and technology transfer efforts by the program ensure that MDA-funded technologies survive and mature, allowing them eventually to be rolled into the Ballistic Missile Defense System. The program helps MDA-funded researchers by guiding business strategies and increasing public and industry awareness of their MDA-funded technologies. In seeking to fulfill this mission, the TA program offers free workshops and commercialization reviews that help these researchers and companies focus on their business strengths and problems. The program also disseminates information about MDA-funded technologies through special reports, a searchable Web-based database, and the quarterly MDA TechUpdate newsletter, which is distributed to a broad range of readers in business, government, and media. MDA supports commercialization because it reduces costs and improves the reliability of the Ballistic Missile Defense System. Commercialization also benefits the economy of the United States and helps improve the lives of its citizens. The success of the TA program and its focus on commercialization, therefore, contributes to the development of superior technology for defending the United States and its allies; promotes the economic growth of the Nation; and helps enhance the quality of life in the United States. The TA program is supported by the National Technology Transfer Center-Washington Operations (NTTC-WO), located in Alexandria, VA. NTTC-WO is a not-forprofit, full-service technology transfer organization that helps publicly funded agencies and programs identify their most-promising technologies, and it provides resources for guiding those innovations toward commercial use.
Table of Contents
Advancing Missile Defense .................................................................................................................. 10 The Spirit of Innovation .......................................................................................................................... 12
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-flight Entertainment Innovative Power Solutions, LLC ....................................................................................................... 22 Erasing the Work of 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 Warfighter Response Time Schafer Corporation .................................................................................................................................. 36 Destroying Roadside Bombs SiMMtec, Inc................................................................................................................................................... 38 Planning the Next Battle TechFinity, Inc................................................................................................................................................40
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 Simplifying Surgery Energid 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 Aircraft Aerodynamics NanoSonic, Inc. ............................................................................................................................................ 60 Enhancing Image Quality Novalux, Inc. ................................................................................................................................................... 62 Revealing Counterfeit Documents Optodot Corporation ............................................................................................................................... 64 Fueling Next-generation Vehicles ZTEK Corporation ....................................................................................................................................... 66
Conclusion ...................................................................................................................................................... 68 Contacts ........................................................................................................................................................... 70
Advancing Missile Defense
And the rockets red glare, the bombs bursting in air, Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
hen Francis Scott Key penned these words during the War of 1812, Americas history forever became linked to the defense of freedom through the use of rockets and missiles. For almost two centuries, these words have given Americans the resolve to defend this great Nation and the flag that characterizes our founding values. Today, the defense of America continues to mean defending the land of the free and the home of the brave.
To be free in America today means enjoying 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.
They continue to exercise intellectual freedom and entrepreneurial bravery to develop modern technologies for defense and to leverage those tools into commercial products. It is an ongoing tale of challenges, breakthroughs, and benefits for all Americans.
For Defense and Beyond Defense Ambitious, mission-driven technology development resulted in creation of the first atomic bombs, which helped bring World War II to an end. The new technology a proverbial genie released from the bottlespread quickly into two realms. First, other nations acquired the tools and knowledge to create their own atomic weapons. Second, nuclear technology did not remain among only military users. Knowhow was transferred to applications beyond defense. Today, nuclear power provides electricity for heating homes, powering industrial equipment, and lighting office buildings. To counter military threats posed by the spread of nuclear technology to other nations, United States leaders ultimately decided that a Ballistic Missile Defense System was needed. Today, such a system is operational and continues to undergo enhancement and expansion. Building the system has relied on ambitious, missiondriven technology development, and it has heavily involved private and academic
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researchers funded by the Federal Government. As the system has emerged, innovations developed for MDA have been leveraged into commercial applications that go beyond defense.
Pushing Technology Forward Developing and continually improving a robust missile defense system requires innovation, it requires risk, and it requires thinking outside the box. Each year, MDA funds businesses, universities, and national laboratories to develop technologies that can play a role in its ever-expanding planned arsenal of missile defense systems. To develop, field, and advance the integrated ballistic missile defense system, it is essential that these technologies, and the companies and researchers who develop 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-funded researchers to find additional markets for their innovations beyond defense, such as health care, homeland security, environmental sciences, energy, and personal electronics. To best address the business needs of MDA-funded companies, the program offers two specialized forums, held regularly across the country: Business Focus Workshops and Technology Application Reviews. The Business Focus Workshop helps primarily Small Business Innovation Research Phase I winners focus on the strategic goals of building a business, which include developing business plans and identifying market competition. The second forum, the Technology Applications Review, is essentially a Board of Directors for a day, which helps companies refine their business goals, improve corporate business models, and gain valuable industry contacts and investment advice. The TA program also provides broad exposure for MDA-funded innovations through publications such as the quarterly MDA TechUpdate newsletter; two Web sites, www.mdatechnology.net and www.mda.mil; and special industry and applications reports such as this one. These services are available to MDA-funded companies, free-of-charge. Information about these workshops and publications and the technologies they serve can be found on both Web sites.
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he Preamble to the U.S. Constitution sets in motion a series of principles that our leaders have been addressing for more than 220 years. It reads:
We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.
This Preamble and the rest of the Constitution allowed for the creation of very specific laws to protect and fulfill this vision. Under the resulting new government, a national defense emerged; roads, post offices, and currency came into being; departments and agencies were created to support the laws and specific missions. Meanwhile, an environment of liberty helped foster a nation of 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 of providing common defense and tapping into this vibrant environment of private-sector technology development. The Agency and its predecessors have funded businesses, as well as universities and national laboratories, to develop technologies that can play a role in missile defense. The innovations that emerge from these funding partnerships range from computer systems to sensors to advanced materials. But MDA alone cannot fund the entire development life cycle for each technology. So, MDA-funded researchers also must seek commercial opportunities that will allow their innovations to mature. By finding 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 defense. From semiconductors to software, technologies that answer todays defense needs are providing the building blocks of tomorrows American dreams. With the help of MDAs Technology Applications program, American businesses are taking the lead in meeting some of the challenges stated in the Preamble to the Constitution.
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Using technologies developed for missile defense, we can make the United States a peaceful place to live. We can, in effect, help ensure domestic tranquility by helping shore-up this Nations infrastructure, by deterring crime, tackling pollution and high energy consumption, and developing more durable, eco-friendly materials.
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Commercialized MDA-funded technologies allow our Nation to provide for the common defense by giving the worlds most technically savvy military such tools as software to improve battlefield response time, lasers to destroy roadside bombs, techniques for quickly manufacturing military vehicle parts.
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Innovations with roots in MDA research promote general welfare within our country by providing the health industry with a composite material for prosthetic bones, robotic technology for non-invasive surgery, and a precision device for targeting deep-seated tumors.
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And American businesses whose technologies have been funded by MDA are creating commercial products that help us live free, comfortable, and happy lives and to enjoy the blessings of liberty. These products include an anti-counterfeiting technology that helps make identity documents more secure, fuel cells that will enable easy and affordable automobile travel, and laser technology to enhance the image quality of consumer electronic products.
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By developing innovative, resourceful, and successful technologies, MDA-funded researchers are helping We the People take full advantage of living in the America envisioned by the Founding Fathers. From a technological perspective, our Nation barely resembles the America of the 18th century. But beneath our shiny 21st century exterior, our modern hopes remain 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 crafted the Constitution, and, thats what visionary MDA-funded researchers are doing today. They are creating, inventing, and innovating to help all Americans live free, safe, and better lives.
