The INSIDER

DECEMBER 2012 ISSUE NO. 6

INSIDE THIS ISSUE RDECOM NEWSBRIEFS News and information from across the organization, Page 2 SHYU OUTLINES STRATEGIC MODERNIZATION PLANNING APPROACH Page 4 RDECOM SENIOR NCO TALKS 2012 MILESTONES Page 6 SPOTLIGHT: DEPARTING ACTING DEPUTY DIRECTOR SHARES HER THOUGHTS Page 8 YEAR IN REVIEW Page 10 ARMY RESEARCHERS SEEK SECURE QUANTUM COMMUNICATIONS Page 12 NCOPD KICKS OFF AT REDSTONE ARSENAL Page 14 ‘LARRY THE CABLE GUY’ SEES NATICK TECHNOLOGY Page 16 RESEARCH CENTERS PARTNER FOR IMPROVED AMMUNITION PACKAGING Page 18 ENCRYPTED DNA TECHNOLOGY COMBATS COUNTERFEITING Page 27

101st Airborne Division’s 1st Brigade Soldiers will be the first to test the new female body armor, which was named one of Time Magazine’s best inventions of 2012, in Afghanistan. (U.S. Army photo by David Kamm)

Female body armor named among best inventions by Time Magazine

By Bob Reinert USAG-Natick Public Affairs NATICK, Mass. — An innovation that will leave female Soldiers safer and more comfortable on the battlefield was named one of Time Magazine’s “Best Inventions of the Year 2012.”

A collaborative effort between the Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center and Program Executive Office Soldier resulted in an improved outer tactical vest, or IOTV, designed specifically for women. The 101st Airborne Division’s 1st Brigade will be the first unit to test the new female body armor in Afghanistan.

The new armor was designed to offer better protection and to prevent bruised

hip bones that women experienced when wearing IOTVs meant to fit smaller men.

Maj. Joel Dillon, assistant product manager, Product Manager Soldier Protection and Individual Equipment, PEO Soldier, called the Time story a motivator for those involved in the body armor’s development.

“I think it’s great that it shows the American people that we’re continuing to make sure that our Soldiers have the best equipment in the world,” Dillon said. “And so any word that gets out in that respect is great. It’s a big boost for our team, because we work very hard to make sure that all of the equipment we develop and field is the

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DECEMBER 2012 – ISSUE NO. 6

SGT. MAJ. TAGER RETIRES ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. — RDECOM recognized Sgt. Maj. William Tager on his retirement Nov. 19 after 31 years of service with the U.S. Army. Tager served as the G3 sergeant major.

Army Research Laboratory’s Dr. Mark Valco, acting director, Vehicle Technology Directorate (right), gives a tour to RDECOM Director Dale A. Ormond (center) as acting ARL Technical Director Dr. John Pellegrino looks on Nov. 7 at the Combustion Research Laboratory at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md. (U.S. Army photos by Conrad Johnson)

RDECOM leaders tour facilities

RDECOM Public Affairs FISH HONORED FOR SERVICE ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. — RDECOM acting executive officer Christopher Fish received the Commander’s Award for Civilian Service Nov. 20. Fish served as the director’s executive officer from June to November. He will return to his position at Picatinny Arsenal, N.J.

ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. — Dale Ormond, director of the U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command, and RDECOM Deputy Commanding General Brig. Gen. Daniel Hughes toured the Army Research Laboratory Nov. 7.

ARL scientists and engineers briefed RDECOM leaders on research and development topics, including materials sciences, ballistics and aeromechanics sciences, manufacturing science, Soldier head protection, and aeromechanics.

RELATED LINKS More photos: http://bit.ly/TZ92GH

APG STEM EXPO KICKS OFF ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. — APG hosted its first Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Expo Nov. 20.

About 400 ninth-grade students from Harford and Cecil counties were guests of the APG scientific and engineering community and participated in hands-on immersive STEM activities.

RDECOM officials met with Army Research Laboratory employees at APG to gain an understanding of current projects.

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RDECOM’s THE INSIDER Edward D. Creegan ARL Award for Diversity Pamela A. Clark ARL Award for Engineering Dr. Steven B. Segletes ARL Award for Laboratory Operations

RDECOM Director Dale Ormond speaks at the 18th Annual Honorary Awards at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md.

ARL EMPLOYEES RECOGNIZED AT 18TH ANNUAL HONORARY AWARDS CEREMONY ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. — The 18th annual U.S. Army Research Laboratory Honorary Awards ceremony was recently held at Top of the Bay. Selected ARL scientists, engineers, analysts, technicians and support staff were recognized at the ceremony for their outstanding achievements and contributions to the organization.

The U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command Director Mr. Dale A. Ormond and ARL Acting Director Dr. John M. Pellegrino hosted the event, where they honored the recipients for their talents, dedication and hard work which helps pave the way for future breakthroughs and capabilities in support of Soldiers on the battlefield.

The 2012 recipients are: ARL Award for Administrative Excellence JoAnne MacCauley ARL Award for Analysis Anthony Castañares Francisco J. Leyva Rodrigo Mendoza Humberto Mendoza William T. Burge Erik X. Briseno John D. Medrano Richard G. Coy Fernando Chaidez Joseph L. Trammel, Jr. Daryl Cleveland (Contractor) Michael Shaughnessy (Contractor) Kenneth Fabela (Contractor) ARL Award for Community Service

Dr. Brian D. Dykas Dr. Adrian A. Hood John W. Gerdes III Dr. Robert A. Haynes Christopher M. Kroninger Dr. Chol-Bum M. Kweon Shauna Mintz Dr. Matthew J. Munson Michael D. Coatney Dr. Anindya Ghoshal Dr. James T. Ayers Dr. Mulugeta Haile Natasha C. Bradley ARL Award for Laboratory Operations Parmvir Singh

RDECOM Director Dale Ormond (right) makes his contribution to the Combined Federal Campaign Nov. 14 as RDECOM’s CFC coordinator Michael Bennett looks on. (U.S. Army photo by Conrad Johnson)

DIRECTOR SIGNS CFC PLEDGE ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. — RDECOM Director Dale A. Ormond encouraged everyone in the command to fill out their own Combined Federal Campaign donation form before Dec. 15 as he publicly signed his paperwork. For information, contact your local CFC representative.

ARL Award for Leadership Dr. Matthew B. Higgins ARL Award for Partnering Dr. Joshua A. Orlicki Dr. Adam M. Rawlett John A. Escarsega Dr. Bruce E. King (ECBC) Dr. Theresa A. LaLain (ECBC) Dr. Brent A. Mantooth (ECBC) Dr. Matthew P. Willis (ECBC) Dr. James Wynne (NRL) Dr. Jeffrey Owens (AFRL) Mike Spicer (AFRL) Dr. Andre` A. Williams (Contractor) Alicia A. Farrell (Contractor) ARL Award for Program Management Dr. Elmar T. Schmeisser ARL Award for Publication Dr. Frederick L. Beyer III ARL Award for Science Dr. Michael B. Zellner Dr. Richard C. Becker Dr. Dattatraya P. Dandekar ARL Award for Technician Richard R. Gregory, Jr. ARL Award for Lifetime Achievement Dr. William P. Walters

Jill Smith

JILL SMITH ASSUMES ROLE AS ACTING DEPUTY DIRECTOR ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. — An RDECOM senior leader will temporarily join the executive team. Jill Smith is the Communications-Electronics Research, Development and Engineering Center technical director. For the next couple of months, Smith will serve as the RDECOM acting deputy director.

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DECEMBER 2012 – ISSUE NO. 6

Shyu outlines strategic modernization planning approach

By Kris Osborn Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology WASHINGTON — Army acquisition is in the early stages of refining an integrated, multi-pronged strategic approach to equipment modernization which seeks to harvest key lessons learned from a decade of war, service leaders said Oct. 23.

The approach must recognize asymmetrical and adaptive threats, identify key current and anticipated “capability” gaps and sketch out a 30year investment and science and technology, or S&T, plan, leaders explained at an Association of the United States Army Institute of Land Warfare panel discussion.

“The Army has started a new process, called strategic modernization planning, which combines a detailed analysis of investments in S&T and material development linked to emerging threats and capability gaps across a long-term, 30-year time frame,” said the Heidi Shyu, assistant secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology.

“The output of this process will be a detailed road map of our future capabilities across the acquisition life-cycle, linking our S&T investments with our Programs of Record which, in turn, are linked to our long-term sustainment strategy,” she said.

Shyu advocated an integrated approach to modernization aimed at harnessing near-term emerging capability able to quickly benefit the force while also emphasizing Basic Research able to identify potentially paradigm-changing technologies for the future.

Improving situational awareness for Soldiers through “network” technologies and force protection for vehicles, airborne platforms and small, dismounted units-on-the move will, among other things, continue to factor prominently among acquisition and research priorities, Shyu explained.

The thrust of this modernization approach is grounded in a broader strategic goal of fostering and sustaining an agile, deployable, technologically superior force able to keep pace with rapid technological change, Shyu said. With this in mind, she also emphasized the importance of, at times, synchronizing S&T efforts with Programs of Record so as to identify “insertion” possibilities wherein new capability can integrate within existing developmental efforts.

“The Army is re-assessing S&T across all portfolios to ensure that S&T is properly linked to our acquisition road map and able to facilitate ‘insertion’ opportunities aligning technologies over time,” she said.

In fact, Army scientists and engineers are

Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology Heidi Shyu outlines a 30-year acquisition S&T strategy during the 2012 Association of the Unites States Army Annual Meeting and Exposition, Oct. 23, in Washington, D.C. (U.S. Army photo by Tricia May)

already working with industry and academic partners on “Concept Explorations” designed to look for opportunities to identify basic research themes geared toward discovering new capability, said Ms. Mary Miller, acting deputy assistant secretary of the Army, Research and Technology.

“Force protection will remain of paramount importance regardless of whatever region we are operating in.”

— Heidi Shyu “Army S&T can work toward closing capability gaps as a key foundation for the Army’s future technology needs,” Miller said.

As part of this effort, Miller cited the congressionally allocated Rapid Innovation Funds designed to support small business S&T innovations aimed at solving challenges. The program, which began in 2011, is already having an impact, Miller said.

Thinking strategically about a longer-term investment strategy cognizant of emerging threats and potential future operating environments was at the heart of the vision for Army acquisition expressed by Shyu.

“As we look ahead, many potential adversaries will have greater access to sophisticated and disruptive technologies that could greatly complicate our operations. We cannot afford to let technological change level our advantage in any potential conflict,” she told the audience.

