Tactical Technology by LASA Ezine

TACTICAL

TECHNOLOGY EnergyAround the World Page 30

Drone Warfare Page 20 Weareable Computers Page 8Page 8

Walking the Line Page 14

Letter From The Editor W

ow, the first and final issue of Tactical Technology is finally out. This has been months of grueling research, writing and designing and we are proud to present to you our product. We took time to find the most relevant, and interesting stories to present to you all. We have certainly had a few speedbumps along the way, Zach wanted to become a professional memer most of the time and most of our work was always late. When we first became a group there was a common consensus among us that we would never get anything done, oh how far we have come. There wasn’t a single feature idea that is the same as the first idea, starting out this would have been a very different magazine. Writing this makes us realize how lucky we are, lucky that we’ve managed to get this much done! We became good friends after being assigned to a group together, nothing can bring people together like good memes, deadlines and dumb Jaden Smith quotes. My favorite memory this semester of eZine and probably a memory that can sum up this group pretty well is: One time we heard the song ‘Hello” by Adele and decided to take the lyrics

and replace every verb with the word “dank”, long story short we aren’t sitting close together anymore. This is making us sound like slackers, but we aren’t.When hard pressed for time Sankarsh can pump out a full feature and Zach and Jacob revealed their work ethic. I am very proud of how we cranked out this entire magazine and the quality of work we produced. We hope this magazine is enjoyable to not just technology enthusiast but also the general public. From here at Tactical Technology we wish you a happy holidays! -Caleb Cavness Chief Editor

Tactical Tech. Dec. 2015 3

Table of Contents 8

“Wearable Computers” by Caleb Cavness

Check out which smartwatch is the best in the market!

“Drone Warfare: Fighting Wars from 7,000 Miles Away” by Jacob Wechsler Is drone warfare ethical? Find out here!

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“Uses of 3-D Printing” by Caleb Cavness

“2015 in Tech” by Jacob Wechsler

“Walking the Line” by Sankarsh Rao

“Graphics in Gaming” by Sankarsh Rao

Learn how virtual reality impacts you right now.

“Capturing the Sun” by Zach Walgren

“Energy Around the World” by Zach Walgren

Learn about the history and potential uses of solar energy.

Tactical Tech. Dec. 2015 5

Contributors Caleb Cavness has always been intrigued by technology. Caleb enjoys computer games, and reading ebooks.

Sankarsh Raoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s family has always had jobs in technology, so he was immersed in the world of tech from a very young age.

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Jacob Wechsler has been intersted in science and math as far as he can remember, because is father had a job in technology when he was young. As he matured he developed a big interest in tech. Jacob is taking calculus, and is only in 9th grade!

Zach Walgren appreciates how technology shapes the modern world, affecting daily life, entertainment, and global issues. He enjoys tinkering with musical electronics and amplifiers.

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Art Credit: Maurizio Pesce

The LG G Watch is a popular smartwatch product. It differs from competitors by not running on only one operating system.

Wearable Computers

The Smartphone Killers

he smartwatch market has grown seven times over in the past three years. This growth rivals that of the smartphone market a few years ago. Smartwatches lingered around for quite a while before the extremely popular Apple Watch hit the market. For example, back in 2001 IBM released the first take on the smartwatch format. The next big product released in 2009, the Samsung S9110. This product had the ability to make and receive calls which at the time no company had tried. Smartwatches, as a product, progressed very far from their roots, and the first mainstream smartwatch, the Samsung Galaxy

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Gear, released just two years ago. “I envision the smartwatch to replace the smartphone by 2030,” Laurent Le Pen, CEO of Omate, said. “And by 2050, we will have hologram-like tablet size displays popping out of our standalone smartwatches.” The smartwatch market has hit a boom; the products have a very bright future ahead of them, and they exist in a very competitive market. With Apple and Samsung among the first to adopt the smartwatch form; LG and Sony have come out with their own take on the smartwatch. All of these smartwatches share many of the same features on the

By Caleb Cavness

outside, however they each have their strengths and weaknesses, pros and cons which one should consider. By taking a look at the future of the smartwatch industry, one can paint a clear picture of the success this industry could have. The differences in the smartwatch market and smartphone market have become extremely transparent; two main tech giants run the smartphone market. Filled with large technology companies, Kickstarter funded projects and small time startups the smartwatch market has product diversity. The main smartwatches in question and those that will most likely still exist