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We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America. insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liber ty to ourselves and our Posterity,
Section One
Ensure Domestic Tranquility
Domestic tranquility amounts to peace within our Nations bordersthe absence of chaos and major internal conflict. For the Founding Fathers, ensuring domestic tranquility might have meant avoiding conflict among factions in a new nation. But in its capacity as a living document, the Constitution allows us to acknowledge modern needs within the context of domestic tranquility. Today, a peaceful Nation relies on adequate resources and efficient use of those resources, safe infrastructure, capabilities for countering crime, and tools for dealing with the emergencies that threaten to fracture our domestic tranquility. As researchers and manufacturers commercialize MDA-funded technologies to improve the lives of Americans, they carry forward the Founders long-standing vision to make this Nation a peaceful place to live. The technologies featured here show promise in n monitoring the structural integrity of the bridges we drive over every day, n illuminating our homes with energy-efficient lighting, n providing emergency communications in remote or weather-ravaged areas, n reducing aircraft payload weights to increase airline and passenger cost savings, n coating buildings with a special appliqu to simplify the removal of graffiti, n monitoring train brake force to improve transportation safety, and n warning utility operators of pending fuel and chemical leaks to protect our environment. Addressing such contemporary challenges will improve the tranquility of American lives now and in the future.
Sensing Roadway Integrity
Blue Road Research Gresham, OR
Blue Roads fiber-optic-enabled sensor-and-software suite can monitor and assess the structural integrity of bridges and highways to reduce the chances of catastrophic failure.
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We the People
Ensure Domestic Tranquility Provide for the Common Defense Promote the General Welfare Secure the Blessings of Liberty
Ensures domestic tranquility by reducing the possibility of catastrophic bridge collapses by detecting structural deficiencies or strain in materials, including composites. Blue Roads fiber-optic-enabled sensor software also can be used to monitor the structural integrity of aircraft, buildings, roadways, and hydrogen fuel tanks for future hybrid vehicles. The companys technologies offer considerable advantages in sensitivity and robustness for nondestructive evaluation systems, and there are significant time and cost savings, too. How it works Blue Roads fiber-optic systems are used to detect internal strain in composite structures. When a part in which a fiber-optic sensor undergoes strain or deformation, the light transmitted through the fiber is altered, thereby signaling a potential problem. The sensors can be embedded in a structure or attached to the surface of a part. Multiple fiber-optic sensors can be distributed throughout a material, and their functions can be monitored and recorded by simple signal transducers or computers. The data they provide can be analyzed to determine the location and severity of the damage.
Blue Roads sensor technology can monitor the structural integrity of railroad bridges, like the one shown above, and warn management of a pending collapse.
Status of the product Fully equipped fiber-optic sensor readout systems are commercially available and can be configured to be completely automated or customized. Data acquisition cards, cables, basic software, the accompanying graphical user interface and data logging software, educational kits and instructional videos, product development kits, and individual sensors and components come standard with the system. For missile defense Blue Road was funded to improve the integrity of solid rocket motor casings for missiles. Further enhancements were made through a subsequent Army contracts focusing on propellant strain monitoring.
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Lighting the Olympic Spirit
Cree, Inc. Durham, NC
Crees energy-efficient 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 faade of the Beijing National Aquatics Center, known as the Water Cube.
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We the People
Ensures domestic tranquility by offering long-lasting, energy-efficient lighting solutions to brighten our worldin cars, homes, offices, and Olympic venues. Since its original funding back in the 1980s for semiconductor materials, improvements to Crees light-emitting diode (LED) technologies have increased lighting performance 10 times over ordinary light bulbs, 4 times that of halogen bulbs, and 1.5 times that of most fluorescent bulbs. Plus, using LEDs reduces overall lighting costs by nearly eliminating the need for replacements and by requiring less energy to operate. Cree is well ahead of the game when it comes to lighting, being on the forefront of the congressional mandate to phase out the use of incandescent bulbs. And its LEDs can be used anywhere lighting is needed. How it works LEDssolid-state semiconductors that convert electrical energy into lighthave come a long way since they were first used as indicator lamps in consumer electronics and small- display illuminators on mobile phones and other portable devices. The key to producing white light, though, depended on the development and efficient exploitation of blue LEDs. Indium-gallium-nitride-based white LEDs were conceptualized by Cree to facilitate its ability to build a more efficient and longer lasting flashlight bulb. White light could be generated by combining emissions from red, green, and blue LEDs, although this approach is not favored by those making LED systems for the commercial market today because of the difficulty in maintaining the consistency of 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 of white light. Several companies have explored using sapphire as a substrate for the blue LEDs, while Cree focused on silicon-carbide (SiC) semiconductor materials because
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 of the companys success in developing white LEDs can be attributed to advances in the performance of bluelight emitters.
Crees LEDs produce cool-white and warm-white light.
Status of the product Crees LED technologies are commercially available and are readily in use wherever more efficient lighting is desiredas floodlights, emergency lighting, industrial lighting, street lighting, or even flashlights 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 expected Crees market share will drastically increase as the congressional mandate eliminating incandescent lighting becomes effective in 2012. For missile defense Cree was funded to develop semiconductor materials for space-based systems required radiation-hardened electronics. This hardening property allays the fear of space radiation degrading or disrupting the operation of electronic devices and components on satellites used for monitoring, tracking, and missile defense.
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Enabling Emergency Communications
GATR Technologies Huntsville, AL
GATRs commercially available satellite communications terminal was deployed during Hurricanes Ike and Katrina to provide Gulf Coast victims and emergency response crews access to the outside world with high-speed Internet capabilities. GATRs portable communications system provides the benefit of a larger antenna, but requires less power.
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We the People
Ensures domestic tranquility by providing emergency communications access to civilians, military, and rescue workers when no other forms of transmission are possible. GATRs satellite communications terminal, which can be used just about anywhere and in any weather condition, resembles an inflatable beach ball with a built-in antenna. It is lightweight, inexpensive to operate, and has low power consumption. Potential applications include military and emergency communications, and remote news broadcasts. The company has successfully used its antenna technology to enable communications in the hurricane-ravaged Gulf Coast region. How it works Compared to conventional technologies, GATRs antenna design provides an order of magnitude of improvement in packaging efficiency and mass, and at a fraction of the cost. GATRs 70-pound beach-ball-shaped antenna anchors to the ground using wires and stakes and inflates with a blower, which is included. Inside, a parabolic-shaped reflector membrane is attached to the ball. Pressure is monitored on both sides of the reflector membrane by a sensor and blower. At the top of the ball a feed assembly allows the mounting of amplifiers and modulators. The 1.8-meter antenna is designed for X, Ku, and other bands. A lightweight mount holds the antenna and provides automated pointing and tracking. Transmission power output is also important. In general, the larger the aperture of the antenna, the less transmission power it requires; therefore, smaller antennas need to boost transmission power. But this can cause their transmissions to interfere with other satellites. GATRs antenna provides the transmission power benefits of a large aperture antenna, but with the portability of a smaller antenna. The antennas power needs are low. GATR has successfully operated its antenna for long periods using only a 1,000watt off-the-shelf power generator.
GATRs inflatable antenna can be quickly deployed to provide emergency communications access.
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Status of the product The antenna has been tested successfully in the field for emergency communications. After Hurricanes Ike and Katrina swept through the Gulf Coast, GATR officials deployed their communications system to local elementary schools to assist residents displaced by flooding. The equipment was online in about 1 hour, and a satellite 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 friends and family. Reporters and law enforcement officers also benefited from GATRs technology during the week it was in operation. For missile defense GATR was funded to develop a deployable satellite communications terminal capable of providing high data-rate transmissions in remote areas for Groundbased Midcourse Defense.
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Powering In-flight Entertainment
Innovative Power Solutions, LLC Eatontown, NJ
Innovative Power Solutions 1-megawatt generator could provide a lightweight option for airlines wanting to power in-flight entertainment systems, such as the one shown above. Such generators could increase flight efficiencies, including fuel efficiency, by reducing the overall weight of generators used in commercial aircraft.
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We the People
Ensures domestic tranquility by offering airlines a cost-effective way to increase payload weight and aerodynamic efficiencies by installing a single, high-voltage generator to power cabin devices such as in-flight entertainment systems. Beyond aerospace, the Innovative Power Solutions (IPS) technology could provide backup power for commercial buildings and provide power to geographically remote areas or disaster sites. How it works IPS technology uses a patented cooling system that enables the generation of 1 megawatt of energy by a device weighing one-tenth less than conventional generators being used on commercial aircraft today. This is possible by enabling every wire inside its generator rotors to come in direct contact with the cooling media along the entire perimeter of the coil. An IPS generator cools its rotorsbladelike devices used in generating powerto prevent overheating. Round wires, typically used, do not allow every coil to be directly cooled. IPS uses flat wire in an edge-winding fashion, similar to how a Slinky looks. With edge winding and flat wire, is much easier to effectively cool the unit. Once the rotors have been cooled, heat in the stator the stationary part of the electric generatorbecomes a factor needing to be addressed. IPS has added radial fans to the rotor and designed fins into the internal housing to help remove heat from the air within the generator. The housing is then cooled by oil.