Shyu explained how the anticipated ongoing drawdown in Afghanistan, coupled with a renewed emphasis or “pivot” toward the Asia Pacific theater, represents an important time of transition for Army modernization as the force endeavors to best position itself for a full range of potential future contingencies.

“It is the right time to entertain a comprehensive and strategic approach to Army equipment modernization in which we adapt a systemic approach to setting and determining long-term equipping priorities,” Shyu said.

Shyu also took occasion to cite a handful of impactful acquisition successes from the last 10 years of war as a way to harvest key lessons for the future, mentioning Blue-Force Tracking, Enhanced Night Vision Goggles and life-saving Pelvic Protection gear for Soldiers, among others.

“Our command posts and systems transitioned from analogue to a digital backbone.

Our tactical mission-command capabilities have been revolutionized to include enhanced situational awareness through Force Battle Command - Brigade and Below, or FBCB2, and Blue Force Tracking as well as improved satellite communications,” Shyu said.

Citing these instances of acquisition successes is important to recognize the value of how innovation and technological progress can vastly improve Soldier capability and protection, she said.

“We’re developing and fielding capabilities across a spectrum of challenges. Force protection will remain of paramount importance regardless of whatever region we are operating in,” Shyu said.

Along these lines, she also cited the protective capabilities of mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicles, the Stryker Double-V Hull and the Army’s Enhanced Performance Round, or EPR. “The M855A1 [EPR] is a new 5.56mm cartridge with greatly increased consistency and accuracy and greater penetration,” Shyu said.

Also, recognizing the need to develop and manage capabilities with a mind to the entire life-cycle is a key element of the Army’s strategy, Shyu emphasized.

“Our PEOs [Program Executive Offices] are working to lay out our current and planned capabilities across a 30-year horizon, spanning from concept development to technology development to EMD (Engineering, Manufacturing and Design), production and sustainment. Our strategic modernization plan will also integrate our long-term sustainment needs and priorities,” she said.

RELATED LINKS ASA(ALT): http://www.army.mil/asaalt/

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RDECOM’s THE INSIDER

ECBC engineers collaborate to create cost-effective training options ECBC Engineering Directorate ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. — Teachers use it to teach. Football players study their plays on it. And now Soldiers can use it for one-stop training refreshers and an easy-tocarry installation manual.

In addition to being cost-effective, 21stcentury advancements in technology, coupled with a desire to equip the Warfighter with a single-source for every need, makes the use of iPad applications increasingly necessary.

“The Department of the Army and Army customers are looking to increase use of mobile devices for Warfighters,” said Col. Raymond Compton, former military deputy of the Edgewood Chemical Biological Center.

“On one small mobile device, a Warfighter has a full library of information across different applications to support a device or even to support the operation of a full vehicle.

“If a Warfighter is carrying a mobile device, the weight of their backpack is significantly less,” he added.

ECBC’s Advanced Design and Manufacturing Division Conceptual Modeling and Animation Branch, Technology and Systems Integration Branch, and the Electronic Drawing Development Branch have partnered to create two iPad applications. One simulates the Husky Mounted Detection System Surrogate, the other recreates the Mobile Counter Improvised Explosives Device Training.

Both iPad applications were given to the Joint Improvise Explosives Device Defeat Organization. The MCIT and HMDSS devices are intended to be used by Soldiers. The HMDSS iPad app will be delivered by JIEDDO to support locations where HMDSS vehicles are used for training.

The MCIT was used as a “marketing” tool for the system by JIEDDO, as well as a direct informative device to be used by Soldiers on installations.

“The Technology and Systems Integration Branch contributed to functional translation of real-world data into the virtual environment.

Engineering Drawing helped with the virtual modeling, and Conceptual Modeling and Animation assisted with the software development and user interface,” said Kevin Wallace, Technology and Systems Integration branch chief. “The great thing about the Conceptual Modeling and Animation Branch is that they have the ability to help other branches present their visions and further the potential of their ideas.”

With the tap of a screen, Soldiers can reference the full HMDSS installation manual, and train on the equipment. The iPad application

ECBC Engineering’s Advanced Design and Manufacturing Division Conceptual Modeling and Animation Branch, Technology and System Integration Branch and the Electronic Drawing Development Branch collaborated to create iPad applications for the Joint Improvise Explosives Device Defeat Organization to supplement Warfighter training. (Courtesy photo)

gives an accurate visualization of the inside of an HMDSS allowing the user access to use the functions in the actual vehicle. They can practice reading the Ground Penetrating Radar to detect metallic and non-metallic explosive hazards, pressure plates and antitank mines.

If there is a malfunction, rather than flip through pages of a thick book, the Warfighter can quickly get instructions from an easyto-use-application. Wallace said that paper manuals wear and tear and often do not hold up in theater.

“The intuitive care associated with carrying an iPad is much different than a book, which can be thrown into a backpack and easily torn and ripped,” Wallace said.

HMDSS IPAD APPLICATION In the HMDSS application, the user simulates driving a vehicle and receives alerts of potential threats. The driver must determine a safe course of action. All simulations are reality based. The application allows the user to go on virtual Route Clearance Missions and has a full user manual for the vehicle.

While the HMDSS application has the same functions as the vehicle and provides the Warfighter with a detailed model of the vehicle,

the iPad application is best used for refresher training, not substitute it, said Jeff Warwick, Conceptual Modeling and Animation branch chief.

“Maybe it’s been a few months between the in-person training and a Warfighter is about to operate the HMDSS vehicle again and needs a quick refresher. The Warfighter can pick up a simple device and train from wherever he is,” Warwick said.

“The HMDSS application is a functional tool that can be used at the user level,” Wallace said. “It condenses hundreds of pages of a manual into one intuitive application.”

The HMDSS application and the actual HMDSS vehicle were simultaneously produced. With the vehicle development just a few feet away from the Conceptual Modeling and Animation office, the application received updates and changes along with the real-life vehicle, heightening the accuracy of the application. Additional data gathered by the engineers who built the HMDSS were incorporated into the application as well.

“Constant communication between all teams involved, blended with frequent customer feedback and expert Warfighter opinions,

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DECEMBER 2012 – ISSUE NO. 6

Command Sgt. Maj. Lebert Beharie gives an interview to The INSIDER Nov. 19. (U.S. Army photos by Tom Faulkner)

RDECOM senior NCO talks 2012 milestones RDECOM Public Affairs ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. — Command Sgt. Maj. Lebert Beharie, the senior enlisted adviser for the U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command, reflected on the year during a Nov. 19 interview.

2012 has been a year of transition. Where is RDECOM headed?

Just like with the rest of the Army right now, we’re in transition. We are also in an environment of renewed fiscal responsibility across the Army as well as this command. We must continue to support the Army in order to maintain that fighting edge that we’ve given them as a command. More than 90 percent of what the Soldiers use or apply on the battlefield

comes out of RDECOM in some way, shape, or form. This is true whether it’s an emerging technology that we developed and transitioned to a partner that further developed it and gave it to industry for production, or it’s something that the command itself built, produced,

“More than 90 percent of what the Soldiers use or apply on the battlefield comes out of RDECOM in some way, shape, or form.”

— Command Sgt. Maj. Lebert Beharie designed, engineered and transitioned to the Soldier. It’s our job to fill a capability gap, or develop something more sustaining that’s going to stick around for a while that we give

to a program manager or program executive office who then develops it and make it a program of record for the Army.

There are a lot of changes ongoing in the Army. Recently Mr. Ormond and I attended a commander’s conference with the Army Materiel Command commander, Gen. Dennis L. Via. One of his messages to us is that we must look at what we can do to help the Army transition and maintain that razor-sharp edge that they have attained over the last 11 years of combat.

Soldiers are coming home. When they come home with all that adrenaline and training, all of that intensity that they had in battle, we need to preserve and channel that in some way. Innovative training and the use of technologies is how we will accomplish it.

With declining resources, we must be adaptive in how we train, or help Soldiers to train. We

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RDECOM’s THE INSIDER need to look at technologies that will replicate some of the actions our Soldiers have taken on the battlefield. It’s going to be interesting for the next few years as we transition in the Army, but I have no doubt that RDECOM will be at the tip of the spear in helping to transition and leading that transition.

produce within this command.

What lies ahead in 2013?

What’s the biggest thing you have learned about Army researchers and engineers since coming to RDECOM? I’m amazed. I’m still learning about RDECOM. I don’t think I’ll ever stop learning about some of the things that we’re doing for the Warfighter. One of the things that Mr. Ormond has said is that the sun never sets on RDECOM. That is absolutely true. We have people all over this world helping, searching, partnering with different governments, militaries and academia to develop and find technologies to help our Warfighters.

“We define the space between state of the art and art of the possible.

That’s our vision here at RDECOM.” — Command Sgt. Maj. Lebert Beharie We define the space between state of the art and art of the possible. That’s our mission here at RDECOM. Our motto is still technology drive, Warfighter focused. That is what we do; in fact it is everything we do in this command.

I am amazed at that. And I’m amazed at our scientists and engineers, our entire workforce, what they do every day in trying to maintain or to attain the highest level of support to our Soldiers.

Has NCO Professional Development been a priority?

It truly has been. One of the things we learn early in the Army as you develop, train and mentor leaders -- the Army does this right – that is to get to know your people. Then you must employ them within their capabilities; therefore, we’ve got to get to know them. I am intricately involved with the manning of RDECOM as far as the enlisted side of the command is concerned. There is a wealth of knowledge that comes from our enlisted force. I make sure that the Army puts the right people in our positions. Therefore, we screen those military career specialties and bring the right ones on board. I’m an intricate part of that process. I absolutely want to make sure that we have the right people with the right amount of tenure in the Army and who have

Command Sgt. Maj. Lebert Beharie has served with RDECOM since March 2012.

the level of experience that goes with that skill set to talk to our scientists and engineers in order to bridge the gap with our workforce for the Army.

We need to make sure that we garner that experience when we are ready to evaluate our technologies; we want to give it to the right group of folks that’s going to give our scientists and engineers the best, latest and greatest feedback as far as what we’re doing in combat.

What are some of the milestones of 2012?

Mr. Ormond came on board in February, and I came on board a month later. We are in tune with each other as to his vision and his way ahead for this command. He is all about our Warfighters, and he is all about human capital -- our people within this command.

He believes, as do I, that if you take care of your people, they’re going to produce. They’re

“We want to take care of our people so we can give the Warfighters the best technology that we can produce within this command.”

— Command Sgt. Maj. Lebert Beharie going to give you the best product. They’re going to want to come to work every day.