Art Credit: Sony

in a few years: the Apple Watch, the Sony Smartwatch 3, Samsung Gear Live, and the LG G Watch R. Starting with the most popular based on sales, the Apple Watch released to stores in April of 2014. Pricing starts at $549 for the basic model and can go up to $17,000 for the products featuring 18k gold. The watch can have a 1.32-1.5 inch display diagonal based on the size of the watch. The watch comes in either a small or large side and comes in three varieties: Watch, the standard model; Watch Sport which holds additional fitness features; lastly the Watch Edition costs a large sum of money due to the 18 karat gold frame. The popularity of the iPhone and corresponding app store means that many apps on the store can download to the

“If I didn’t already have an iPhone, nor was interested in owning one, I would not be interested in the Apple Watch. ”

The Sony Smartwatch 3 offers buyers an array of colors, including yellow and grey.

watch. One feature that sets apart the Apple Watch from some of its competitors: the products’ camera. When paired with an iPhone the Apple Watch can perform many useful functions

and lets the user have access to their phone on their wrist. The Samsung Gear exists as part of Android Wear family which, including LG, consists of a group of wearables that run on

software designed by Android. This model has a 1.6 inch screen diagonal making it slightly larger than Samsung’s main competitor: Apple. Starting at only $100 this product competes with the very popular Apple Watch, due to it’s efficiency, and apps available. One other feature that has allowed this product to stay in the competition: it’s camera. Like most other smartwatches this product also requires a Samsung smartphone to function to it’s full extent. This product released in July of 2013 and uses the appstore: Samsung Galaxy Apps. As part of the Android Wear Family, the LG G watch released in July 2014 by LG with support from Google. This watch also features a square design of 280x280 pixels. This smartwatch does not feature a camera, however this watch has a unique feature in the fact that it does not run any one operating system: the LG G watch can operate on either iOS 8.2 or later or Android 4.3. This watch retails for around $230 making this a more expensive alternative to the Samsung G. Running this watch with iOS does come with some limited functionality, mainly due to the fact that some apps may not exist. This comes from the fact that, while the watch could run on iOS, the watch, designed by Android, would run more efficiently on the operating system also designed by Android. Lastly, the Sony Smartwatch 3 shares many similar features to the LG G watch, with only a 1.6 inch screen diagonal and they both run on the Android Wear System. Like the Tactical Tech. Dec. 2015 9

other products mentioned this would mainly used for tasks that would prove too tedious to use their phone for. Some examples of these tasks include: searching up the weather, googling something or check the latest email. Many people who own smartwatches agree that their devices function best where at these tasks. When asked when asked what he uses his smartwatch for Mateen Kontravdis said, “Apple watch: to check time or do simple tasks that would require more time using the iPhone.” The best smartwatch overall, based on features, price and reception by the public: LG G watch. This watch’s features do their task well and the product comes in a variety of colors. The main reason this one product places higher than the others would because of it’s ability to run on both Android Wear OS and iOS with limited functionality loss. At a reasonable price and with the largest screen design and a battery life that lasts longer than most others, this watch only misses a camera, however considering you 10 Tactical Tech. Dec. 2015

Art Credit: Raneko

The Apple Watch has taken lead as the lead smartwatch however is the most expensive.

need a smartphone to operate it anyway that may not prove a big deal. All of the aforementioned smartwatches require smartphones to function some degree to function. This comes to a problem that most of the smartwatch industry seems to have: independency. This started as a way to let people answer texts and emails without having to take out their smartphone. This one of the reasons smartwatches haven’t become as popular as smartphones. Also “the interactive surface of the watch is too small to do the majority of things we do on our phones today like social networking, gaming, browsing the web, photography,” Florey said. Many people do not want to or have not considered a smartwatch due to this fact: because you actually end up needing a smartphone and at least another $200. “If I didn’t already have an iPhone, nor was interested in owning one,” Florey said, “I would not be interested in the Apple Watch.” Other problems exist with smartwatches as well,

Kontravdis said that when forced to perform a certain task he most often uses his smartphone; it’s obvious that the smartwatch sometimes doesn’t perform the task it exists to perform. However, hope seems to exist for the industry, when asked whether or not they thought smartwatches and smartphones would stay linked together Le Pen responded, “In the short term, the smartwatches will remain paired to our smartphones via Bluetooth Low Energy.” said Laurent Le Pen, “A slave device connected to its master but ultimately they will take over the control and become standalone and the smartphone will become the accessory. I envision the smartwatch to replace the smartphone by 2030 and by 2050 we will have hologram like tablet size displays popping out of our standalone smartwatches.” When a question about the future of smartwatches, Kontoravdis, an owner of an Apple Watch and student at Liberal Arts and Science Academy, said, “The apple watch is slowly showing up on more and more people’s wrists. Give it a few years and mostly everyone will have one.” He does have a point, with smartwatch sales rising rapidly over the past three or two years. The Apple Watch alone took home 75% of wearables sales last quarter. As one can see the smartwatch market will bloom even more and still retain product diversity, setting it apart from the smartphone watch which Apple and Samsung rule. The smartwatch market has many different models appealing to

Art Credit: Karlis Dhambrans

The Samsung Gear S is the second most popular product behind the Apple Watch.