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 itself to a more compact generator design.
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Status of the product IPS markets its generators to prime contractors for various commercial and military aerospace platforms to increase operational efficiency of aircraft. The company plans to partner with companies in the emergency power and homeland security industries. For missile defense IPS was funded to develop innovative onboard power and cooling solutions for directed energy weapons as well as sophisticated countermeasure systems, all of which require substantially more electrical power than the conventional aircraft power system can currently supply.
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Erasing the Work of Vandals
Integument Technologies, Inc. Tonawanda, NY
Integuments anti-corrosive FluoroGrip appliqu can reduce the effort required of public works employees to remove graffiti from building walls and highway overpasses. The nonstick flouropolymer appliqu material allows paint to be quickly washed off.
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We the People
Ensures domestic tranquility by enabling public-works employees to easily remove urban artwork that defaces buildings, bridges, and overpasses. The environmentally friendly, thin-film plastic material, a nonstick fluoropolymer, can be applied like wallpaper to graffiti-prone infrastructure. How it works The appliqu closely resembles wallpaper; it is a thin, flexible material that has an adhesive on one side, which bonds to the surface being covered. Unlike wallpaper, which just has an aesthetic purpose, Integuments material provides corrosion protection and can be engineered to provide other benefits as well. Integument bases its appliqu on a family of plastics called fluoropolymers, which are highly regarded for their resistance to a wide variety of chemicals and temperatures up to 475F as well as their being environmentally friendly. The materials nonstick surfaces (e.g., Teflon) are fluropolymers that also prevent filth and grime from building up, reducing cleaning and maintenance. In addition, fluoropolymers can be colored or have patterns created in them. A patented surface-activation process with cold gas plasma treatment modifies the surface of the fluoropolymer and allows bonding with a pressure-sensitive adhesive. This creates the technologys unique peel-andstick capability, which can be applied on a wide variety of materials including other polymers, adhesives, ceramics, coatings, composites, and metals. The appliqu offers superior mechanical-, thermal-, and chemical/ environmental-resistance properties to those of paints currently used in industry and the military. Additionally, its fabrication, application, maintenance, removal, and disposal do not harm the environment. The appliqu ranges in thickness from 1 to 30 mil; most applications require thicknesses of 2 to 5 mil.
Integuments FluoroGrip easily can be applied to products, such as the outdoor storage tank shown above, to protect against rust, corrosion, and even graffiti.
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Status of the product Integuments appliqu is being sold commercially. For missile defense Integument was funded to develop appliqu materials with embedded corrosion sensors for in-situ corrosion detection. Such devices would be ideal for use on MDA structures located in warm, humid, and salty environments like the South Pacific.
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Keeping Trains on Tracks
Mid Technology Corporation Medford, MA
Mids energy-harvesting sensors can be installed as power sources for trains, aerospace vehicles, automobiles, and industrial machinery to monitor brake force and prevent catastrophic accidents.
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We the People
Ensures domestic tranquility by providing the behind-the-scenes power to sensors, batteries, or supercapacitors for monitoring braking systems of trains, planes, and cars. Mids energyharvesting distributed power systems, including the MDA-funded 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 configurations as off-the-shelf systems. How it works Mids energy-harvesting devices, patented as the Volture 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 abilities is Mids proprietary process of packaging piezoelectric actuators in polyimides and epoxies, making them more robust and less brittle than raw, cantilevered piezoelectric materials which generate a voltage when a mechanical force is applied. In the brake-force-measurement application now being explored by the Department of 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 applied, the system turns itself on, records the appropriate data, and then wirelessly transmits that data to a central management hub where it can be retrieved wirelessly. Since railroad-car safety and maintenance costs are directly related to knowing how much actual braking force is provided by a brake shoe, it is crucial that brake shoes be replaced before the end of their lifetimes.
Mids Volture energy-harvesting technology can power devices such as light-emitting diodes, seen above, without batteries or an external power source.
Status of the product The Volture line of energy-harvesting products is commercially available. Large-scale use is expected in the near future because of its continued development for transportation systems. Already, major national and international train operators are expressing interest in Mids energy-harvesting technology for brake force measurement. For missile defense Mid was funded to develop distributed power systems using energy harvesting. Such systems could be used throughout the Ballistic Missile Defense System to power remote sensors and other devices, as well as to charge batteries.
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Detecting Toxic Leakage
Odyssian Technology, LLC South Bend, IN
Odyssians smart piping system enables quick warning of pending toxin leakagefrom chlorine to natural gas to petroleum to help prevent explosions or groundwater contamination and seepage. The companys smart pipes come fitted with chemically-responsive sensors, which alert command centers of potential hazards through embedded wireless communications.
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We the People
Ensures domestic tranquility by improving environmental quality through the detection of oil leaks that cause groundwater contamination and refrigerant leaks that increase greenhouse gas emissions. The pipings sensor system alerts public-utility providers and other piping-systems operators of structural deficiencies that are likely to leak, or even cause explosions. Odyssians smart pipes and smart seals are made of lightweight composites that have embedded sensors designed to detect toxic chemical leaks. Once a possible leak is detected or occurs, the sensors broadcast via wireless protocol to the piping systems operations monitoring center for quick response. Odyssians piping system is particularly well-suited for both original use and upgrades to public utility infrastructure, such as natural gas lines, as well as to automobile fuel and air-conditioning systems, and in aircraft to protect against corrosive chemicals like chlorine. How it works The technologys advanced sensor system uses an array of MEMS (microelectromechanical system) and other micro- and mini-sensors located inside the pipes composite laminar structure and within the specially developed seals. The sensor system consists of networked sensor nodes that have unique addresses to correlate sensory data to specific seals, gaskets, and pipes within the plumbing system. Odyssians sensor-laden seals and pipes form the smart-piping system, which has a redundant containment structure, sealing surfaces, and a sensor placement scheme. Together, these components provide leak-progression detection, allowing an alert to be sent before a leak occurs. The smart-pipe system also allows the operator to monitor the operational status of the plumbing system by measuring and reporting on system pressure, temperature, and vibration at each fitting and pipe segment.
Odyssians smart-pipe and smart-seal technologies use advanced sensors to detect and warn of chemical or toxin leaks.
Status of the product Odyssian is working with officials in South Bend, IN, to develop and integrate low-cost composite smart piping and smart seals with integrated sensors for use in the citys municipal water system. For missile defense Odyssian was funded to develop a smart-piping lightweight containment system to detect imminent leaks in high-energy, chemical-oxygen-iodine laser systems used aboard military aircraft.
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We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.
general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liber ty to ourselves and our Posterity,
Section Two
Provide for the Common Defense
Americas Armed Forces maintain our national integrity by defending against military aggression. Whether helping local authorities with search-and-rescue operations, tracking hostile intruders by satellite, assisting Federal agencies secure our Nations borders, or engaging armed insurgents on the ground in the Middle East, the U.S. military defends our interests with superior technology. For MDA, the mission tied to providing for the common defense is clear: Deter the threat of nuclear-weapon-tipped ballistic missiles being launched against the United States or its allies. But our Nation also can benefit greatly from MDA-funded technology that has moved into other military functions beyond missile defense. As MDA-funded researchers have developed their technologies, many of the innovations also have proved useful for more traditional frontline needs. Such products show promise for 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 battlefield response time using new software, n destroying roadside bombs with precision accuracy through the use of a cooled-laser technology, and n informing battlefield commanders of the best places to deploy ballistic missile defense equipment using probability to kill algorithmic software. By defending against ballistic missiles and by encouraging the transfer of its technology to other U.S. Defense agencies and the Armed Forces, MDA strongly contributes to the common defense.
Replicating Large Parts Fast
2Phase Technologies, Inc. Dayton, NV
2Phases Reconfigurable Tooling System supports our Nations defense through the quick and inexpensive manufacture of large composite parts for military vehicles, such as the Black Hawk helicopter shown above. Through the use of this commercially available technology, damaged combat vehicles can quickly be refitted and returned to operational status.
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We the People