So absolutely, that’s something that we want to do. We want to empower; we want to take care of our people so we can give the Warfighters the best technology that we can

I’m very optimistic. This command is the largest subordinate command within AMC with a tremendous amount of capabilities. I’m very optimistic as to where we’re going to take this command as we continue to gain more efficiency. We have great people with great skills that are key ingredients for delivering the technologies that we do.

Our scientists and engineers as well as our administrative folks matches up very well against anyone in industry, anyone in the Department of Defense, anywhere. We have the best of the best within this command. I’m very excited about that. As we craft changes to make this command better, we just have to make sure that our people understand what we are doing.

“We have the best of the best within this command.

I’m very excited about that.”

— Command Sgt. Maj. Lebert Beharie I believe that if our workforce understands why we’re changing, how we’re changing and where we want to take the command, they’re going to be behind what we’re trying to do.

In a series of town hall meetings, Mr. Ormond and I are going around to all our different organizations, sitting down with our people and giving them an opportunity to ask questions and give them honest feedback. If there is something that we were not aware of, then we absolutely have to dig into it and find out the answer and provide that answer to make sure we are all on the same page. But I believe that with transparency and understanding, they’ll be behind what we’re trying to do.

What would you like to add?

We’re in a season of reflection and celebration with family through the holiday season. I absolutely want to make sure that everyone of our employees within RDECOM knows that we wish them a joyous season, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Just be blessed. We are looking forward to the new year. A new year means new beginnings.

We’re going to approach the new year with a refreshed mind and spirit and we’re going to take this command to higher heights next year.

There is no doubt in my mind of that fact.

RELATED LINKS Biography: http://www.army.mil/article/75822/

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DECEMBER 2012 – ISSUE NO. 6

Departing acting deputy director shares her thoughts RDECOM Public Affairs ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. — The U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command is saying farewell to its acting deputy director, Barbara Machak.

In June, she temporarily left her position as Executive Director, Enterprise and Systems Integration Center at the Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center at Picatinny Arsenal, N.J. to fill a senior executive vacancy at headquarters. After more than five months serving as a key member of the command group, Machak returned to her family and job in New Jersey Nov 21.

How was your experience?

I have been challenged with this job, and it has been a great experience. The people have been outstanding, not only within the headquarters, but the centers and lab, the directors, their deputies and all the people to whom I’ve been able to reach out to. I have loved every minute of it.

As you leave here what advice do you have for the people that you leave behind now?

You play a vital role. If you are not familiar with or had a chance to talk with Soldiers, talk to them. Understand that we are not only helping them do their job more effectively, we are ensuring that they come home safe.

“We have to get people to embrace the thought pattern that we’re all part of RDECOM.” — Barbara Machak Everyone here knows what their job entails. Do that job. Don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it. Ask for help in prioritization, and sometimes you’re going to just have to come to your boss and say “What is my priority?” Some things may have to fall off the table, but you at least have to let leadership know what that is so we can ensure that the right call is being made.

It hasn’t been that difficult at all to motivate the staff . They have the belief that what they do is important and I think they understand that role.

Barbara Machak talks with the INSIDER Nov. 19 after serving more than five months as the acting deputy director for the U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command. (U.S. Army photos by Conrad Johnson)

As communication has gotten a lot better, we need to understand the importance of providing information down through all levels of the workforce. We need to “train the trainers”.

People need to keep themselves healthy and safe and understand the work they’re doing is helping our Soldiers.

What are the greatest challenges facing the organization?

There is a lot of work to be done with too few people, so that is always a challenge. The staff has to prioritize what they do because there is so much on its plate.

They’re given very little time to turn actions around. That doesn’t leave a lot of room for analysis.

Another challenge we face is that our workforce -- in our research centers and laboratories -- doesn’t really understand what the command is all about. People refer to “headquarters” as “RDECOM” and don’t identify themselves as part of the overall command. They don’t really think they’re part of RDECOM. When they say, “Oh, you’re from RDECOM.” It’s always assumed that means the other person is from the headquarters. We have to train ourselves to

embrace the thought pattern that we’re all RDECOM. When I was at Picatinny, I had no idea what was being done at the command level.

I saw taskers, and we responded to them.

But where it went, what the context was, how it was received and more importantly, we never received the command’s integrated response. There was usually never any two-way communication.

A third challenge is that there has to be a lot more coordination between the Centers/ Labs and command staff. I’ve told Mr. Ormond that people don’t understand the day-to-day role and value of the command staff until you rotate them in here. They don’t understand what the command is all about.

If they understood the volume of information that we get requests for, maybe it would be helpful. But, we don’t coordinate or communicate well across the command; we have to do a better job. One of the things I tried to do here in the deputy role was to help facilitate communication across the command staff with all the centers and labs and the importance of showing our combined response with the hope that this would get more buy-in. We should communicate why we’re asking for something and then show

RDECOM’s THE INSIDER what we did with it.

The technical directors understand what they do and the capabilities they have. But they’re not as well versed in what other centers’ and lab capabilities or facilities are. I think there needs to be a lot more crosstalk and coordination across the command. Mr. Ormond has started that with the Board of Directors by rotating locations across the centers and touring facilities, but we really have to accelerate this to instill a broader understanding of our collective capabilities.

All of the centers and lab have their own personalities and are not organized in the same way. One of the things that we’ve discussed is having dedicated support staff at each center and lab that could help with the command staff-functions (Virtual LNO).

In the past, there have been many uncertainties about the future of our organization. Do you have anything to tell the workforce about where we are?

I have seen nothing to indicate that RDECOM is going away. Our Army counterparts and stakeholders in research and technology, our OSD partners and even within AMC have all strengthened the message and their reliance on RDECOM. We’re still a young command. The biggest thing we have to offer is that in the research and engineering area we’re coming together. It’s going to be a long road to go, but we have to start implementing common processes and tool sets from an enterprise approach.

The RDECOM enterprise is big and it’s not all centrally located. When we put that all together, map that out of what we’re going to need and how we’re going to do it and bring it all together, it will go a lot more smoothly.

I’ll give you an example. Before, when we were in the life cycle management commands, everybody had a different process for turning around data to support the Defense Logistics Agency, and the numbers were all over. Some were better than others. Some were more responsive than others. But because RDECOM came together as a community, all of the centers and lab were able to come together, form a common process, form metrics, and report back with a integrated response. We started on a glide path of a better working relationship and continue to improve our metrics. The amount of work we were able to do went up. As a result, we have happy customers. I think if we take that apart and start looking at everything that we’re doing, of how we’re doing it across the organization we should

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be able to improve our processes and how we share information. I think that’s one of the biggest challenges we face.

What’s next for you? Where do you go from here?

I’m going back to my old job and my family, but I can ensure you that I will take with me a better understanding of the value and the importance of this command for the Warfighter.

My responsibility at ARDEC is Enterprise and System Integration. I’m looking forward to bringing back what I’ve learned at the command level. The systems engineering, knowledge management, science and technology, investments, business development and program management experience has been helpful. I’ll take that back with me and figure out how we can continue to provide better support than we’re already giving to the command staff and to our customers.

Would you like to add anything? Are you going to come back and visit someday?

Barbara Machak says she enjoyed her experience as RDECOM acting deputy director from June to November 2012.

I have to tell you. I had no appreciation for what the headquarters did and how it was made up ... at all. This job has been kind of like a staff position, as a deputy. I surprised myself at how much I really did enjoy it.

I do feel that the headquarters staff needs to get a better appreciation for what the centers and lab do. They don’t all have a lot of that flavor but I was able to provide them with a center perspective. I didn’t know what to expect, but I was very pleasantly surprised. I’m actually kind of sad to leave because I really believe in what we’re doing. I believe that we’re on the right path. I think it’s still going to take time. We have to get the message all the way through the organization to get everyone’s buy-in.

Finally, I’m going to miss the people.

I’m going to miss everybody that I touched while in this position. But, yes, I’ll be back.

I’ll actually look forward to it. Now I actually even know some people!

I believe that Mr. Ormond’s direction and consistency in leadership will only help to unify the organization. If we can continue to work hard for our Soldiers, and collaborate effectively as a Command, we will remain at the state of the art, and the art of the possible.

RELATED LINKS Biography: http://www.army.mil/article/80947/

RDECOM honored Machak with a Superior Civilian Service Award Nov. 20 for outstanding service.

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DECEMBER 2012 – ISSUE NO. 6

JANUARY Senior Army leaders experience RDECOM Technology Zone at 2012 All-American Bowl: http://bit.ly/TiAsIN

MARCH New command sergeant major assumes role at RDECOM: http://1.usa.gov/ROMg6L

JUNE Natick meeting strengthens science, technology ties: http://1.usa.gov/RONxe1

RDECOM departing Commanding General Maj. Gen. Nick Justice discusses his tour of duty: http://1.usa.gov/ROK67h

RDECOM recognizes NCO, Soldier of the Year: http://1.usa.gov/ROMDOL

Picatinny engineers set phasers to ‘fry’: http://1.usa.gov/UOdFX2

FEBRUARY Civilian takes charge of RDECOM: http://1. usa.gov/ROKEKm

APRIL Army opens Ground Vehicle Power and Energy Laboratory: http://1.usa.gov/RONi2w

Army scientists energize battery research: http://1.usa.gov/ROMScw

eCYBERMISSION students forge path to White House: : http://1.usa.gov/ROLwyE

MAY RDECOM senior NCO discusses Afghanistan: http://1.usa.gov/ROMrPC

Army civilian engineers team with Soldiers in Afghanistan: http://1.usa.gov/ROOrHu

Army promotes S&T opportunities to Harford students: http://1.usa.gov/Y0cLfM Army engineers spur development of tactical microgrids: http://go.usa.gov/d53 Army Research Laboratory studies microrobotics: http://1.usa.gov/ROLQgJ

Army Chief of Staff visits Picatinny Arsenal http://1.usa.gov/Y0dJJ5

Robotics Rodeo highlights advances in lifesaving technologies: http://go.usa.gov/fgQ

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RDECOM’s THE INSIDER

JULY Secretary of the Army takes a look at Ground Systems Technology: http://1.usa.gov/ ROO7bJ

SEPTEMBER TARDEC’s FED Bravo puts fuel efficiency in spotlight: http://bit.ly/ROPXtf

OCTOBER Secretary of Defense tours RDECOM contributions to energy security: http://1. usa.gov/ROS4xg

Congressman, RDECOM leader discuss cybersecurity, research: http://1.usa.gov/ ROOEuc

Obusek takes the helm at Natick: http://1.usa. gov/ROQnzN

ARL opens unique combustion research lab, studies in JP-8 fuel could lead to “super engine” development: http://bit.ly/ROTwj2