The Pebble Trio is a group of smartwatches which like the apple watch has one luxury watch, one sport watch and one standard watch.

Tactical Tech. Dec. 2015 11

Art Credit: Aaron Jackson

The Pebble Watch was funded mainly by donors on Kickstarter.

Art Credit: Chris F

different audiences like fitness enthusiasts, tech gurus and now the general public. Smartwatches have a bright future ahead of them.

The Uses Of From drugs to food the uses of 3D printing are endless... it:

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What do food, anti-epileptic seizure pills and cars have in common? They can all be 3D printed! The industry of 3D printing has expanded way beyond the original of creating plastic art. 3D printing works by inputting a design into the machine and the printer creates the object by layering material on top of each other following the pattern provided by the designer. This allows 3D printing to only be limited by the users imagination!

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3D Printing By Caleb Cavness

Art Credit: Biozoon

More than ears and kidneys can be replicated, scientists have approved a full set of teeth! Prosthetics that are 3D printed can be custom fit to better suit the user.

Art Credit: Cunicode

Art Credit: Disrupt 3 Art Credit: Anna France

The automotive and aerospace industries have already been greatly streamlined due to 3D printing. The cars are created through a program to form the base, then the wheels and finer hardware is added.

density of the medication. Most hospitals in big cities now include a 3D printer as part of their equipment for this purpose.

Art Credit: Tommy Chang

Art Credit: McMinn

Food can even be 3D printed, an old folks home in Germany started by blending up food, putting it into a 3D printer and based on the amount of water added could create a variety of consistencies. Chocolate enthusiasts have also created a 3D printer especially for chocolate goodness.

When pills are created through 3D printing it allows hospitals to give patients specialized dosages. The pills potency can be controlled by altering the

Art Credit: Creative Tools

3D printers were first marketed for the home, this made creating durable plastic toys or elaborate sculptures easy for anyone with a basic

knowledge of design and programming.

Tactical Tech. Dec. 2015 13

Art Credit: Maurizio Pesce

This virtual reality device created by HTC, named the HTC Vive, is still yet to be released, but anticipated by millions.

Walking the Line

hat do a soldier who has PTSD, an autistic child, and a medical student all have in common? A virtual reality device could treat their problems. Through its many uses, (which include medicine, education, entertainment, and business) virtual reality has beneficial effects on people’s lives. “It [VR] would revolutionize entertainment, collaboration, explanation and productivity,” says Manju Hegde, a technologist and entrepreneur who has pioneered the implementation of virtual reality on high-end graphics cards. Virtual reality will affect a lot of people’s lives in the near future. Virtual reality creates an artificial environment that seems real. “It is mostly implemented by software on top of advanced 3D modeling systems,” says Raghu Rao, a noted technologist in the high performance compute and audio-visual industry. A programmable virtual reality can portray any setting or activity. For example, one can simulate a horror movie by programming a computer to show three dimensional images of scary themes through a headset or a screen. In addition to this, sound can be filtered through a pair of earphones connected to the device. This explains virtual reality in a very basic format.

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By: Sankarsh Rao

Uses of VR

There are various uses of virtual reality. “Gaming, video conferencing, virtual social networking, and many industrial applications, such as, remote surgery, and education. I think all of these benefit from a realistic, three-dimensional perception and that’s something VR can offer,” says Rao. Virtual reality’s uses help many people in their daily, work, and personal lives. First of all, the medical field uses virtual reality. It treats soldiers affected by PTSD and people with autism. The soldier sees images of war and battle to trigger a response, whether passive or aggressive. Virtual reality treats autism by using a virtual world to teach the child about necessary skills, such as independence and loyalty, which the child can utilize in the real world. Medical students studying to be surgeons can benefit from this because, special environments (that include operating rooms, surgical tools, and real-life patient mechanics) can be created to give them medical practice. While pictures can solve all of these problems, virtual reality offers a higher or deeper level of problem-solving by letting

“There are industrial and commercial applications that can start leveraging this for actual professional reasons soon.”