Provides for the common defense by offering military vehicle repair depots an innovative way to fabricate tooling for large partsup to 65 feet in lengthin less than 15 minutes and at a fraction of the cost. Products that could be replicated with this tooling system range from Black Hawk and Chinook helicopter doors to rocket motor casings. How it works The Reconfigurable Tooling System (RTS) utilizes a large, deep, flexible tray (tool bed) filled with a slurry of unique engineered quicksanda state-change material of ceramic powder mixed with a water-soluble inorganic binder solutionand covered by a thin, flexible 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 exactly conforms to the parts shape. After the mold is formed, the liquid is withdrawn from the quicksand and rapidly hardens into a firm, chalk-like shape. The entire process takes just 15 to 30 minutes, and in many cases the solidified mix can now be used as a tool for low-temperature composite molding. If a harder, more durable tool is required, the newly fabricated tool can be heated to temperatures as high as 250F to remove any remaining liquid and further solidify the mix to a ceramic-like state. The process of fully hardening the tool takes between six and eight hours. When fabrication of the composite part is complete, the tool can be used again. If the part is fully hardened, the tool bed can be reconfigured to make another type of part by reintroducing the water-based binder mixture, dissolving the inorganic binder, and re-liquefying the solidified state-change material. This process returns the tool bed to its original slurry state, allowing the shop to begin work on another tooling project.
2Phases reconfigurable tooling system provides rapid, lowcost, and very large original or replacement parts to the aerospace and transportation industries.
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Status of the product 2Phases technology is commercially available and marketed as the RTS-4000. The system is being sold primarily to military and large-scale industrial machining customers needing large, composite parts in short order. For missile defense 2Phase was funded to develop a process for the manufacture, modification, and redesign of rocket motor casings through the use of its reconfigurable tooling approaches.
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Enabling High-speed Signal Processing
S2 Corporation Bozeman, MT
S2 Corporations radar-signal processor, if deployed onboard satellites such as the one above, could enhance our Nations defense by enabling high-speed targeting and identification of missiles. The technology is enabled by rare-earth doped optical crystals to allow real-time processing of complex, high-bandwidth radio frequencies.
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We the People
Provides for the common defense by enhancing the capabilities of military radar-ranging systems through the use of rare-earth optical crystals to process in real time complex, higher-bandwidth radio-frequency waveforms. Besides offering a target enhancement for missile defense, the Spatial-Spectral Radar Signal Processor (S2RSP) could be developed for use in other national security areas such as surveillance, signal intelligence, and port-security container screening. How it works To reduce ambiguities, including pseudo-random noise sequences known as arbitrary waveforms, the S2RSP operates as an analog system capable of optically storing and processing each radar pulse of a spectrum through the use of spectral holography. If such ambiguities are not resolved, the processors usefulness in defense-critical applications can be limited. The S2RSP is activated when a received radar signal modulates a laser that writes holographic representations in an optical crystal located within the processor. This scientific process is known as spectral hole-burning or spectral holography, which is used to affect ionic change of the materials. The ions change can be shortterm or long-term, depending on the materials used, and is chosen to match the signal-processing requirements of a given application. The approach allows the spectrum of each radar pulse, in both amplitude and phase, to be processed and optically stored with high resolution in the material, for range-Doppler-matched filtering. As return radar signals arrive, the material is illuminated and the Doppler shift information is stored as a spatial-spectral hologram. The optical crystal (cryocooled to achieve the required coherence stability) can record the holograms of extremely wide-bandwidth signals and can store many thousands of such holograms for processing.
Laser-modulated radar signals are stored in optical crystals, as seen in the image above.
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Status of the product The S2RSP is currently being tested in high-level government and military demonstrations for future deployment into radar systems. While focused primarily on the militarys needs, the company wants to partner with other agencies or commercial entities that need high-performance radar signal-processing technology. For missile defense S2s optical crystal technology, originating from Scientific Materials Corporation, was funded to enable realtime processing of high-bandwidth radio frequencies used in radar transmissions.
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Improving Warfighter Response Time
Schafer Corporation Chelmsford, MA
Schafers fuzzy-logic software could help warfighters make the most informed decisions during maneuvers. In testing, this software reduced operator reaction time while improving accuracy.
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We the People
Provides for the common defense by equipping our warfighters in the field with accurate data analyses from which to make informed decisions about engagements, based on location and position of enemy troops, weapons, and known inventories. This software allows variables to be programmed, including changes in military tactics, to ensure an attack is properly executed. Tests show the software can reduce response time by 43 percent and can improve accuracy by 58 percent in situations requiring human discretion. How it works The technology is based on fuzzy logica mathematical way of handling gray areaswhich includes quantifiable data like the projected amount of ammunition held by approaching enemy combatants. While common algorithmic systems can make generalized projections, they are unable to determine quantifiable metrics, such as levels of weapons held by an enemy. Schafers fuzzy-logic technology can determine such metrics, enabling field commanders to better anticipate needed levels of deployment to counter enemy force levels. Schafers fuzzy-logic technology focuses a users attention on specific data, which helps them understand and identify those situations needing discretion to be applied. The algorithmic program examines the data being presented to the command-and-control software. If certain red-flag variables are present, as determined by the needs of the mission, the program electronically alerts the operator by highlighting the critical information. Because it is unobtrusive and does not alter the underlying command and control, Schafers system can easily be incorporated into other control software.
Schafers fuzzy-logic software also can help defense command centers give orders based on well-informed enemy troop analyses.
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Status of the product Schafer continues to develop its algorithmic-based technology with the hope of its adoption by the military. The technology also is being considered for use in other command-and-control environments, including chemical plants, petroleum refineries, and computer video-gaming systems. For missile defense Schafer was funded to improve the efficiencies of command and control for displays used in the Groundbased Midcourse Defense system and to help minimize operator fatigue.
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Destroying Roadside Bombs
SiMMtec, Inc. Allison Park, PA
Smaller military vehicles such as Humvees could carry SiMMtecs cooled diode-pump laser to fire upon and destroy landmines and roadside bombs. The solid-state laser technology is designed to accurately target and eliminate hostile ordnance, including cruise missiles.
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We the People
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 conflict. 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 battlefield. In addition, the lasers can be powered on and off at will and diode array units easily can be repaired on the battlefield without manufacturer assistance. How it works SiMMtec uses special metallization processes and microchannel 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 powerful lasers capable of delivering many kilowatts of power. Each diode array is formed of glass and silicon that is etched and metallized with chrome, silver, nickel, gold, and indium. The metallizing enables the production of a part which can be soldered to diode bars through which current can pass to produce laser light. The very uniform metal thickness can pass 100 amps of current for lighting the diode bars. And, these metals, bonded with the etched silicon, also serve as an excellent cooling surface that removes the heat produced by the diodes. SiMMtecs technology can be cooled with only 5 gallons of liquid coolant per hour, compared with an estimated 30 gallons per hour used by competing solid-state, copper-microchannel-based laser technologies.
n SiMMtec has employed special metallization and etching techniques to create solid-state laser diode pumps that operate coolly and efficiently.
Status of the product SiMMtecs diode-pumped laser is currently being tested by the military for use in various ordnance-destruction platforms. The technology could be applied to medical lasers for tattoo removal, and it shows promise for use in long-haul telecommunications and various semiconductor manufacturing processes. For missile defense SiMMtec was funded to develop improved high-power laser diode arrays for use in high-energy heat capacity lasers, which could be used to defend against rockets, mortars, and other short-range artillery.
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Planning the Next Battle
TechFinity, Inc. Sherman Oaks, CA
TechFinitys Defense Planner software uses real-time information to evaluate and inform command centers of where to best position assets and resources to avert military threats, including missile attacks.
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We the People
Provides for the common defense by enabling military commanders to plan, organize, and optimize the location of missile-defense assets such as ships, ground-based shooters, sensors, and related equipmentgiven the potential of incoming threats. The software can run scenarios based on enemy missile inventories and possible trajectories and then generate likely outcomes. These scenarios, displayed on computer-enhanced map projections, will provide commanders the data needed to ensure efficient weapons resource management. Its algorithms can analyze battlespace to give advance warning and extend the window of time for engagement, while running on more than one machine simultaneously to allow for faster computing. How it works Defense Planner relies on numerical methods to produce accurate results in a matter of minutes. The approach uses only a handful of sample scenarios, chosen in a certain way, and then generates a weighted average. Algorithms that rely on other methods can take hours to produce a result since they oftentimes rely on several thousand samples of scenarios to generate a solution or recommend an action. TechFinitys algorithms perform an analysis of the entire battlespace, instead of using a single probability-of-kill metric, to generate a probability distribution. Such an approach can extend the window of opportunity for engaging and destroying threats. Defense Planner also uses a distributed-computing approach that allows each process of the application to run on its own machine, concurrently within a network, to solve a problem fast.
TechFinitys Defense Planner software can evaluate missile threats and present the information on maps like the one shown above, to help military commanders make educated decisions about which weaponry to use.