RDECOM NCO of the Year wins AMC competition http://1.usa.gov/TiyuYQ

McGuiness says goodbye to Natick: http://1. usa.gov/ROReR6

Army awards ARDEC Soldier Purple Heart for service in Iraq: http://1.usa.gov/ROTyra

AUGUST Army’s tank, automotive center gets new leader: http://1.usa.gov/ROP4AX

Army announces greatest http://1.usa.gov/RORIXm

NOVEMBER ARL scientists win patent for advanced neural chip: http://1.usa.gov/ROSh3s

Multiscale modeling research seeks atomto-application understanding of materials: http://1.usa.gov/ROPuXZ

‘Where’s the beef?’ -- DoD finds answers in osmotic dehydration process: http://1.usa. gov/RORUpF

RDECOM welcomes commanding general: ZZRAc1

Command sergeants major tour RDECOM research facilities: http://bit.ly/Y0l1MQ

U.S. Chilean officials discuss research cooperation: http://1.usa.gov/ROSK5N

AMRDEC recognized for educational outreach: http://bit.ly/ROTqYS

inventions:

new deputy http://1.usa.gov/

12

DECEMBER 2012 – ISSUE NO. 6

Army researchers seek secure quantum communications

U.S. Army Research Laboratory scientists Patricia J. Lee and Ronald E. Meyers contemplate quantum physics to develop secure communications of the future. (U.S. Army photos and illustration by Tom Faulkner)

By David McNally RDECOM Public Affairs ADELPHI, Md. — Scientists at the U.S. Army Research Laboratory are pioneering data teleportation -- for the real world.

When the USS Enterprise, from the hit television and movie series “Star Trek,” beamed individuals to and from the ship, the ship’s transporters were moving matter.

While fictional technology may stir the imagination, science fiction is more of an inspiration than reality. It often provides a spark of scientific inspiration that can lead to discoveries once considered unimaginable.

Today, Army scientists hope to send information from one location to another without the data being transmitted through the intervening space.

To reach this goal, Ronald E. Meyers leads a project that includes fellow physicist Patricia J. Lee and their teams that are collaborating with the Joint Quantum Institute at the University of Maryland at College Park. The groups have a 27-kilometer fiber

optic connection between their laboratories.

“We use photons that go through the fiber in order to entangle the atoms at two different locations,” Meyers said.

A photon is an elementary particle and a basic building block of the universe. The team sends photons from one end of the fiber to the other. Once photons are entangled, they mysteriously respond to each other.

“The idea of entanglement is that when one photon is manipulated, the other photon will respond at a distance through a process that Einstein highlighted,” Meyers Ronald E. Meyers said. “What we’re going to do is to entangle the distant atoms using these photons. Once they’re entangled, then you do not need the fiber in between. You manipulate atoms here, and atoms at another location will respond instantly with nothing in between.”

This effect is known as quantum teleporta-

tion using atoms and photons.

“You can communicate between these locations without information appearing to go through the intervening space,” Meyers said.

“It’s mind-boggling.”

“You can communicate between these locations without information appearing to go through the intervening space.”

— Ronald Meyers For the U.S. Army, a secure quantum communications network is a technology investment worth making. Meyers said physicists around the world are pursuing quantum teleportation research.

“One day we will have communication over worldwide distances with quantum repeaters as mediators at nodes in between,” Meyers said.

“We’ll be able to teleport information globally.

What we’ll have is tamper-resistant security.”

Cyber-security is a major concern for

13

RDECOM’s THE INSIDER military and civilian sectors.

“This is important,” he said. “The greatest potential that a quantum communications network holds for the Army is secure communications.”

As quantum computing takes hold in the coming decades, the potential for hacking exponentially increases.

“Quantum computers will be able to easily decrypt communications that are currently secure,” Meyers said. “We’re talking Dr. Patricia J. Lee decryption in seconds instead of years. That’s one reason why it’s vital for us to explore quantum encryption.”

Quantum research is building momentum, according to Lee. “There are a lot of people worldwide who work on this type of research, and we are just a part of the community trying to make the next step a reality,” Lee said. “Our contribution is trying to set this up in a real-life. It’s very exciting.”

News reports of quantum research advances are growing.

The 2012 Nobel Prize in Physics went to physicist David Wineland for his quantum research at the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

“We would hope to have the quantum atomic memory fully going within the next year,” Meyers said. “There’s a lot of progress on it.”

The team is also striving to develop quantum repeaters.

“We can perform photon teleportation sooner, but having teleportation with quantum memory adding the atoms is really the key to massive changes in the U.S. communications system,” Meyers said. “We think that teleportation with atoms and photons is an important goal for the United States, and we want to get it out of the laboratory, and show that it’s possible over long distances.”

Consider a future battlefield with a Soldier, an unmanned aerial vehicle, a command and control element and access to a satellite.

“If you put entangled atoms at each of these locations and they’re moving around, then you can teleport data between the Soldier and the satellite ... you can teleport to UAVs ... you can teleport to command and control headquarters,” Meyers said. “We think it’s going to be the future for military communications. Now the strategic impact … it’s possible to get information out of your location without others getting it. This is a whole new technology will one day be common.”

Meyers and Lee agree that quantum data teleportation will become a dominant

Meyers explains the concepts of a Quantum Network with Atoms and Photons, or QNET-AP. (U.S. Army photo by David McNally)

The team: Lee, Meyers (front), Violeta Prieto (left), Dr. Qudsia Quraishi (center) Jason Alexander, Keith Deacon (back, left) and Daniel Stack.

technology.

“There are several important applications for quantum information,” Lee said. “For our project here, one of our goals is to build a quantum sensor. Cold atoms can be used to sense acceleration and rotation, and they can make very sensitive inertial navigation systems to guide the Soldier or vehicles.

That’s a really important application if we can actually develop that technology.

“It’s also going to be very important for Soldiers on the battlefield to have secure communication and computational power that will offer capabilities exceeding anything that we have access to right now,” Lee said.

Like a perpetual jigsaw puzzle, Lee said their research continues to evolve.

“There will be many ways to use this tool.

A lot of them we don’t even know about -they haven’t been thought of,” she said. “New things will come up and that’s how research,

Meyers and Lee pose with gear designed to manipulate photons.

technology and science evolve.”

Meyers said the Army continues to fund quantum research in academia and other research institutions.

“The fundamental physics is there,” Meyers said. “We have to learn enough of the physics and some of the engineering to implement it and to demonstrate that it can be done. I think this is an evolutionary process that will cause a huge shift in communications.

“Remember, we put a man on the moon with very primitive computers, and we developed an atomic bomb without a computer,” Meyers said. “The fact is we’re going to have these very powerful quantum computers with a lot of intelligence. They’ll be able to work over long distances without being intercepted. It’s going to change the world.”

RELATED LINKS ARL: http://www.arl.army.mil//

14

DECEMBER 2012 – ISSUE NO. 6

NCOPD kicks off at Redstone Arsenal

By Dan Lafontaine RDECOM Public Affairs REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. — Fiftytwo Soldiers convened Nov. 5 in northern Alabama for a week of professional development and the opportunity to learn about the nation’s leading Army installation for aviation and missile research, development and testing.

The noncommissioned officers of the U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command will complete a physical fitness test and receive briefings, training, and facility and capability tours.

They will conclude this session of NCO Professional Development with a tour of Stones River National Battlefield in Murfreesboro, Tenn., a Civil War historic site.

Soldiers are stationed at each of the RDECOM’s seven research, development and engineering centers across the country.

They provide technical and operational input to the RDECs where they are assigned.

The command has about 16,000 civilian scientists, engineers and support personnel whose mission is to empower, unburden and protect Soldiers.

Command Sgt. Maj. Lebert Beharie, RDECOM’s senior enlisted adviser, said the week-long training sessions help NCOs better understand how science enables the Soldiers’ mission and learn first-hand how scientists and engineers develop technologies.

“RDECOM Soldiers have hands-on information about using that science and technology on the battlefield,” Beharie said during the NCOPD in March at the Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center in Picatinny Arsenal, N.J. “When those Soldiers leave RDECOM and are assigned to operational units, they will take with them a new perspective about the Army.

“Being assigned to RDECOM widens their knowledge about the process of how technologies are provided to Soldiers.”

The location of the NCOPDs rotates to each RDEC, and the Aviation and Missile Research, Development and Engineering Center is hosting this session.

In addition to briefings and tours of AMRDEC, the NCOs will receive briefings on Army Materiel Command, RDECOM’s higher headquarters, and Aviation and Missile Command, both located at Redstone Arsenal.

RDECOM Command Sgt. Maj. Lebert Beharie (far right) and 52 noncommissioned officers view a CH47 Chinook helicopter while attending professional development training at Redstone Arsenal, Ala. (U.S. Army photos by Ryan Keith)

REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. -- RDECOM noncommissioned officers participate in a five-minute Virtual Convoy Training Scenario while touring the Army Game Studio at AMRDEC’s Software Engineering Directorate at Redstone Arsenal, Ala.

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RDECOM’s THE INSIDER

Team Redstone instrumental in increased rocket range

By Heather R. Smith AMRDEC Public Affairs REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. — The Army Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System achieved the farthest range to date after modifications were investigated and instituted by the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Research Development and Engineering Center.

Given the task of trying to extend the range of this weapon system, engineers from the AMRDEC’s Weapons Development and Integration Directorate quickly realized that a solution would be complex and include weight-reduction initiatives, trajectory manipulation, and flight software techniques.

During this study, it was obvious that other measures needed to be investigated to extend the range because too much weight would need to be removed from the current warhead to accommodate a range extension said Amanda Horton, GMLRS Systems Engineer.

Achieving success would also take a team effort - a Team Redstone effort.

AMRDEC used data previously gathered from flight tests for the Precision Fires Rocket and Missile System project office in determining what measures would achieve the desired ranges. “AMRDEC has supported PFRMS and GMLRS for many years,” Horton said. “We have an all-digital six degrees of freedom simulation that utilizes actual GMLRS flight code and is constantly updated to reflect the current versions of GMLRS. The knowledge that the AMRDEC team has of this system is top-notch.”

The GMLRS team investigated methods to reduce the weight and instituted a material change from steel to aluminum. “All in all, we shaved 4.1kg off of the existing detent ring through a material change from steel to aluminum and removal of excess material,” said Horton. “Structural analysis showed that this would not cause an issue during flight and would function the same as the original.”