Sgt. Austin Berner and his army squad train using virtual reality.

connection to the monitor back “home.” This monitor displays whatever the wearer of the camera hears and sees. So, the person back home essentially has travelled to that place. This use is directed toward financially challenged or disabled people. Virtual reality impacts education, as well. “Films and pictures are the way people best perceive and communicate since a piece information is conveyed easily, and virtual reality can take that into the next dimension by actually placing you in a world, whether it’s history, or geography, or science,” says Rao. Virtual reality makes students interact with one

another, by displaying special activities on the student’s screens. “Along with well designed content, it can make a lot of learning more interesting and immersive,” says Hegde. The primary use of virtual reality (in most people’s opinions) includes entertainment. “The new avenues of entertainment and utility it opens up will be applicable to a wide array of people,” says Will Slatton, a

Art Credit: Sgt. Austin Berner

the user not only see the situation, but experience it. Traveling would use virtual reality as well. Virtual travel would include some form of visual perception, sound, and another camera on the opposite side. To start this, a volunteer would travel to an exotic or interesting place with a camera that captures sight and sound. This camera has a wireless

technology enthusiast and student at Liberal Arts and Science Academy. Video games and movies open to a whole new level when introduced to virtual reality. Cutscenes and normal gameplay become even more detailed because a gamer becomes immersed into a world where they experience three-dimensional models, high quality sound, and excellent resolution. “In the beginning, I think a lot of people will use VR for enhanced gaming experiences,” says Rao. This same concept (putting oneself in an artificial world to create entertainment production) can also be used for movies. Wouldn’t it be fun to fight deadly robots alongside with Arnold Schwarzenegger? Tactical Tech. Dec. 2015 15

Art Credit: NASA

This is the view that virtual reality users see while using a device.

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Art Credit: Ats Kurvet

A woman plays a game of Rock-Paper-Scissors with a virtual opponent through a virtual reality headset.

astian Stabinger Art Credit: Seb

This is the Oculus Rift, which is one of the most popular and anticipated virtual reality devices of next year

VR Effectiveness

The uses of virtual reality are boundless, which impacts people in a positive way. It opens up a whole new level for mostly everything. New technology usually has a strong, beneficial effect on the society. For example, moving pictures, introduced in the 1920-1930s, caused a big outbreak in creativity. People built off of this new visual concept to create whole new industries, such as movie-making. In this same way, virtual reality will affect the modern audience because a lot of people like to toy or modify the original device to create something very new. “I would be very interested in developing software for it and testing the boundaries of the platform,” says Slatton. By making a hardware platform available in volume and easily programmable, the creativity of software developers will be unleashed. These software

developers will open up inconceivable industries. Straight out of science fiction, maybe there could be a way to synergize the human mind with the computer and make artificial minds. Virtual reality allows people to get addicted or engrossed into the artificial world they reside in. People might want to do this for entertainment or maybe work in the future. A lot of people consider artificial worlds great because any modifications made by the user end with the user’s intended result. This allows for a tremendous amount creative, interesting, and probably inconceivable ideas created by individuals. Overall, virtual reality has the potential to change people’s lives. As of now, it is still in its most basic form (though the technology itself is very complex), but with the help of software developers and the technology community around the world, virtual reality can accomplish incredible feats. Tactical Tech. Dec. 2015 17

GRAPHICS When the first video game released in 1972, it took the world by surprise. From small, pixelated blocks to realistic beasts, gaming graphics has undergone one of the most drastic changes in the video game industry through the years.

1972-

“Pong”, the first video game ever created used the most primitive and basic form of graphics: raster graphics. Objects made from raster graphics consist of simply pixels.

1992“Mortal Kombat” was an important game in its generation. It was one of the first games in the 1990’s

that utilized real 3D models, and it expressed fighting in a very gruesome way.

Monitor Co.

1972 1985“Super Mario Brothers” was one of the most detailed-looking games of the era. This is because It portrayed cartoon-ish images and fire with comprehensible monsters.

images which required more pixels. At this point, video games still used raster graphics.

Monitor Co. 18 Tactical Technology Dec. 2015

Photo by: OpenClipartVectors

1980“Pac-man” used a bit more advanced set of graphics by forming circular

Monitor Co.

Photo by: Amit Agarwal

XBOX 360

Monitor Co.

By: Sankarsh Rao

2006“Gears of War” is a third-person shooter (TPS), which utilizes highly detailed vector graphics to portray aliens, blaster-shots, and blood. Photo by: silentyoshi2112

1993“Doom” was the first first-person shooter (FPS) ever made. It consists of a first-person view, which requires fairly detailed graphics engines, and enemies controlled by a computer that damage the user, which again call for a detailed graphics engines. Monitor Co.

Monitor Co.

2015

2015“The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt” is the most modern game that utilizes the most high-end graphics engines that are in existence today.

Monitor Co.

Photo by: Bago Gaes

2000“Counter-Strike” is a game that does not contain the most detailed graphics for its generation. Although this is true, “Counter-Strike” offers graphics that utilizes particle effects to display very detailed smoke, fire, and blood images. Monitor Co.