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Status of the product The Defense Planner software is a developed product, and it is being packaged into a larger system by TechFinity. The company plans to market this software to the medical industry for determining preliminary diagnoses. For missile defense TechFinity was funded to develop software that could determine the best locations for a company commander to utilize air- and missile-defense weaponry on a battlefield.
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Section Three
Promote the General Welfare
The Founding Fathers wrote in the Constitutions Preamble that it is necessary for the Government to Promote the General Welfare in the United States. For them, the concept might well have meant economic prosperity. And over the years, Government has facilitated that prosperityby creating conventions such as uniform currency and a postal service, for example. But in a broader context, general welfare as we see it today encompasses not only prosperity, but health and happinessall elements of living well. At MDA, the general welfare of the American people is intertwined with our mission. Our most visible priority is to deploy technologies that can destroy weapons of mass destruction before they reach the ground and kill civilians. We stand ready to defend the lives of Americansserving as a shield to protect the general welfare of our citizenry. But MDA is about more than advanced weaponry. Companies funded with MDA contracts are commercializing their technologies to benefit the public health sectorthereby contributing to the general welfare. Some of the healthcare solutions arising from technologies originally developed for missile defense include n a proton accelerator that now provides finely tuned cancer treatment to patients, n a laser-based auditory aid that protects residual hearing, n a ceramic-based composite material for 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 efficient, sound-induced industrial mixer that can reduce the time to manufacture pharmaceuticals. All of these technologies, spurred by MDA and shared with the commercial world via the technology transfer process, contribute to the goal of promoting the general welfare creating a healthy, sound, and able population.
Accelerating Cancer Therapy
AccSys Technology, Inc. Pleasanton, CA
AccSys proton accelerator enables energy to be directed into deep cancerous tumors such as in the brain and spinal cord, while limiting patient discomfort and producing little to no radiation sickness. AccSys proton accelerators are commercially available and are in use at hospitals worldwide.
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Promotes the general welfare by offering patients peace of mind through the use of high-speed proton accelerators to destroy deep cancerous tumors without causing discomfort or the sometimes debilitating symptoms associated with chemotherapy or radiation therapy. Proton therapy allows for all the destructive energy to be focused directly upon the tumor and administered in high dosages, without damage to surrounding tissue, effectively destroying the cancer with minimal side effects. AccSys proton accelerators now are being used in hospitals worldwide to provide cancer patients another therapeutic option. How it works AccSys proton acceleratorsknown as Radio Frequency Quadruple linear accelerators (RFQ linacs)are tabletop-size units that integrate various functions previously requiring several apparatuses. The RFQ linac uses electromagnetic fields to cluster and accelerate an incoming stream of ions to speeds of 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 of a cruise missile striking an enemy compound. AccSys proton therapy has been most successful in treating deep-seated tumors, and has been clinically tested to be safer for the patient than conventional radiation therapy. This is due to the fact that the accelerator deposits most of the proton energy at the targeted tumor, which results in much less damage to the surrounding healthy tissue.
AccSys LiNSTAR proton accelerator can offer cancer patients new hope through the use of directed energy that destroys cancer cells and causes minimal side effects.
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Status of the product AccSys technologies are commercially available. Marketed as LiNSTAR, the companys proton linac systems enable moderate energy applications (2 to 7 mega-electron-volts) used in cancer therapy and basic physics research. Loma Linda University Medical Center in Southern California uses a LiNSTAR system as the dedicated injector to the synchrotron of its proton therapy cancer treatment facility. The facility began operating in 1990 and recently passed its 10,000 patient milestone. Other notable LiNSTAR units are operating at the Midwest Proton Radiotherapy Institute in Bloomington, IN, and at several cancer treatment centers in Japan. For missile defense AccSys was funded to incorporate RFQ linac technology into applications involving non-destructive materials inspection and high-energy physics research. RFQ linac research was originally funded by MDA-predecessor SDIO for its potential use as a directed energy weapon.
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Stimulating Aural Functionality
Aculight Corporation Bothell, WA
Aculights bionic ear laser implant improves aural functionality with more precise neural mapping than that of current hearingaids (as being fitted on the man in the image above), and does so without generating any electricity, which can damage residual hearing.
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We the People
Promotes the general welfare by offering the hearing impaired a safer and more effective way to significantly improve their auditory functioning with implants that use laser stimuli. Aculights Capella technology can be implanted in an ear without physically contacting the nerve tissue, producing irritating electrical artifacts, or causing any residual damage. How it works The Capella uses an infrared laser to safely stimulate hearing nerves; electrical leads used by normal hearing aids can damage nerve cells. Because there is no physical contact between the probe and delicate nerve tissue, the laser produces no electrical artifacts and does not damage residual hearing. This approach also allows for more independent channels to be stimulated resulting in superior fidelity to existing electrical methods. The technology results in better spatial selectivity for aural nerve mapping. Precise nerve mapping, in turn, presents a clearer picture of the individual nerves being stimulated. For designers of biomimetic devices such as vestibular or cochlear implants, a more precise neural map offers better functionality with fewer side effects. Compared with electric leads, Capella also allows for finer resolution and truer representation of nerve function, paving the way for more sophisticated prosthetic devices in a wide range of areas.
Aculights Capella system stimulates aural nerves without causing side effects.
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Status of the product The Capella technology is commercially available, and is awaiting FDA approval for use on humans. For missile defense Aculight was funded to develop high-energy laser technologies including eye-safe infrared ranging lasers.
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Casting Bone Replacements
Advanced Ceramics Research, Inc. Tucson, AZ
The Plasti-Bone technology developed by Advanced Ceramics Research may soon provide patients an option in bone replacement surgery. It will reduce bone-friction damage by eliminating the need for screws and pins, which are commonly used in reconstructive surgery today.
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We the People
Promotes the general welfare by providing patients who require bone repairs and transplants a stronger and less painful long-term option by using composites instead of common prosthetics that require pins or screws. And, damage to adjacent bones will be eliminated since the wear and friction caused by metal bone-bonders is gone. The ceramic composite used in Advanced Ceramic Researchs (ACRs) PlastiBone technology is strong enough to carry human body weight and is osteoconductive, meaning that bone cells can grow on top of the artificial bone. How it works To manufacture fibrous-monolithic (FM) ceramic materials, ACR takes ceramic or metal powders and mixes them with a thermoplastic polymer binder. The resulting fiber easily can be manipulated and extruded into a variety of shapes. Objects made using this process are sintered, or hot pressed, at temperatures greater than 2,000C. Plasti-Bone, designed with the idea of producing artificial bone from high-strength plastic that does not damage adjacent healthy bones through constant friction 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 of 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.
ACRs material could be used in treating broken bones, serving as an alternative to metal bone replacements.
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Status of the product ACR is conducting long-term material performance tests in large laboratory animals. The company is still awaiting Food and Drug Administration approval for its technology. While Plasti-Bone is not ready for prime use, the ceramic basis of 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 funded to develop high-performance alternative materials for parts such as rocket nozzles.
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Simulating and Simplifying Surgery
Energid Technologies Corporation Cambridge, MA
Energids surgical simulators, enabled by MDA-funded 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 algorithms also are being used to develop a robotic ultrasound for conducting minimally invasive surgical procedures.
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We the People
Promotes the general welfare by enabling algorithmic software to identify and track objects used in the medical and aerospace arenas from scalpels to aircraft bridges. The software can track virtually any object type using computer-aided design (CAD) data. It also can track any number of objects simultaneously, and it can use almost any type of sensorsuch as a black-and-white camera, color camera, ladar (laser radar), and hyperspectral imager. Energids medical focus is on machine-vision surgical simulation and robotic ultrasound for minimally invasive surgery. Using the same MDA-funded algorithms, the company has successfully fielded the first robotic aircraft 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 identify, in a fraction of a second, the position and orientation of an object in three dimensions, even with only a single camera. The software digitally separates the referenced object from its natural environment. It then provides multiple possibilities for the objects type and orientationdefining what it is and which way it is facing. Possible object types and orientations are refined using a graphics processing unit (GPU) on a PC graphics card to make a photorealistic rendering of the object. After the computer-generated model of the object is developed, a sequence of imagessimilar to a videois created by the GPU to correlate the accuracy of the model on a frame-by-frame basis. With video input, this process tracks the movements and the geometric changes of objects over time in any environment.
Energids surgical simulator enables surgeons in training to learn new procedures and operate on 3-D computer-synthesized models.
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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 tailored to industrial inspection, home-health monitoring, and citrus harvesting. Energids two medical technologies are not yet on the market. The company is looking for partners to field its surgical simulator. It is also looking for additional funds to finish developing its robotic ultrasound system. For missile defense Energid was funded to develop software for a threedimension threat-object identification system to automatically construct identification algorithms for ladar and intensity sensor data.