Another 4.4 kilograms were removed from the nose section, also by replacing steel with aluminum. A thermal ablative was also added to this section as thermal analysis showed weakening of the material due to GMLRS flight environments.

Once the machined parts were complete, AMRDEC developed a procedure for removal of the internal components and their reinstallation into the new aluminum skins.

This is the first time that all of the internal components have been removed and re-

Engineers at the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Research, Development and Engineering Center gather in front of a M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System. (U.S. Army photo by Heather R. Smith)

installed in new skins, Horton said.

AMRDEC’s Guidance Integration Facility tested these sections after final assembly to ensure that nothing was damaged during the procedure and re-installation, and everything checked out, Horton said. “The GIF is used in pre- and post-flight performance analysis and is utilized for almost every GMLRS Flight Test mission flown at White Sands Missile Range by PFRMS. Having these capabilities and knowledge at AMRDEC was crucial for this flight mission success.”

The weight of the rocket was reduced further by changing to a competitivelyselected Increment 3 warhead as well as a composite case solid rocket motor, which AMRDEC supported with flight testing and integration.

After final assembly, the total weight reduction was approximately 30 kilograms.

In addition to reducing the weight, engineers looked at vertical trajectory shaping, which was known to give a slight increase in range, and initial launch angle.

“Previous tests have been conducted with a GMLRS M270A1 launcher parked on a ramp and actually achieved a higher launch angle,” said Horton. “We wanted to find a way to

achieve this higher launch angle without the need for an incline.”

WDI partnered with launcher experts in AMRDEC’s Software Engineering Directorate to develop and test a version of rocket software that allowed for a greater angle launch of launch. The software was tested during a flight test in 2011, and simulation studies showed the change in angle extended the range by a few kilometers.

Once all of the components were complete, they were shipped to the Redstone Test Center for final assembly, in which AMRDEC assisted. An Increment 3 warhead was furnished by PFRMS, and Horton noted that this was the first time an Increment 3 warhead was flown on a composite case motor.

On Aug. 14, 2012, flight tests of two lightweight GMLRS rockets were conducted at White Sands Missile Range and reached a range of approximately 107 kilometers. Both missions were considered a resounding success, Horton said, and are the farthest a functioning GMLRS round has been flight tested at WSMR. RELATED LINKS Online: http://bit.ly/TnDs6m

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DECEMBER 2012 – ISSUE NO. 6

“Larry the Cable Guy” models a chest rig designed for him by Rich Landry, in background, during a Nov. 8 visit to the Load Carriage Design Lab while filming a segment at Natick Soldier Systems Center for his “Only in America” series. (U.S. Army photo by David Kamm)

‘Larry the Cable Guy’ sees Natick technology

By Bob Reinert USAG-Natick Public Affairs NATICK, Mass. — When it comes to turning out the finest equipment in the world for American servicemen and women, no one else can “GitR-Done” quite like the folks at the Natick Soldier Systems Center.

That’s what “Larry the Cable Guy” discovered Nov. 8, when the comedian known for that blue-collar catch phrase brought the crew of his popular History Channel TV series “Only in America” to Natick Soldier Systems Center, or NSSC, for a visit.

This wasn’t the first experience with the military for Larry, an American history lover who uses humor to share information gleaned during his cross-country tours. The 49-yearold Nebraska native previously had shot his way through the U.S. Army Sniper School at Fort Benning, Ga., so it surprised no one to see him take a hands-on, lighthearted approach during his day-long quest to find out exactly what NSSC does for Soldiers.

Larry began his day at the Load Carriage Design Lab, which devised a modular chest rig to hold his beer, cigars, lighter and TV remote control.

“This is so awesome,” Larry said.

He also had a look at the “Ironman” ammo

carriage system, which holds 500 rounds for the M240B machine gun. The system was the brainchild of members of the Iowa National Guard.

“It just sounds cool,” said Larry, “the Ironman.”

Then it was on to the Thermal Test Facility, where he fired a laser through fabric and Plexiglas, had his clothes set ablaze, and helped extinguish them using a spray bottle.

“Whoa! Holy mackerel!” said Larry as he watched a four-second burn test conducted on a manikin clad in a fire-resistant uniform.

“Nothing caught fire! That’s great. That’s good technology. You help save lives of people.”

After lunch, Larry went to the Warfighter Cognitive Performance Building at the U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine to try out the Engagement Skills Trainer 2000, a weapon simulator that measures physical and cognitive performance.

There, he shot against a female Soldier, which he found challenging.

“I just want to let everybody know watching this, honestly, you’ve seen me shoot on other shows -- I’m not a bad shot,” Larry said. “But when you’re out in the field and you’ve got to shoot in these conditions, it ain’t easy.”

“I’m trying to let people know how tough it is for those guys,” he continued. “It seems like people forget they’re out there doing this kind

of work. It’s not easy.”

Next, Larry became a human test subject at the Doriot Climatic Chamber. Connected to a heart monitor, he climbed onto a treadmill wearing the Ironman and carrying the M240B as the tropic chamber temperature hovered around 108 degrees.

“It’s very hot in here,” said Larry, whose heart rate rose to 138 beats per minute and skin temperature climbed to 36 degrees Celsius. “I’m sweating already.”

He then repeated the test wearing a microclimate vest that cooled him down.

“This is very thinning, this outfit,” said Larry, joking as he was fitted to the vest.

Late in the afternoon, Larry sampled apple sauce from the Department of Defense Combat Feeding Directorate at Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center before meeting with Soldiers to wrap up his day at Natick.

“I knew it was going to be awesome,” Larry said of the visit. “I love meeting the troops. I love seeing the things that they use out there and what they go through.”

The Natick segment on “Only in America” is expected to air sometime in April.

RELATED LINKS NSSC: http://www.natick.army.mil/

RDECOM’s THE INSIDER

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RDECOM, NSRDEC representatives attend STEM summit

By Alexandra Foran NSRDEC Public Affairs FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Representatives from Research, Development and Engineering Command and the Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center were among more than 1,000 people who attended the ninth annual Massachusetts STEM Summit, held Oct. 11, at Gillette Stadium.

The purposes of the event were partnership and collaboration among business leaders, educators, politicians, and even a few students gathered to further the advancement of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math, known as STEM, for students.

The event included speeches from officials representing the private and public sectors, including the University of Massachusetts Donahue Institute, Kraft Group, Massachusetts Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development, National Grid, Verizon Foundation, Massachusetts Secretary of Education, a NASA astronaut, and many others.

“The STEM fields are essential to our growth if we want to remain competitive in today’s global economy, and we are proud to host the STEM Summit at Gillette Stadium this year,” said Robert Kraft, chairman and chief executive officer of The Kraft Group.

“Amazing young people from all over the world come here (to Massachusetts) to be educated. We must keep them here and grow not only the greatest companies of the future, but also the greatest companies in the world.”

Kraft spoke at length about the importance of education, especially in reference to today’s ever-changing technology. He joked about these advances, saying, “Before, tweet used to just be a noise,” and “The only ‘apps’ that people like myself used to order were before dinner.”

Many speakers and break-out sessions discussed the need to help students become excited about STEM classes, possible STEM internship opportunities, and, ultimately, STEM careers.

“So many of our young people, who are engaged in robotics and different programs like that, can see a tangible way that the work that they are doing can transform the world, literally and figuratively,” said Massachusetts Lt. Gov Tim Murray.

Donna Bulger, NSRDEC representative, has witnessed firsthand the effect STEM programs have on children and young adults.

Research, Development and Engineering Command and the Natick Soldier Research, Development and Enginering Center representatives attend the Massachusetts STEM Summit 2012, Oct. 11, in Foxborough, Mass. (U.S. Army photo by Alexandra Foran)

The Land and Sea Robotics Camp, which was hosted at NSRDEC but run by Natick High School Robotics team volunteers, helped nurture students’ enthusiasm for STEM for both middle school participants and the high school mentors.

“I’ve seen a really positive progression of a well-coordinated STEM effort in the state,” Bulger said. “Back in the original summits, there were a lot of programs and a lot of activities, but it was unclear what the goals were.”

Now, there are a set of focused goals. The six quantitative goals for the state’s STEM plan are as follows: -- increase student interest in STEM -- increase STEM achievement for students Pre-K to 12 -- increase percentage of students ready for college-level study in STEM majors -- increase number of students who graduate from a post-secondary institution with a degree in a STEM field -- increase number/percentage of STEM classes led by effective educators Pre-K to 16 -- align STEM education programs with workforce needs of key economic sectors The biggest goal of the STEM summit is to support children through education in order to prepare them for a world in which STEM careers are vital and thriving.

“Today’s announced funding and the efforts and feedback from the engaged audience at today’s summit will build on this foundation to further prepare a talented pipeline of students who will be ready to apply 21st century skills in the state’s workforce

and compete in our global economy,” Murray said.

The Army, surprisingly to some, plays a big role in education and has a variety of STEM programs open to students.

“For me, it was more on behalf of the Army Educational Outreach Program, or AOEP, to get plugged in here with some of our efforts nationally,” said Louie Lopez, Program Manager for STEM Education at RDECOM. “I am trying to get the pulse of what goes on here with STEM.” Lopez mentioned how Maryland has similar business roundtable discussions and STEM summits. He also explained two of the biggest AEOP programs. eCYBERMISSION is a web-based free STEM competition for students in grades 6-9 who compete in teams for state, regional and national awards. Students’ work is focused on solving community problems, and they have an opportunity to win up to $8,000 in U.S. savings bonds. Another program, the Junior Science and Humanities Symposia, is for ninth through 12th grades.

If students’ research projects make it to the national stage, they could win up to $12,000 in college scholarships through JSHS. “To me, it’s beyond Massachusetts and Maryland,” Lopez said. “What I intend to do is to get plugged into the different labs and what goes on in local STEM and how that plays into AEOP missions.”

The summit placed an emphasis on collaboration. A quick scan around the large conference room revealed hundreds of business leaders, educators and politicians working together toward a common goal.

“I still think there’s a lot of work to do in terms of transitioning all of this into a classroom,” said Bulger, who explained that one of the roles NSRDEC plays is to facilitate and “identify those (programs) that we can match with a teacher. I think some of the programs we heard about today will provide some opportunity. eCYBERmissions are some of those programs we try to promote, so this will help us find the right venue to promote that.”

Paul Reville, Massachusetts Secretary of Education, called the event more than a summit. ‘’It’s a movement and major collaboration,” Reville said. “We’re on a roll, we’ve got a movement, and we need to keep it going.’’

As Bulger said, STEM programs are all about “bringing people together” and fostering excitement in STEM opportunities.