Photo by: Javi Vte Rejas

Photo by: Fredrik

Photo by: Midway

IN GAMING

Tactical Technology Dec. 2015 19

Drone Warfare: Fighting Wars from 7 Thousand Miles Away

By Jacob Wechsler

n the surface, drone warfare may appear to be the ultimate form of war: easy kills without the risk of losing a single soldier. However, drone technology might not be as effective as it sounds. As drone warfare increases in use, it may soon completely change air combat forever, but is it the best way for our future soldiers to fight? Drone warfare is the use of unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAVs) in war. There are only 7 countries that have drones capable of launching missiles, but their drones are spread throughout the world. Drone technology is quite powerful, with the ability to wage a full war from thousands of miles away without losing a single soldier. Bill Rickard, an Air Force veteran, sees this as a big threat.

“If you were to disperse this knowledge… to more people, it could get out of hand.” 20 Tactical Tech. Dec 2015

The U.S. has been using drone warfare in Pakistan since 2004 to combat terrorist groups residing there. Overall, about 2300 militants have been killed by drone strikes in Pakistan. However, some drone warfare opponents say the term “militant” is often used to describe any armed male within a conflict zone. Jim Turpin of the antiwar feminist NGO CodePINK Austin, has even gone as far as to claim that the U.S. mentality on killing with drones has become “If we kill you… you’re a terrorist.” One of the biggest reasons that people oppose drone warfare is that it kills many civilians. According to the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, about two civilians are killed in each drone strike,and one in every two drone strikes kills a child. A study conducted on classified military data even concluded that in Afghanistan, ten times more civilians were killed by drones than were killed by manned fighter

Photo Credit: U.S. Air Force/Rob Densmore

Is It Ethical?

aircraft. Marjorie Cohn, author of the book “Drones and Targeted Killing: Legal, Moral, and Geopolitical Issues”, noted that drones will hover above communities for hours, terrorizing the civilians who know that at any time, a bomb could be deployed upon them. In 2013, one tragic case occurred when Ali AlQawly, a father and teacher, was driving with his cousin and found two men asking for a ride. Ali let them into the car, but little did he

know, he was driving two U.S. targets. A U.S. drone struck the vehicle, killing all four people. Ali is just one of the many cases of innocent people killed by drones. Drone warfare is also considered inhumane because of the perceived ruthlessness of the U.S. Once the strike takes place, the U.S. will often proceed to strike the rescuers and, after that, the mourners. This, combined with the other civilian casualties often puts civilians at enmity with the U.S.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;[T]he use of drones is counter-productive. The blowback from drones results in more resentment against the United Statesâ&#x20AC;Ś and makes us more vulnerable to terrorism,â&#x20AC;? All this has outraged millions, making drone warfare one of the

most controversial U.S. practices. Though drone warfare may be disapproved by many, it is actually highly favored in the U.S. Polls have revealed that between 60 to 70 percent of Americans support drone warfare. One of the biggest reasons is that we are combatting terrorist groups. Terrorism is an enemy of all countries, so ridding the world of these terrorist groups is a good deed in the eyes of many. The lack of danger for U.S. personnel also increases the apTactical Tech. Dec 2015 21

An MQ-9 Reaper military drone takes off for a mission in Afghanistan.

“[B]ecause [of] a programming mistake or a mess-up in piloting, you 22 Tactical Tech. Dec 2015

could strike innocent people and kill civilians” Similarly, Cohn believes that a new drone technology called LARS, or lethal automated robotic systems, could soon take to the skies. Rather than using a human pilot to choose when to strike, LARS would use artificial intelligence (AI) to make the decisions. Cohn is concerned that by removing the human element, programming could result in more civilians

being killed, so that U.S. targets (which would be chosen by the AI) could be exterminated. However, this view is disputed by Patrick Lin, a leading robot expert at the California Polytechnic State University, who believes that drones with AI could calculate optimal times to strike, causing a decrease in civilian casualties. In a drone-ethics briefing Lin says, “The usual reason why we’d want robots in the service of national security and intelligence is that they can do jobs known as the three ‘D’s,” that is, dull jobs,

Photo Credit: Andy Dunaway

proval. Since drone warfare allows U.S. pilots to kill terrorists without the risk of death themselves, it is easily a popularly approved form of warfare. Also, the civilian casualties may be overlooked because the civilian to militant death ratio could be as low as 1:9. Despite the arguments that drone opponents make, drone warfare is likely to continue and increase in use. At the start of 2016, the Air Force will make a decision that will determine whether or not enlisted airmen could become drone pilots. If the Air Force does choose to allow airmen to be drone pilots, young men and women joining the military today could be piloting drones within just a few years. Miller Mowery, a technology enthusiast and freshman at Bowie High School, said he feels that drones will have better programing and piloting technology in the future. However, Mowery is also afraid that such advancements could cause big problems for drones.