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Beaming Medical Diagnoses
Maxion Technologies, Inc. College Park, MD
In the near future, hospitals using Maxions laser-based infrared sensor system may be able to noninvasively diagnose impending organ failure, drug overdose, or even the onset of a stomach ulcer. Maxions technology will offer doctors a cost-effective and more precise diagnostic tool, compared with the output of such legacy devices as x-rays.
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We the People
Promotes the general welfare by using laser-based sensors to diagnose drug overdoses, pending organ failures, or the onset of stomach ulcers quickly, accurately, and noninvasively. The sensors use interband cascade (IC) and quantum cascade (QC) lasers, which are semiconductor lasers that emit in the mid- to far-infrared portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. Maxion developed efficient and cost-effective lasers that expand the capabilities of infrared-sensing devices for various molecules having strong infrared-absorption fingerprints. This expanded capability is especially useful in the medical industry to diagnose a patients illness or even perform noninvasive, optical glucose monitoring for diabetics.
How it works The distributed feedback lasers developed by the company are mid-infrared lasers based on indium-arsenide, gallium-antimonide, and aluminum-antimonide materials. This distributed feedback technique employs a semiconductor grating structure along the entire length of the laser. The laser design cascades electrons to produce multiple photons as the electrons move between the energy bands, or levels, of the multilayered semiconductor structure used for the laser. Common mid-infrared diode lasers have power efficiencies as small as 3 percent, with 97 percent of their input 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 efficiencies higher than 17 percent, resulting in much more efficient operation than comparable lasers. These efficiencies compare with competitive lasers that, on average, generate less than 1 milliwatt of power.
Maxions laser technology might one day be used in devices for optical glucose monitoring, easing the testing burden on diabetic patients.
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Status of the product Maxion is pursuing health monitoring applications, although the technology is not yet commercially available. And, in an even more-sophisticated future, the company foresees its technology being used in emergency-room situations where a physician may be able to place a portable sensor over an unconscious patient and immediately rule out a narcotics overdose or other toxic condition. For missile defense Maxion was funded to develop IC and QC lasers to enhance missile sensor technologies in the infrared spectrum.
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Blending a Better Drug
Resodyn Corporation Butte, MT
Using sound-induced technology, Resodyns industrial mixers offer pharmaceutical companies the ability to manufacture drugs without causing molecular damage often attributed to propeller-based mixing equipment. The companys industrial mixers are currently being used by Dow Corning to blend viscous materials.
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We the People
Promotes the general welfare by reducing the possibility of damage to the molecular structures of pharmaceuticals during the manufacturing mixing process. Resodyns technology quickly can combine difficult-to-mix chemical substances using sound instead of rotors, which have been known to destroy elements within various mixtures. How it works Resodyns ResonantAccoustic mixers work by inducing low-frequency resonant sonic energy in the material to be mixed, resulting in an increased rate of energy dissipation per unit mass of the substance and allowing rapid and efficient dispersion of solids, gases, and liquids. The companys apparatusessentially a vessel with no moving parts insideruns at approximately 50 to 100 hertz, with acoustic energy of up to 220 decibels. On the outside of the vessel, a proprietary, patented drive system serves as the resonant mechanical driver, which radiates an acoustic-energy field and mixes the vessel contents. Because Resodyns mixing method uses external acoustic generators to excite the materials in the container, the cleaning of rotors or mixer blades is not required, which means there is less handling of potentially hazardous equipment or material by workers. In addition to safety, the technology brings speed. Mixing time for many difficult-to-mix materials can be trimmed from over an hour to just under a few minutes. And compared with conventional propeller-driven mixing methods, Resodyns technology provides the added benefit of a greater-density end product. This is achieved by reducing the potential for gas bubbles, which can degrade the overall quality of the material being mixed.
Resodyns sound-induced industrial mixers can stir materials quickly without causing molecular damage.
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Status of the product Resodyns industrial mixers are commercially available and in use at Dow Corning, mixing viscous materials in minutes, rather than hours. The company has recently expanded its product line to include a wide array of laboratory and production mixers. Commercial applications of these mixers include, but are not limited to, adhesives, advanced materials, ceramics, composites, cosmetics, electronic materials, nanomaterials, pastes, pharmaceuticals, polymers, and resins. For missile defense Resodyn was funded to develop a new technique for making high-density metallized gel propellants used in divert-and-attitude control systems.
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Section Four
Secure the Blessings of Liberty
New inventions, new comforts, new ideas, new businesses, new technologiesthese are all blessings that result from our Liberty. Technologies that we cannot imagine living without todayairplanes, light bulbs, computers, and telephoneswere developed with determination, hard work, and ingenuity that epitomize the American entrepreneurial spirit. The Founding Fathers had no idea where innovation spawned by their American dream would lead, but they knew that whatever the future, it would flourish only if the people were free to think independently, to speak as they believe, to be creative in living their lives, to pursue leisure, to travel as they please, to learn what they choose. American businesses, operating within a framework of free enterprise, are creating commercial products that improve our lives and allow us to enjoy our liberty to the fullest. And some of these products have emerged from MDA-funded technologies. A few of these innovations include n a composite material that can help eliminate aircraft vibrations and improve in-flight comfort, n a composite material that can be used to create flexible, morphing aircraft wings to improve flying efficiencies, n a laser-based imaging system that can greatly enhance television picture quality, n a semiconductor-based, anti-counterfeiting marking process that can be applied to identity documents, and n a hybrid electric-hydrogen fuel cell that can be used to power vehicles of the future. An enterprising and innovative spirit has been a core principle of the American dream since our Nation was founded. And, when it comes to technology development, liberty is, in effect, two-fold. The freedom that allows us to invent and commercialize also enables Americans to enjoy their individual freedoms to the maximum benefit.
Stabilizing Flight-deck Electronics
Lawrie Technology, Inc. Girard, PA
High-endurance components made of Lawries flexible matrix composite material can reduce damage to on-board aircraft electronics caused by vibrations. This lightweight, low-cost material also can extend the performance and lifespan of metal rotors and pumps used on aircraft.
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We the People
Secures the blessings of liberty by improving the safety of airplane transportation. Using Lawries flexible matrix composite materials to build driveshafts, pumps, and other major components of aircraft and rotocraft reduces the vibration they can cause. As a result, the stability of flight-deck electronics instrumentation is increased, as is the overall strength and lifespan of the aircraft. And, passengers and crew members receive a much smoother flight, too. How it works Lawrie has embedded fibers within an elastomeric matrix to create a new material that offers steel-like performance in bending and tension, but in terms of torsion and shear, it acts more like rubber. It has done this by taking a flexible-matrix-composite profile and orienting the fibers in a lengthwise direction, creating a material that twists exactly as if it were an epoxy fiber composite. Instead of batch processing, the composite-production method for this material involves pultrusion, a continuous molding process that allows a constant cross-section in composite formation that also involves no undesirable atmospheric moisture curing or contamination. Moreover, Lawries resin injection process produces virtually no voids, or spaces.
n Lawries composite materials can be incorporated in helicopter-tail rotor driveshafts, as seen above, to increase the strength and endurance of the component.
Status of the product The product is commercially available. Materials made by pultrusion reduce prices by 80 to 90 percent of that charged by competitors. For missile defense Lawrie was funded to develop low-weight, low-cost materials with inherent damping to absorb vibrations that could damage onboard electronics.
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Improving Aircraft Aerodynamics
NanoSonic, Inc. Christiansburg, VA
NanoSonics Metal Rubber shape-shifting material could be used in next-generation morphing aircraft, such as the one pictured above, to improve aerodynamics. Such enhancements would benefit travelers with faster travel times and smoother flights.
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We the People
Secures the blessings of liberty by giving airline passengers a faster and smoother flight to their travel destination. This becomes possible through the creation of aerodynamically enhanced and morphed aircraft wings made with composite shape-changing materials. Metal Rubber, a flexible, lightweight, highly conductive, and radiation-resistant nanomaterial, is commercially available and can be used wherever materials, including electronic wires, need to bend and stretch. Beyond aircraft, Metal Rubber could be integrated into many consumer goods including cell phones, laptop computers, roll-up keyboards, and structural health monitoring sensors to increase their efficiencies. How it works NanoSonics patented nanocomposite material combines the high electrical conductivity of metals with the low mechanical modulus of elastomers, through a process known as electrostatic self-assembly (ESA). The ESA process can produce Metal Rubber thin-film coatings and free-standing materials with nanoscalelevel molecular uniformity. As a result, products such as Metal Rubber can be made using only parts per million of metal, thus reducing the cost of producing the commercial product. Metal Rubber also incorporates an elastomeric polymer backbone, which enables it to stretch up to 300 percent and then recover its original shape and conductivity. The chemical process also allows NanoSonic to design Metal Rubbers characteristics (conductivity and modulus) to meet specific engineering requirements. Metal Rubber is produced in 6-inch and 12-inch sheets, which are each 1 millimeter thick. The thin-film material can be applied to virtually any material, especially where flexibility is desired, such as electrical wiring.
NanoSonic researchers display thin-film sheets made of Metal Rubber.