RELATED LINKS Online: http://www.army.mil/article/89552

18

DECEMBER 2012 – ISSUE NO. 6

Research centers partner for improved ammunition packaging

By Dan Lafontaine RDECOM Public Affairs ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. — U.S. Army research and development centers are collaborating to design new ammunition packaging that could yield significant cost savings and improve battlefield capability, officials said.

Two organizations within the U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command -- the Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center and Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center -- are developing a packaging system for 5.56-millimeter ammunition as an alternative to fabric bandoleers.

The new system is being developed for the Project Director Joint Services in support of the Program Manager for Maneuver Ammunition Systems. It could save considerable cost by using lightweight and inexpensive plastic packaging materials with a design that will allow for automated packing at the ammunition manufacturing plant, said Dan Klein, an engineer with ARDEC’s Packaging Division who serves as the program lead.

ENGINEERING PARTNERSHIP BEGINS The engineering teams are combining ARDEC’s expertise in munitions, packaging and logistics with NSRDEC’s proficiency in laminate engineering and packaging science to design prototypes as a potential replacement.

“NSRDEC’s expertise in packaging Meals Ready-to-Eat is very useful because a lot of the requirements overlap,” Klein said. “The end goal for both food and ammo is preservation, and you have to design for a lot of the same things.”

Packaging food and ammunition incorporates several similar considerations and requirements, including moisture protection, ergonomics (tear strength and direction of packaging), marking, manufacturability and automatability, Klein said.

Materials engineer Dr. Chris Thellen of Combat Feeding Directorate, Advanced Materials Engineering Team, is leading the effort on NSRDEC’s side in collaboration with the Combat Ration Team in CFD. He said CFD’s skills complement those of the ARDEC engineers in developing a solution for Soldiers’ needs.

“Our expertise and experience in plastics and polymer technology, especially in the

Two organizations within the U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command -the Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center and Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center -- are developing a packaging system for 5.56-millimeter ammunition as an alternative to fabric bandoleers.

(U.S. Army photo)

“Our expertise and experience in plastics and polymer technology, especially in the areas of high-barrier food packaging and highperformance film technology, allow us to design items such as this ammunition packaging” — Dr. Chris Thellen areas of high-barrier food packaging and highperformance film technology, allow us to design items such as this ammunition packaging,” Thellen said. “We have several engineers on our team with backgrounds in plastics engineering and packaging science, so it really is a perfect fit for us and for this collaboration to work alongside other highly respected government facilities on a common goal.”

The new design incorporates puncture-

resistant plastic packaging with high-moisture barrier properties to protect ammunition from atmospheric moisture that could degrade performance of the rounds, Thellen said.

Klein said the partnership began as employees from ARDEC’s Packaging and Future Concepts divisions visited NSRDEC to learn about its capabilities and look for potential collaboration opportunities. The teams then merged their respective areas of expertise to begin work in May 2012 on the improved packaging system.

Natick engineers are leading the design aspects for determining which materials have the best puncture resistance and water vapor transmission rate, as well as evaluating different methods for manufacturing the packaging on a large scale at an ammunition plant.

ARDEC’s Packaging Division, which is responsible for designing, maintaining and improving ammunition packaging for the Army, is coordinating the program requirements, logistics, effects on transportation, and gathering feedback from the Army’s ammunition community and Soldiers.

COST SAVINGS, IMPROVED CAPABILITIES Soldiers currently receive the bulk of 5.56-millimeter ammunition as 10-round clips consolidated in fabric bandoleers that add $7 to $8 to the cost of the packed out M2A1 container. The fabric design also makes automated packaging a labor intensive process, Klein said.

A bandoleer that holds 120 rounds of 5.56-millimeter ammunition costs $1 to $1.25 each, while the plastic variant will cost much less and hold the same amount, Klein said.

Based on bandoleer production numbers for the next five years, the program could save more than $2 million annually.

The bandoleer fabric also uses a lot of the available volume in the container that could hold additional ammunition. Replacing it with plastic frees enough space that the number of rounds per container could increase from 840 to 1050.

An additional benefit is ammunition distribution, Klein said. By adding perforations between each 30-round pouch, a Soldier can tear off as much ammunition as necessary for the mission. A Soldier is currently forced to improvise during this situation.

The project has been presented to the U.S. Army Combined Arms Support Command for user input.

RDECOM’s THE INSIDER

19

Natick engineer looks at football technology to improve helmets

By Bob Reinert USAG-Natick Public Affairs NATICK, Mass. — Whether someone absorbs a hit by an improvised explosive device or a charging linebacker, the effect can be devastating on the human brain.

Knowing that, researchers from the Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center are examining technology developed at the University of Southern Mississippi for football helmets that could one day also help protect Soldiers.

A liner system designed at the Southern Mississippi polymer science laboratory, with assistance from the school’s sports medicine department, has been used in the Neuro Responsive Gear, or NRG, helmet produced by Rawlings Sporting Goods. The NRG features a system that combines foam and air bladders to more effectively absorb impacts. The helmet is being used in the National Football League and in the college ranks.

Don Lee, a project engineer in the Headgear Thrust Area of NSRDEC, is now looking at how that technology could apply to military helmets.

“I was approached by the University of Southern Mississippi early last summer,” Lee said. “They had gotten wind that we were doing helmet work, and they had been doing a lot of work with Rawlings on a pneumatic liner system for football helmets, mainly.

“They ended up coming up here and bringing one of their prototype liner systems, and we went over to the helmet lab here at the base and we tested the helmet. It actually showed some good preliminary data for an un-optimized system.”

Lee works to prevent traumatic brain injuries, or TBIs. He understands that once damaged, the brain can’t repair itself and the injury is permanent. He sees potential in the University of Southern Mississippi system.

As Lee has pointed out, Soldiers and athletes are equally vulnerable to TBI. Increasingly, the military, academia and the sports industry are sharing information on the subject.

“We’re all tied in together, supporting each other,” Lee said. “It’s not like we’re all working inside a vacuum. Right now, the commonality is protecting the head, and that’s what’s tying everything together.

“There’s a lot of talk of crossover (in)

Don Lee of the Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center’s Headgear Thrust Area is looking at football helmet technology that could one day help protect Soldiers in the field. (U.S. Army photo by David Kamm)

protecting Soldiers, protecting players. I think that’s what led Southern Mississippi to us. That’s the commonality, is the (mild traumatic brain injury). I just think it’s going to be an issue that’s going to be going on for a long time.”

Lee visited University of Southern Mississippi’s polymers lab and sports medicine department and came away impressed with the work they are doing together, and with Rawlings.

“What they had initially showed in the data they provided showed that there was promise for an improved liner protection,” said Lee, “and I didn’t want to let the opportunity pass me by.”

Because the University of Southern Mississippi liner system uses different air-filled chambers, it has possible advantages that other pneumatic systems lacked.

“If you put a large weight in your helmet like a night-vision device, all the air would

be pushed out of that bag into bags in the back,” said Lee of the old systems, “and then you’d have a stability issue when you actually have the helmet sliding down your face.”

Leveraging different polymers, chambering and their relationship with Rawlings, the University of Southern Mississippi “actually produced a liner that received a five-star safety rating for football helmets. It just shows that we’re all fighting the same fight -- trying to mitigate brain injury.”

Lee said he’s reluctant to ignore any system that shows potential for helping Soldiers.

“You get people (saying), ‘Why are you looking at all this stuff?’” Lee said. “It’s turning over all the rocks and leaving no stone unturned.”

RELATED LINKS NSRDEC: http://nsrdec.natick.army.mil/

20

DECEMBER 2012 – ISSUE NO. 6

Army-Navy personnel share gun expertise

By Audra Calloway ARDEC Public Affairs PICATINNY ARSENAL, N.J. — The 2005 Base Realignment and Closure called for the creation of an integrated weapons and armaments specialty site for guns and ammunition at Picatinny.

As a result, the Navy relocated more than 250 positions assigned to Naval Surface Warfare Center, Indian Head Division to Picatinny Arsenal. Six new naval facilities were built to support the NSWC IHD detachment and accommodate the reintroduced naval presence at Picatinny.

The military is already seeing the benefits of this realignment. One positive aspect has been the combined Army-Navy efforts to support training requirements.

Mike Bottass, NSWC IHD’s Head of Minor and Medium Caliber Gun In Service Engineering Agent Branch, said the 2005 BR AC aligned similar Army-Navy missions and specialties on the same installation.

NSWC IHD’s Picatinny Detachment includes three primary functions: ammunition acquisition and in-service engineering; gun systems acquisition and in-service engineering; and weapons and armaments packaging, handling, storage, and transportation research, development, acquisition and test and evaluation.

Once the naval functions began transitioning to Picatinny, the NSWC IHD Detachment was contacted by Matt Stracco, an education and training technician with the U.S. Army Armament Research Development and Engineering Center’s Armament University.

“We reached out to the Navy to let them know what we offered in training efforts that would be beneficial to them,” said Stracco. “They wouldn’t have to go to the hassle of identifying vendors and bringing trainers here.

Should they need specific training, we were able to reach out to the vendors that we already work with and bring that training onboard in support of their mission.”

Stracco’s offer interested Bottass, who registered for each of the armorer classes offered by AU to evaluate them for applicability and value to the Navy mission.

“They were a windfall of knowledge that has helped the Navy tremendously,” Bottass said.

Bottass now encourages new Navy

engineers and technicians to take advantage of the training opportunities offered by AU. “These classes help us,” Bottass said.

“When we transferred functions from other warfare centers to Picatinny, most of the folks did not move with their position.

As a result, we hired new engineers and technicians, in most cases with little or no in-service engineering experience. The result was a relatively green ISEA team supporting our naval guns.

“So, having the opportunity to get new engineers into armorer training gave us a significant leg up on the learning curve for those people that only knew the principles of engineering. The training provides practical exposure and gunnery vernacular.

It also fostered relationships between the Army and Navy through the cooperative learning structure of the classrooms.”

Participating in the dual trainings also saves the Navy money.

“For us, the opportunity afforded us is very much in line with the intent of the BRAC efforts to bring the Navy here in the first place - to improve synergy between the Navy’s gunnery experts and the Army’s,” Bottass said.

Bottass and Stracco are now developing a new curriculum that includes chain guns and cannons, which open to both service’s engineers that will be taught by Navy trainers. The classes will be open to both Army and Navy personnel.

The Navy plans to offer chain gun familiarization training and instruction on the M242 25mm, MK44 30mm and 7.62mm EX34. It will also offer an introduction class on the M230 30mm.

AU will have a class on FN Manufacturing from Sept. 17-27, and plans to have additional training on the M249 SAW (squad automatic machine gun 5.56mm) and 7.62mm M240.