6 GBU-38 munitions, a type of bomb dropped by the MQ-9 Reaper, explode in Iraq in 2008.

fare. Who knows? In 20 years, enrolling in the air force could mean sitting at a computer and fighting a war from 7 thousand miles away.

Photo Credit: Brian Ferguson

accusations of drone warfare opponents, it appears that their wishes will not be satisfied. Drones will shape an important proportion of our future and could be the beginning of a robotic revolution in war-

Photo Credit: Sabrina Johnson

Photo Credit: U.S. Air Force

dirty jobs, and dangerous jobs. Drones fit in to this category since the tasks that drones carry out are dull, because they must fly for lengths beyond human endurance, and dangerous, because they fly into hostile war zones to strike combatants. However, not only are drone pilots restricted by their need to sleep and eat, but some drone pilots have actually been diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) from repeatedly stalking targets for hours and then viewing the carnage after a strike. A drone capable to act for itself would not be limited by a drone pilotâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s circadian rhythm, natural error, or risk of PTSD. Despite the strong and harsh

The MQ-1b Predator takes off from a desert air field.

Tactical Tech. Dec 2015 23

Art Credit: Jamie Condliffe

New advancements in virtula reality have led to the creation of very realistic graphics. A virtual reality system called “Magic Leap” has created graphics that make objects look 3 -dimensional and hyperreal. Users have even described it as looking as authentic as possible.

Art Credit: Magic Leap

Art Credit: Sergey Makarov

Though small, a single-electron transistor is a gigantic breakthrough in quantum computing. This transistor utilizes the quantum states of an electron’s spin, which can be maesured in qubits. With the development of this single-electron transistor, quantum computers aren’t just visions anymore, they can actually be built.

Recent uses in gyroscopic technology have allowed for new, crazy vehicles. Lit Motors, for example, has been able to create a self-balancing, two-wheeled car. 19-yearold Ben J. Poss Gulak has also been able to create a one-wheeled bike, called the “Uno,” capable of speeds of up to 25 mph.

Photo Credit: Matthew de Paula

Nano-architecture is the creation of small structures from molecules in very organized and structually stable patterns. This allows for objects to be created that are not only very light, but extremely strong. Such structures could replace many modern materials and severely lighten the load while maintaning structural strength.

The Yamaha Motobot is a robot created by Yamaha to be able to ride motorcylces better than any human, specically, motorcycling world champion Valantino Rossi. Yamah hopes for the robot to be able to ride in straight lines in over 60mph speeds and to ride on a race tracks at speeds exceeding 120mph

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Photo Credit: Ben Gulak

20 in

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have created an alternative to the current environmentally toxic microchips by replacing gallium arsenide, which is the mass of the toxic material, with cellulose nanofibril, a thin, paper-like product of wood. Soon these wooden microchips could take the place of current ones, greatly decreasing the impact of electronic disposal on the environment.

Photo Credit: Solar Roadways

Nerosurgeon Emad Eskandar found that when he put electrodes in the brains of his patients with severe OCD to connect affected parts of the brain and ran a current through the them, half of his patients’ OCD symptoms dissapeared. This technology cuold potentially be used to cure other neurological disorders and diseases

Solar roadways make use of the otherwise nearly useless giant strips of land by giving roads a dual purpose: harnessing the sun’s light and converting it into electrical energy. The Solar Roadways are still in prototype stage but are capable of sustaining a 250,00lb weight.

Photo Credit: Amazon

Photo Credit: Paul Williams

Tech

The AeroMobil 3.0 is a something we’ve all been waiting for.: a car that can fly. This car has wings that can fold in for normal driving,and exteend for flight. This car-plane hybrid that can seat two can use any airport and fit into a normal parking space.

Photo Credit: Yei Hwan Jung

Amazon Prime Air is a very innovative delivery system, using drones capable of carrying a 5 pound package 15 miles to its target in a seemingly instant 30 minutes or less. The drones use a high tech sensory awareness system that allows it to spot hazards and avoid them. Even though Amazon can test Prime Air in only a few countries, it is still hopeful for future implementation.