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Status of the product NanoSonic is selling Metal Rubber as a commercial product and is currently working with prime aerospace contractors to further develop the technology. The company is considering licensing its manufacturing processes to interested companies. NanoSonic was named 2007 small business of the year by Virginia Business magazine. It also received a 2007 Micro/Nano 25 award. For missile defense NanoSonic was funded to use its modified ESA process to develop nonlinear optical-waveguide and modulator-device products suitable for near-term use in optical communications and signal processing systems.
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Enhancing Image Quality
Novalux, Inc. Sunnyvale, CA
Novaluxs laser technology will offer viewers crisper, more brilliant images while using less energy and lasting longer than light-emitting diode and ultra-high-performance rear-projection TVs currently sold on the market.
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We the People
Secures the blessings of liberty by improving the technology that we use in our leisure time, offering television viewers sharper, crisper, and more brilliant pictures than ever envisioned. The Novalux Extended-Cavity Surface-Emitting Laser (NECSEL) technology that produces these stunning onscreen images include three lasers housed in one unit about the size of a matchbox. NECSELs do not require the fans, lamps, color wheels, or beam-shaping optics found in todays televisions. This laser suite enables state-of-the-art viewing, using light that is 1-milliontimes brighter than current light-emitting diode technology, is eco-friendly, and carries a low price tag. How it works Within a television set, a NECSEL provides high-power beams from cavities that measure only one cubic centimeter. NECSELs have a gallium indium arsenide semiconductor gain medium. The surface-emitting lasers configuration is changed by adding a partially reflective mirror to its outside structure. This extra mirror (separated a few centimeters from the laser die) leaves sufficient space for intracavity optics. A non-linear optical crystal is fitted into that space, which shifts the light as the beam passes through. This shift in wavelength produces the green, red, and blue laser colors. The design has several advantages over traditional edge-emitting lasers. First, it is easier to mass-produce than an edge-emitting laser. Thousands of them can fit on a single 4-inch wafer, which means Novalux can make more lasers out of fewer wafers. Second, onwafer testing of surface-emitting lasers saves time, money, and resources by allowing rapid testing of lasers before they are cut from the wafer. This is not possible with edge-emitting lasers. And third, the structure of surface-emitting lasers allows them to operate with higher peak power and better beam quality than edge-emitters.
Novaluxs NECSEL technology can improve television picture quality while saving money and energy.
n
Status of the product NECSELs are slated to appear in rear-projection laser televisions, possibly as soon as 2009. They will use about 60 percent less power and last 10 times longer than lamp televisions, and they are expected to cost far less than current flat-screen TVs. Beyond rear-projection TVs, NECSELs can also be used in movie theater projectors, automobile heads-up displays, illuminated passive advertising signs, and specialty lighting. Also expected to emerge in the next few years are cell-phone picoprojectors through which images and video could be projected directly onto a wall or other surface. For missile defense Novaluxs technology was developed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Lincoln Laboratory and funded by MDA predecessors to develop lightweight microlasers for optical communications in space.
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Revealing Counterfeit Documents
Optodot Corporation Allston, MA
Optodots security-marking technology can prevent the counterfeiting of documents, ranging from currency to passports to credit cards. The invisible markings are made with a combination of light-sensitive inks that can be applied to documents using common inkjet or thermal printers.
64
We the People
Secures the blessings of liberty by offering American consumers and travelers added peace of mind through the protection of personal information from identity theft. Optodots securitymarking technology could improve the safekeeping of official documents such as visas, passports, and drivers licenses by directly printing light-sensitive markings over key information. The company says the technology also could be used as a countermeasure to falsifying identification cards, currency, bank documents, and branded goods. How it works Optodots patented security-marking technology uses a photochromic ink that is extremely sensitive to infrared laser light. The ink is a multicomponent formulation containing organic semiconductor material that, when electro-reduced, changes color and becomes infrared transparent. More specifically, when exposed to a low-power infrared laser, the organic semiconductor changes its color from a light tan to a bright yellow and allows more infrared light to pass through it. These digitally imaged areas form a pattern that is readable by an infrared scanner or a camera. Photochromic ink has excellent durability during periods of storage. It also is visually transparent, making it ideal for overprinting. For example, the photochromic ink, combined with an infrared reflective ink containing organic semiconductor material, can be applied directly over bar codes and key personal information on official documents, such as visas and passports, using common inkjet or thermal-transfer printing methods.
Optodots security-marking technology can be easily read with hand-held scanners.
n
Status of the product Optodot is working with U.S. companies to develop and market all commercial aspects of the product. For missile defense Optodot was funded to develop compact, high-speed optoelectronic modulator chips to enable faster computing rates in high-end defense computers.
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Fueling Next-generation Vehicles
ZTEK Corporation Woburn, MA
ZTEK fuel cells soon could replace polluting gasoline engines with clean energy. Unlike most currently produced fuel cells, ZTEKs technology produces both electricity and hydrogen, which can power a personal vehicle over long distances.
66
We the People
Secures the blessings of liberty by helping us improve the quality of air we breathe today and in the years to come. Like all other fuel cells, ZTEKs technology generates electricity; the added benefit comes from its unique ability to generate hydrogen, too. The technology is well-suited for powering personal vehicles and buses, as well as for heating and cooling commercial buildings. Using large-size solidoxide fuel cells would give companies, such as local utilities, a distinct advantage over those whose systems only generate hydrogen by providing them a revenue stream through electricity sales back to the grid. How it works The core of ZTEKs system is a zirconia-based solid-oxide fuel cell that operates at 900C to 1,000C. Air enters the cathodic compartment, where electrons from the cathode split the oxygen molecule into oxygen ions. The oxygen ions travel through the solid-oxide electrolyte (zirconia) and react with the hydrogen (or carbon) in the fuel, forming water and carbon dioxide, and releasing electrons. Steam and carbon dioxide exit the cell as exhaust, and the electrons are harvested as electricity through external loads. To co-produce hydrogen, ZTEK developed a steam reformer that uses the fuel cells waste heat. The reformer and fuel cell are co-located within a container and in close thermal contact. Most hydrogen used in the United States is produced through simple steam reforming. The process uses high temperatures, steam, natural gas, and a catalyst to promote the reaction of natural gas with water, which produces hydrogen, carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide. Typically, the heat for the reaction and the production of steam is generated by burning additional natural gas. However, ZTEK uses the waste heat and steam from the fuel-cell reaction to increase the efficiency of the process and reduce the reformers footprint and size. The fuel cell and reformer fit in a 10-foot cube.
ZTEKs fuel-cell system for industrial applications.
Status of the product ZTEK fuel-cell systems currently are being tested around the country by such prime contractors as AT&T to provide electricity for its phone-network switching stations, and the Tennessee Valley Authority to produce energy-efficient heating and cooling. For hydrogen production, a demonstration hydrogen refueling station currently is being built in San Carlos, CA, by ZTEK as part of the California Fuel Cell Partnership. ZTEK also collaborated with the Navy to develop a hydrogen refueling station at Camp Pendleton near Oceanside, CA. For missile defense ZTEK was funded to develop high-performance zirconia electrolyte membranes for use in fuel-cell-powered systems.
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. . . [T]he progress of human knowledge will be rapid and discoveries made of which we have at present no conception. I begin to be almost sorry I was born so soon, since I cannot have the happiness of knowing what will be known a hundred years hence. Benjamin Franklin Letter July 27, 1783
Conclusion
merican researchers are meeting the challenge to move our country forward with fresh, groundbreaking innovations that are more energy-efficient, environmentally friendly, medically safe, and physically superior compared with currently available products. MDA funded the endeavors of these researchers to find innovative ways to improve the pieces of the Ballistic Missile Defense System. After spending months or years laboring to develop proof of concepts and to build testable systems, researchers often pursue greater entrepreneurial hopes, saying We can do more. The spirit of doing more is what makes the American dream work. The following slice of wisdom has been attributed to Benjamin Franklin, one of the framers of the Constitution: Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement, and success have no meaning. Inspired by such wisdom, researchers today are driving American innovation forward. Although success is never guaranteed, this report highlights examples of MDAfunded companies that are driving toward it. These companies have been able to move their technologies into the private sector and make a difference in the lives of ordinary Americanswhether its building portable communications systems to help victims of natural disasters, creating medical tools to help us heal faster, or developing rapid production methods to help American manufactures regain a competitive edge. Today, more than 220 years after the Constitution was penned, we continue the quest outlined by the Founding Fathers to make our lives easier through innovation, progress, and freedom. Benjamin Franklin and the other Framers of the Constitution would have been proud to know that their vision of freedom has fostered an environment in which incredible innovations have ariseninnovations that continue to contribute to our liberty and to the quality of American life today.
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Contacts
Section One Ensure Domestic Tranquility