RELATED LINKS ARDEC: http://www.ardec.army.mil/

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21

RDECOM’s THE INSIDER

A student discovers the hair-raising effects of electricity with a static-electricity-producing Van De Graaff Generator.

Ralph Tillinghast, Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center, provides technical guidance on the assembly of an electronic circuit to two students of the Ridge and Valley Charter School to promote science, technology, engineering and mathematics education. (U.S. Army photos by Jason Kaneshiro)

A student puts the final touches on an electronic circuit to power a small motor during an hour-long session.

STEM Program Manager.

“He’s got the enthusiasm and a great ability to present the knowledge at the level of the students. He has a tremendous ability to relate to them.”

The day’s events consisted of two hour-long sessions for students, with one session targeted at students at the sixth through eighth grade level and the other for students at the third through fifth grade level.

In each session, the students received hands-on experience in constructing basic electronic devices using educational snapcircuit kits.

Students in both groups were eager to attend the sessions when they first heard that Tillinghast was scheduled to visit the school.

“The general reaction from the students was excitement,” said student guide Tonya Wikander. “The desire to attend was high among the students.” Teachers at the school are called “guides.”

Wikander said Tillinghast had visited the school before. Students who attended his prior sessions were eager to participate

in the latest session.

“I love these workshops because we get to work with the kits,” said one student who participated in Tillinghast’s previous events. “I’m definitely learning about how things work by seeing demonstrations and with the hands-on activities.”

While introducing the students to the basics of circuit building and electronics is an important part of having these workshops, Tillinghast also pointed to an overarching purpose for the sessions that would endure beyond the hour-long lessons.

“My personal feeling is that these workshops are critical to the future for our country and humanity in general,” said Tillinghast.

“These kids will one day have to take ownership of the issues and problems that we have today and tomorrow and to tackle those issues we will need people who understand the STEM disciplines and can develop creative solutions.”

Picatinny-area students get hands-on with ‘hair-raising’ science

By Jason Kaneshiro ARDEC Public Affairs PICATINNY ARSENAL, N.J. — What better way to spark a lesson on basic electronics than to feel the hair-raising effects of electricity by placing your hands on a static-electricity-producing Van De Graaff Generator?

So it was for students Oct. 17 at the Ridge and Valley Charter School in Blairstown, N.J., who had the opportunity to build their own basic electronic devices under the guidance of a senior director from Picatinny Arsenal.

Ralph Tillinghast, Lab Director of the Collaborative Innovation Lab, volunteered to journey out to the school as part of ongoing efforts at Picatinny Arsenal and the Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center to promote science, technology, engineering and mathematics education to local students.

“It is our job as engineers and scientists to educate and excite the next generation about what we do,” said Tillinghast.

“He’s fantastic,” said Ed Petersen,

RELATED LINKS Online: http://www.army.mil/article/91743/

22

DECEMBER 2012 – ISSUE NO. 6

Collaboration breeds synergy... and an iPad app ARL Public Affairs ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. —Through collaboration, communication and a chance conversation, the U.S. Army Research Laboratory’s Survivability/ Lethality Analysis Directorate delivered an iPad application that could shave hours off the assessment process on the home front, and in a combat zone, allow the capture of forensic data that would typically be lost.

Greg Dietrich, team leader for the Survivability Assessment Team within the Warfighter Survivability Branch, was in need of a faster method to capture damage to plywood mannequins caused during livefire testing and evaluation.

“In LFT&E, we have to make predictions on what injury would have occurred inside the vehicle,” Dietrich said. “We have plywood mannequins in the vehicle and we collect data from those mannequins.”

The data collection process takes a few hours and involves several steps. Those steps include: manually collecting data on holes and damage to the mannequins; entering the data into a spreadsheet; and transferring the data into the Operational Requirements-based Casualty Assessment model. The model is used to determine the type and severity of the injury based on the experimental data. After a fifteen-minute conversation in an airport and one week of research and development, there is now an app for that.

Dietrich was traveling with Lee Butler, a computer scientist with the Advanced Systems and Lethality Branch, in December 2011, when he mentioned the problem he was having. Butler began to think about it and after one week, he had a prototype of exactly what Dietrich needed. The iPad application has the ability to capture data from the actual mannequin and mark it on a virtual mannequin on the screen, as well as collect photographs and measurements of the damage. The intent is to enhance the app so the data is automatically uploaded to ORCA. Dietrich knew of an ARL employee, Larry Dougherty, who would be traveling to Afghanistan in less than a week. Once in theater, Dougherty would be working with crews that assess actual damage to vehicles from combat. He knew that if he could share this new tool with them, it would improve their data collection processes and enhance the data they were able to collect. These actions would result in better analyses on the home front.

The new app allows Soldiers to gather forensic evidence while in the combat zone, securing data that previously was unavailable due to the perilous environment. (U.S. Army photo by Lee Butler)

“We can find the best answers, but if we don’t effectively communicate those answers to decision makers, it’s pointless,” Dietrich said.

In theater, teams with the Army Test and Evaluation Command and the National Ground Intelligence Center try to capture forensic evidence as soon as a vehicle is damaged in combat, so as to assess the vehicle damage to determine if it responded as we would expect, or if there may be any new vulnerabilities. However most of that forensic evidence takes too long to capture while in a combat zone, so the vehicles are recovered quickly and removed from the scene so that more assessments can be done once the vehicle is in a safe location.

“Without the iPad application, no one is going to do it [the assessment]. You don’t want to be in the area after an event. A lot of times it [the vehicle] is just removed. At that point, you’ve lost forensic knowledge of where it was in the scene,” Butler said.

Dougherty asked Butler if the application could be adapted to include computeraided-design drawings of the MineResistant Ambush-Protected vehicle, so that damage could be assessed using the iPad. This would cut the data collection time in a combat zone from 30 minutes to just a few minutes. In the week before

Dougherty deployed, Butler was able to adjust the app so that it could create the scenario with the vehicle, the vehicle with a crew inside, or each of the crew members with no vehicle. Butler was able to develop the specific application and have it ready to deploy with Dougherty to Afghanistan where it was shared with ATEC and NGIC. “Everybody who gathers this data now carries a camera, notepad, tape measure and caliper. This new app collapses that down to one device. When you get it back from the scene, data, associations, photos are all linked together,” Butler said.

“At this point, most are really thrilled. It would not only help ARL, but Soldiers in the field. This all came about because of a happenstance objective,” Butler said of the common travel schedule that he and Dietrich shared.

“This is what we can do in a lot of areas if we just communicate,” Butler said. “Communication breeds synergy. I developed a tool for gathering mannequin data which morphed into gathering vehicle data, which now provides a valuable tool for the Soldier.”

RELATED LINKS ARL: http://www.arl.army.mil//

RDECOM’s THE INSIDER

23

Army researchers link ground robots for collaborative autonomy ARL Public Affairs ADELPHI, Md. — Four U.S. Army Research Laboratory researchers have developed an algorithm that will make it easier for the Department of Defense to maintain wirelessly networked Army PackBots and other military assets using radio communications.

The team recently demonstrated they could map the region of good connectivity to a radio base station using received signal strength.

“We are working on fundamental techniques that employ autonomous agents to maintain connectivity, and continuously provide situational awareness to Soldiers,” said Dr. Brian Sadler of ARL’s Computational and Information Sciences Directorate in a recent article about the research.

The team has been focused on radio connectivity between robots for nearly two years, he said.

“We can find and explore areas that have high RSS and then map these areas as having the strongest connectivity to the radio base station,” said Jeffrey Twigg, a contract employee with ARL’s Computational and Information Sciences Directorate who was instrumental in this research. “This brings us a step closer to operating autonomous systems in complex and unstructured situations like those soldiers encounter on the battlefield.”

“Ultimately we want to form building blocks that increase the effectiveness of a networked team of robots in an unknown environment.”

— Jeffrey Twigg When the environment is open, communication between autonomous robots is well understood. Indoors however, walls and other sources of interference cause radio propagation to be more complex. This requires the communication strategies used by robotic systems to be more complex, Twigg said.

“Ultimately we want to form building blocks that increase the effectiveness of a networked team of robots in an unknown environment,” Twigg said. “If robots can be programmed to map where there is the potential to communicate inside a building, then Soldiers and other assets can know

Jason Gregory and Jeffrey Twigg, both of U.S. Army Research Laboratory’s Computational and Information Sciences Directorate, use their robotics expertise to explore ways to best operate autonomous systems in complex and unstructured situations like those Soldiers encounter on the battlefield.

where in the building they will be able to communicate with a radio base station.”

Efficient Base Station Connectivity Region Discovery by Jeffrey Twigg, Dr. Jonathan Fink, Dr. Paul Yu and Dr. Brian Sadler is a project that takes a second step toward a broad understanding of solutions for Army robotics. The study has been submitted for publication by the International Journal of Robotics Research.

The researchers took their findings from earlier research conducted this year to the next level. They combined region decomposition and RSS sampling to form an efficient graph search. The nominal RSS in a sampling region is obtained by averaging local RSS samples to reduce the small scale fading variation.

At this point, the system has been tested in the lab as well as at the MOUT site at Fort Indiantown Gap. The algorithm can be used for sensing and collaborative autonomy within the region of base station connectivity, Twigg said.

The ARL researchers first presented the development: RSS Gradient-Assisted Frontier Exploration and Radio Source Localization at the 2012 International Conference on Robotics and Automation in St. Paul, Minn.

RELATED LINKS Army.mil: http://go.usa.gov/rhWz

Twigg tests an Army PackBot’s connectivity to a radio base station using signal strength at the U.S. Army Research Laboratory in Adelphi, Md.

24

DECEMBER 2012 – ISSUE NO. 6

New Army research facility to focus on proteomics, genomics

By Kristen Dalton ECBC Public Affairs ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. — Two Army institutions unveiled an unprecedented shared resource designed to support basic and applied research projects that will apply a broad but integrated biological approach to a wide variety of Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and high-yield Explosives, or CBRNE, issues.

The U.S. Army Edgewood Chemical Biological Center, or ECBC, and the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense, known as MRICD, officially launched the Proteomics Core Facility, Oct. 10, which will be used to support the Defense Threat Reduction Agency/Joint Science and Technology Chemical and Biological Defense Program and MRICD and ECBC Missions to protect the Warfighter from the harmful effects of chemical and biological agents.

ECBC is the nation’s principal research and development resource for nonmedical chemical and biological defense.

MRICD is the nation’s leading science and technology laboratory in the area of medical chemical countermeasures research and development. Both are located at Aberdeen Proving Ground.