Tactical Tech. Dec. 2015 25

CAPTURING THE SUN Solar Energy: Past Present and Future

n 2014, the solar energy market grew by 51%, and solar power now accounts for 29% of generated electricity in America since 2013, coming in second only to natural gas, which has experienced a recent boom in extraction. The gas industry is likely to decline with time due to low prices and overuse, whereas the trend for solar energy seems to be optimistically positive. And while renewable energy grows, so does the fossil fuel industry. So why is this new development in alternative energy so important? The prob26 Tactical Tech. Dec. 2015

By Zach Walgren

lem with any extracted resource is that it is always limited. Oil, natural gas, and coal are going to peak in production soon, and forever decline afterward. For example, in Austin, Texas, gas prices are as low as $1.87 per gallon, because gas companies currently have an immense supply, but because of the low price, gasoline will be consumed faster. This results in a steady increase in prices, until gas becomes so rare that we will have to turn to a resource without the limits of fossil fuel. Some automobile manufacturers are

bracing for this impact. Toyota plans to stop making traditional gasoline powered cars by 2050. The fossil fuel industry is not long for this world. And thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s when solar energy comes in. Some forms of renewable energy, such as wind power or geothermal energy are effective, but can currently only be used in a large-scale, expensive, and limiting way. Solar panels on the other hand, have all of the advantages displayed by other forms of alternative energy, but are far more versatile. They come in all sizes, models,

US Air Force Photo

The solar plant at Nellis Air Force Base is the largest in the United States. It has a maximum capacity of 13.5 megawatts of energy.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;The gas industry is likely to decline with time due to low prices and overuse, whereas the trend for solar energy seems to be optimistically positive.â&#x20AC;?

water in your home. Cities are beginning to use solar powered recycling and trash compactors, allowing them to save millions in energy and litter cleanup Capturing the energy of the sun is nothing new. Since 1.2 million years ago, algae have been using a pigment known as chlorophyll to perform a process called photosynthesis, the and price ranges. They can be harnessing of light from the sun, installed on your roof, on planes, and recreating it as storable enMars rovers, and they can be ergy. But photosynthesis has used to charge your phone, as a been used more than twice as source of energy in large power long as plants have by ancient plants, and it can heat and cool cyanobacteria, which used a

rudimentary bath of pigments to absorb the sunâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s energy and produce oxygen. As for humans, it has taken nearly 6 million years to be able to recreate photosynthesis ourselves. In 1876, English natural philosopher William Grylls Adams discovered that when exposed to light, the bluegrayish, crystalline nonmetal selenium was able to produce electrical energy. While the solar cells he fabricated from selenium were very poor in efficiency, they showed the almost infinite potential of solar energy. Tactical Tech. Dec. 2015 27

John Carlin

However, this discovery was not capital“The new solar cells provided a ized upon until 1953, when physical chemist Calway for satellites to remain in vin Souther Fuller and scientists working for Bell Telephone Company, Gerald Pearson and Daryl space perpetually without having Chapin, developed the first silicon-based solar to be ‘refueled’, as the solar cell, which captured light by the diffusing of boron into silicon. This silicon cell came out as approxipanels provided a near infinite mately 600 percent more efficient than the selenisource of energy.” um cells that preceded it, and finally allowed solar energy to be applied practically. oil rigs. These innovations in solar cells developed At the time, producing and selling Fuller’s by Exxon have led us to our current state in solar solar cells cost a phenomenal amount of money. energy. As of today, solar energy has been applied nearly everywhere, from the large-scale, in power plants, to smaller-scale, powering homes and personal items. Solar panels can be set up in places too remote to be connected to a central power generator, which can help rural schools and clinics. Solar energy is also seeing new developments in transportation. Universities hold competitions where teams build prototype solar cars, such as Stella Lux, (which translates to “star light” in Latin) which was

Most people couldn’t afford and didn’t bother to buy them, but during the Space Race at the height of the Cold War, they suddenly found a proper use. A difficulty in the U.S. government’s space program was a lack of a power source for the satellites’ functions once they actually reached orbit. The new solar cells provided a way for satellites to remain in space perpetually without having to be “refueled”, as the solar panels provided a near infinite source of energy. In the mid-1970s, the Exxon Corporation still believed that solar panels were not efficient enough to make up for their expensive price. They had a team develop an ultra-efficient solar panel which they used to provide auxiliary power on their 28 Tactical Tech. Dec. 2015

Daderot

Calvin Fuller, Daryl Chapin, and Gerald Pearson, inventors of the first solar panel, check the electrical capacity of a solar panel.