n Blue Road Research
Section Two Provide for the Common Defense

n 2Phase Technologies, Inc.
Contact Nick Ortyl E-mail solutions@bluerr.com Telephone (781) 275-0381

n Cree, Inc.
Contact John Crowley E-mail jcrowley@2phasetech.com Telephone (775) 246-8324

n S2 Corporation
Contact Deb Lovig E-mail deb_lovig@cree.com Telephone (919) 313-5300

n GATR Technologies
Contact Kris Merkel E-mail merkel@s2corporation.com Telephone (406) 922-0334

n Schafer Corporation
Contact Paul Gierow E-mail pgierow@gatr.com Telephone (256) 382-4334

n Innovative Power Solutions, LLC
Contact Carol Daniel E-mail cdaniel@schaferhsv.com Telephone (256) 489-6740

n SiMMTec, Inc.
Contact Scott Jacobs E-mail sjacobs@lps-llc.com Telephone (732) 544-1075, ext. 203
n Integument Technologies, Inc.
Contact Ronald Wallace E-mail rwwallace@simm-tec.com Telephone (724) 444-8800

n TechFinity, Inc.
Contact Terry Vargo E-mail tvargo@integument.com Telephone (716) 873-1199

n Mid Technologies Corporation
Contact John Armenian E-mail hkarmenian@techfinity.com Telephone (818) 380-3077
Contact Chris Ludlow E-mail cludlow@mide.com Telephone (781) 306-0609

n Odyssian Technology, LLC
Contact Barton Bennett E-mail barton.bennett@odyssian.com Telephone (574) 257-7555
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Section Three Promote the General Welfare

n AccSys Technology, Inc.
Section Four Secure the Blessings of Liberty

n Lawrie Technology, Inc.
Contact Gerard Goldner E-mail ggoldner@accsys.com Telephone (925) 462-6949, ext. 103
n Aculight Corporation
Contact Duncan Lawrie E-mail duncan@lawrietechnology.com Telephone (814) 746-4125

n NanoSonic, Inc.
Contact Robert Afzal E-mail info@aculight.com Telephone (425) 482-1100

n Advanced Ceramics Research, Inc.
Contact Richard Claus E-mail roclaus@nanosonic.com Telephone (540) 953-1785

n Novalux, Inc.
Contact Matt Pobloske E-mail mpobloske@acrtucson.com Telephone (520) 573-6300

n Energid Technologies Corporation
Contact Aram Mooradian E-mail info@novalux.com Telephone (408) 730-3800

n Optodot Corporation
Contact James English E-mail jde@energid.com Telephone (617) 401-7090

n Maxion Technologies, Inc.
Contact Steven Carlson E-mail scarlson@optodot.com Telephone (617) 562-0800

n ZTEK Corporation
Contact John D. Bruno E-mail bruno@maxion.com Telephone (301) 405-6447

n Resodyn Corporation
Contact Robb Edwards E-mail redwards@ztekcorporation.com Telephone (781) 933-8339
Contact Lawrence Farrar E-mail lcfarrar@resodyn.com Telephone (406) 497-5252
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Photo Credits
Front Cover - Statue of Liberty ................Courtesy of National Park Service Front Cover - Hydrogen car.......................Courtesy of California Hydrogen Highway Front Cover - Bridge .......................................Courtesy of Stock.xchng Front Cover - Satellite ....................................Courtesy of NASA Page 10 - Thomas Jefferson ......................www.america.gov Page 10 - Ben Franklin ..................................Courtesy of NOAA Page 10 - Thomas Edison............................www.archives.gov Page 14 - Mount Rushmore .....................Courtesy of Stock.xchng Page 16 - Bridge ...............................................Courtesy of Stock.xchng Page 18 - Water cube ....................................Courtesy of Cree, Inc. Page 20 - Men in flood .................................Courtesy of FEMA Page 22 - In-flight entertainment..........Courtesy of The Boeing Company Page 24 - Graffiti ...............................................Courtesy of Stock.xchng Page 26 - Train wheels ..................................Courtesy of Stock.xchng Page 28 - Pipe ....................................................Courtesy of Stock.xchng Page 30 - Iwo Jima ..........................................Courtesy of Stock.xchng Page 32 - Black Hawk ....................................Courtesy of U.S. Army
Page 34 - Satellite ............................................Courtesy of NASA Page 36 - Soldier ..............................................Courtesy of U.S. Army Page 38 - Tanks ..................................................Courtesy of U.S. Army Page 40 - Command center ......................Courtesy of NORAD Page 42 - Statue of Liberty.........................Courtesy of Stock.xchng Page 44 - Brain glioma..................................Courtesy of FL State University Page 46 - Man/hearing aid ........................Courtesy of Purdue University Page 48 - Jawbone .........................................Courtesy of Sandia National Laboratories Page 50 - Surgeon ...........................................PhotoDisc, Inc. Page 52 - Surgical image.............................Courtesy of U.S. Air Force Page 54 - Pills......................................................PhotoDisc, Inc. Page 56 - Liberty bell.....................................Courtesy of Stock.xchng Page 58 - Cockpit.............................................Courtesy of NASA Page 60 - Aircraft ..............................................Courtesy of NASA Page 62 - Television ........................................Courtesy of Stock.xchng Page 64 - Passport ...........................................Courtesy of Stock.xchng Page 66 - Hydrogen car ...............................Courtesy of California Hydrogen Highway Back Cover - Sunrise.......................................Courtesy of Stock.xchng

2008 Missile Defense Agency Technology Applications Report
This report has been written and produced for the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) Technology Applications program by the National Technology Transfer Center-Washington Operations. Editor .....................................................................................Joe Singleton Production Manager/Editor ....................................Lisa Hylton Contributing Writers ....................................................L. Scott Tillett and Joan Zimmermann Technical Advisors.........................................................Alan Sherwin, Jeff Reynolds, and Duane Zieg Design and Layout........................................................Renan Kiper (amdi.com) This project is sponsored by MDA. The information presented does not necessarily reflect the position or policy of the Federal Government; no official endorsement should be inferred.
So, with all the creative energy at our command, let us begin an era of national renewal. Let us renew our determination, our courage, and our strength. . . . We have every right to dream heroic dreams. Those who say that we are in a time when there are no heroes just dont know where to look. President Ronald Reagan First Inaugural Address January 20, 1981
Missile Defense Agency Advanced Technology (MDA/DV) Technology Applications Program Visit the Agencys Web sites, www.mda.mil or www.mdatechnology.net, to read about innovations that advance the American dream.
Approved for Public Release 08-MDA-3849 (07 OCT 08)

2008 TA Report Innovation

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2008 TA Report Innovation

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Guided by intellectual freedom and entrepreneurial bravery, Americas innovators are developing tomorrows technology today.

The Spirit of Innovation

2008 Missile Defense Agency Technology Applications Report

Robert S. Barnes, Deputy, Advanced Technology, Missile Defense Agency

Missile Defense Agency Mission

Technology Applications Program

Advancing Missile Defense .................................................................................................................. 10 The Spirit of Innovation .......................................................................................................................... 12

Ensure Domestic Tranquility

Provide for the Common Defense

Promote the General Welfare

Secure the Blessings of Liberty

Advancing Missile Defense

The Spirit of Innovation

Ensure Domestic Tranquility

Sensing Roadway Integrity

Blue Road Research Gresham, OR

Lighting the Olympic Spirit

Cree, Inc. Durham, NC

Crees LEDs produce cool-white and warm-white light.

Enabling Emergency Communications

GATR Technologies Huntsville, AL

Powering In-flight Entertainment

Innovative Power Solutions, LLC Eatontown, NJ

Erasing the Work of Vandals

Integument Technologies, Inc. Tonawanda, NY

Keeping Trains on Tracks

Mid Technology Corporation Medford, MA

Detecting Toxic Leakage

Odyssian Technology, LLC South Bend, IN

Provide for the Common Defense

Replicating Large Parts Fast

2Phase Technologies, Inc. Dayton, NV

Enabling High-speed Signal Processing

Improving Warfighter Response Time

Schafer Corporation Chelmsford, MA

Destroying Roadside Bombs

SiMMtec, Inc. Allison Park, PA

Planning the Next Battle

TechFinity, Inc. Sherman Oaks, CA

Promote the General Welfare

Accelerating Cancer Therapy

AccSys Technology, Inc. Pleasanton, CA

Stimulating Aural Functionality

Aculight Corporation Bothell, WA

Casting Bone Replacements

Advanced Ceramics Research, Inc. Tucson, AZ

Simulating and Simplifying Surgery

Energid Technologies Corporation Cambridge, MA

Beaming Medical Diagnoses

Maxion Technologies, Inc. College Park, MD

Blending a Better Drug

Resodyn Corporation Butte, MT

Secure the Blessings of Liberty

Stabilizing Flight-deck Electronics

Lawrie Technology, Inc. Girard, PA

Improving Aircraft Aerodynamics

NanoSonic, Inc. Christiansburg, VA

NanoSonic researchers display thin-film sheets made of Metal Rubber.

Enhancing Image Quality

Novalux, Inc. Sunnyvale, CA

Revealing Counterfeit Documents

Optodot Corporation Allston, MA

Fueling Next-generation Vehicles