A flight backup of Vanguard 1 on display at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. Vanguard 1 was the first artificial Earth satellite to use solar panels. It has remained in orbit since its launch date in 1958. built and designed by a team from the Technical University of Eindhoven, Netherlands. Stella Lux can travel 620 miles on a fully charged battery, and has a maximum speed of 80 miles per hour. Even Ford plans on releasing it’s own solar car, the C-Max Solar Energi, which features a hybrid engine, powered by traditional gasoline and aug-

solarimpulse.com

Solar Impulse 2 is the second iteration of the first aircraft to be entirely solar powered. Weighing in at only 5,100 pounds, featuring the wingspan of an Airbus A380, and fitted with over 17,000 solar cells, it traveled 4,481 miles in 117 hours without stopping, the longest solar powered flight ever. mented by an electric motor, which in turn receives power from solar panels along the roof. Solar energy won’t just help us move on the ground in the future, it also might eventually assist in our travel in the air. Solar Impulse is an experimental electric aircraft which generates its en-

a 208 foot wingspan which is 10 feet longer than the Airbus A340, a commercial passenger airliner. This marriage of advanced aerodynamics and solar panel technology allowed the one-man aircraft to fly across the continental United States. In 2014, the Solar Impulse 2 was fully constructed and completed its inaugural flight in June of that “As of today, solar energy has year. been applied nearly everywhere, While the idea of solar panels being the main source of energy to power our industry and from the large-scale, in power homes seems far off, it may be closer than we plants, to the small scale, expect. Nobody really knows what’s in store for future in energy. There are always new powering homes and personal America’s ways to generate power we haven’t discovered items” yet, or maybe even new innovations for traditional ergy entirely from the solar panels mounted upon energy sources. But if one thing is for sure, it’s that its wings and fuselage. The Solar Impulse has an solar energy will be a major factor in theyears to ultra lightweight and aerodynamic frame, which al- come. lows for less consumption of precious battery life. The Solar Impulse 1, only weighs in at about as much as the average car, and features Tactical Tech. Dec. 2015 29

CAPTURING THE SUN Solar Energy: Past Present and Future

By Zach Walgren

US Air Force Photo

The solar plant at Nellis Air Force Base is the largest in the United States. It has a maximum capacity of 13.5 megawatts of energy.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;The gas industry is likely to decline with time due to low prices and overuse, whereas the trend for solar energy seems to be optimistically positive.â&#x20AC;?

John Carlin

Daderot

Calvin Fuller, Daryl Chapin, and Gerald Pearson, inventors of the first solar panel, check the electrical capacity of a solar panel.

solarimpulse.com

Other H Biomass Wind Oil Nuclear Gas C Other Hydroelectric Biomass Wind Oil Nuclear Gas

Coal

Natural Gas Oil Biofuels Nuclear Energy Hydroelectric Energy Wind Energy Other

ENERGY

h Oil Gas Other Hydroelectric Biomass Wind Oil Nuclear Gas Coal

Natural Gas When plant and animal matter is exposed to intense heat and pressure, the carbon transforms into a gas which can be used as a fuel source. The US has recently discovered large deposits of natural gas on its own soil, sparking a huge growth in its use. Natural gas is used for large-scale and in-home electricity generation. Coal Wind Energy A sedimentary rock made of fossilized carbon. Very commonly Wind energy is generated by setting up giant turbines in open found and cheap to collect, making it a popular energy source areas, which are spun slowly by the wind, which generates elecin newly industrializing countries. However it produces a lot of tricity. Wind turbines do not have any environmental impact, pollution due to extra sediments which are released when the and cost very little to implement, but are not very reliable, as carbon burns away. Coal is used mostly in power plants. winds winds can be irregular.

AROUND THE WORLD

30 Tactical Technology Dec. 2015

Oil Gas Other H Biomass Wind Oil Nuclear Gas Coal

Hydroelectric Energy Biofuels Hydroelectric energy is energy generated from the gravitational Biomass fuel, like fossil fuels, is made of organic material, force of water passing through a dam. The flowing water spins a however, biomass is made from recently harvested plants. This allows biomass fuel to be renewable, as its source can be turbine, which generates electricity. Hydropower is completely farmed, like any crop. Unfortunately, it is much more expensive renewable, but is very expensive to implement and can be very damaging environmentally. to produce than fossil fuels, and is less efficent. Oil (Petroleum) Nuclear Energy Nuclear power plants function by using radioactive materials to Petroleum, a liquid found underground, referred to as crude oil, facilitate atomic fission. The energy from the reaction is used which can be refined into gasoline, a versatile fuel. Crude oil is to create steam from water, which spins a turbine, generating very plentiful in the Arabian Peninsula, allowing nations in that electricity. Nuclear energy is very efficient, and causes almost noregion to gain a lot of wealth. Gasoline is generally used to powair pollution. However, it produces very dangerous radioactive er vehicles and small personal generators, although petroleum waste, which can and has caused environmental disasters. power plants can be seen in developing countries. Tactical Technology Dec. 2015 31