Together, the organizations will support sponsored research in the areas of whole genomic sequencing and finishing, whole transcriptome analysis, expression analysis and microRNA. With the newly added equipment, ECBC and MRICD can extend their research utilizing mass spectrometrybased proteomics, high content image analysis of cells and tissues and gel-based imaging.

This new facility answers a need for both institutions, with both requiring additional proteomics and genomics tools.

“Rather than duplicate the capabilities, why not build them in one joint facility?” said Jennifer Sekowski, Ph.D., molecular toxicologist and ECBC lead for standing up the Proteomics Core Facility. “Having a combined Genomics and Proteomics Core now allows us to more easily share our resources, provide new training opportunities, and expand the amount and type of research we both can do.”

“This revolutionary joint capability is a wonderful illustration of the cooperation and collaboration across the Aberdeen Proving Ground Edgewood campus,” said Joseph Wienand, ECBC technical director.

U.S. Army Edgewood Chemical Biological Center Technical Director Joseph Wienand (left) celebrates the launch of the Proteomics Core Facility with Col. Bruce Schoneboom, commander of U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense, at a groundbreaking ceremony, Oct. 10, at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md. (U.S. Army photo by Kristen Dalton)

“In this time of fiscal awareness, it is a great example of our nation’s leading scientists working together to share resources and save funding while working toward the common goal of the protection of our Soldiers and our nation.”

Col. Bruce Schoneboom, MRICD commander, said he was excited to see this unique facility officially launch.

“The fact that two organizations came together to build a joint capability is a wonderful testament to the true spirit of collaboration in support of common scientific research, and I hope that this serves as a great example for other installations,” he said. “I am very excited to see the great strides the talented MRICD and ECBC staff will take in proteomics and genomics research.”

ECBC and MRICD scientists have joined forces for more than a year to build the Proteomics Core Facility, which comprises 625 square feet of renovated laboratory space on the third floor of the McNamara Life Sciences Building. Non-agent research operations began in August, with the official launch of the facility in October.

Currently, ECBC and MRICD scientists will work on independent projects, though there is potential for collaboration in the future.

The new facility at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., was designed to help U.S. Army Edgewood Chemical Biological Center and U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense share resources on basic and applied research projects that will protect the warfighter from the harmful effects of chemical and biological agents.

RELATED LINKS Army.mil: http://go.usa.gov/YX2T

25

RDECOM’s THE INSIDER

CERDEC expands counterfire target acquisition radar capabilities

By Kristen Kushiyama CERDEC Public Affairs ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. — A seamless link from development to production helped to distinguish a recent Department of Defense-awarded radar as one of the top five 2012 defense programs of excellence in systems engineering in October.

The AN/TPQ-53 Counterfire Target Acquisition Radar, more commonly referred to as Q-53, leveraged government, industry and academic organizations to provide U.S. soldiers with an advanced radar with 360-degree surveillance capabilities.

The Q-53 system is managed by Product Manager Radars, or PM Radars, with Lockheed Martin as the prime contractor, but the program traces its roots back to development work done in the Army’s Research, Development and Engineering Command’s communicationselectronics center, or CERDEC, more than 10 years ago.

The effective transition from the science and technology community through to production was a distinguishing factor in recognizing the Q-53, said Leo Smith, Army representative to the selection committee and director of the Program of Record Engineering Support Directorate under the Assistant Secretary of the Army (Acquisition, Logistics and Technology) Office of the Chief System Engineer.

“This program was highly ranked across the representatives who selected this year’s winners, and it was one of the few programs that started as an [Army Technology Objective] or [Advanced Technology Development] funded effort that eventually transitioned across the ‘valley of death,’ where requirements change or the [science and technology] prime contractor doesn’t get a bid, etc.,” said Smith.

“Systems engineers from across CERDEC directorates along with quality assurance managers from CERDEC Product Realization Engineering and Quality Directorate, PRD, have been working hard for a number of years to make this critical program a reality and have succeeded in doing so,” said Ron Michel, CERDEC PRD director.

CERDEC first demonstrated the Q-53 technology concept in 2006 through its Army funded Multi-Mission Radar Advanced Technology Objective demonstration, said Hai Phu, a CERDEC Intelligence and Information

The AN/TPQ-53 Counterfire Target Acquisition Radar provides long-range counterfire target acquisition for mortars, rockets and cannons. Product Manager Radars and Lockheed Martin were recently awarded an excellence in systems engineering award by the Defense Department for their work with AN/TPQ-53. U.S. Army RDECOM CERDEC systems engineers and quality assurance engineers supported the Q-53 radar system and developed the predecessor system prior to it being transitioned to the PM. (U.S. Army photo)

Warfare Directorate, or I2WD, systems engineer working with PM Radars.

“I2WD started with the idea by collecting requirements to get approved by [Office of the Secretary of Defense], and we had five years of development and prototyping starting in 2001 [on the MMR ATO]. It then transitioned to PM RADARS and was picked up and developed into what we have right now with the Q-53,” Phu said.

Researchers referred to the ground work done across Army acquisition communities as a key factor in the success of the program starting with CERDEC’s identification of a possible Soldier need.

“Going back 10 plus years, CERDEC I2WD is credited with identifying the mission need and the technological solution and getting in front of the [TRADOC Capabilities Manager] Fire Brigade at Fort Sill and saying ‘This requirement doesn’t exist today, but it is a need of yours, and if you make it a requirement it can be met with technology that is now available,’” said David Lusk, a consultant from D&S Consultants Incorporated who works with I2WD and PM Radars.

Those involved in the Q-53 program utilized the late Rear Admiral Wayne E. Meyer’s “builda-little, test-a-little, learn-a-lot” approach. Part of Q-53’s success was because of this method of incremental building and testing of technologies and systems to increase efficiency when developing systems, according to Lusk.

“There were technical reviews along the way to ensure the design was progressing as it should, was meeting requirements and was meeting what the user ultimately wants,” said Daniel Foster, Booz Allen Hamilton consultant

working at PM Radars.

The Q-53 program is also applying additional systems engineering rigor through the Life Cycle Signature Support Plan, which is a “living document” that allows for new threats to be identified in theater and accounted for, said Jessy Chacko, a CERDEC I2WD systems engineer working at PM Radars.

Accounting for new threats to the Soldier is also part of the systems engineering process for incorporating engineering design changes to defeat those threats.

“Systems engineering incorporates multiple engineering disciplines and reduces risk by providing an ordered process that ensures you’ve looked at all available courses of action,” said Frank Vellella, PM Radar’s chief engineer and CERDEC PRD’s radar branch chief, currently assigned to CERDEC’s Systems Engineering Office. “Without it you’re kind of scatter brained; this allows you to break things down logically and reduce risks over the product’s lifecycle because you know you have looked at everything.”

The Q-53 quick reaction capability system first deployed in 2010. The program was awarded its Milestone C decision in February, meaning the DoD approved Q-53 to start its low-rate initial production, and the first LRIP program of record system will deploy in a few months, Phu said.

“In the DoD lifecycle you come to Milestone C, which is essentially the gate between finishing your engineering and development and going into production,” Foster said.

RELATED LINKS Army.mil: http://1.usa.gov/RgWiAW

26

DECEMBER 2012 – ISSUE NO. 6

ECBC adds fun factor, earthworms to elementary science lessons

By Jennifer Carroll ECBC Public Affairs BEL AIR, Md. — As one of its major science, technology, engineering and math educational outreach initiatives, the U.S. Army Edgewood Chemical Biological Center continues to help implement the ‘Engineering is Elementary’ curriculum in Harford County Public Schools’ elementary school classrooms.

After providing its neighboring school system with four different EiE storybook modules, ECBC subject matter experts have teamed up with local teachers to reinforce STEM concepts taught in ‘Yi Min’s Great Wall,’ ‘A Reminder for Emily,’ ‘Leif Catches the Wind’ and ‘Saving Salila’sTurtle.’ EiE storybooks integrate engineering and technology concepts and skills with elementary science topics, challenging students to solve a real-world problem.

“The Department of Defense’s National Defense Education Program enables us to offer teachers and students fun and meaningful experiences that enhance STEM lessons in the classroom,” said Mary Doak, the Center’s program manager for community and educational outreach.

“With NDEP’s support, the scientists and engineers that work at ECBC today can help foster the STEM talent we need to solve tomorrow’s problems.”

ECBC’s environmental toxicologist Dr. Michael Simini, who uses earthworms to assess the impact of chemicals on the environment for DoD customers, recently translated his area of expertise into four real-world science lessons for 120 fifthgraders at Red Pump Elementary School.

“In my every day job at ECBC, I analyze the way harmful pollutants affect the survival and reproduction of living organisms like earthworms and develop models that monitor environmental toxicity levels to support the sustainability of military testing and training ranges,” he explained. “I truly enjoy sharing my passion for science with elementary school students “ I think this is the perfect time to start sparking students’ interest in STEM career fields.”

Instead of using earthworms for chemical and biological defense projects that afternoon, Simini used the organisms to engage local students in a hands-on STEM activity that directly related to the EiE story ‘Saving Salila’sTurtle.’ After reviewing topics like the eco-system, living and nonliving organisms and the food chain with

Fifth-grade students from Red Pump Elementary School examine earthworm behaviors in different environments during a science lesson led by ECBC environmental toxicologist Dr. Michael Simini (U.S. Army photos by Jennifer Carroll)

each group of students, Simini asked questions that allowed them to apply their knowledge of science.

Students then took a closer look at earthworms and their behavior in different environments. During two separate experiments, students examined whether worms preferred a ‘wet’ or ‘dry’ environment and whether they were attracted to a ‘polluted’ or ‘clean’ area. While using creative thinking and the scientific method, they developed a hypothesis, performed a scientific experiment and drew conclusions based on the scientific data collected.

Heather Hammond, who teaches fifth-grade science at Red Pump Elementary School, had invited Simini into the school to help reinforce STEM concepts outlined in the environmental Amy Ryan, teacher specialist in elementary science at Harford County Public Schools, and Simini, help Red Pump Elementary science curriculum.

School students conduct a hands-on science activity with “Dr. Simini’s visit to our earthworms. classroom was a great way to enhance our ‘Environmental Issues’ and phenomenon unfamiliar to them before ‘Environmental Engineering’ science units,” Simini came into their classroom. she said. “The students were intrigued by “I was very surprised to see how reacted to different using earthworms for scientific experiments earthworms and really enjoyed the STEM experience environments,” said fifth-grade student Nick Hildebrandt. “I had a lot of fun conducting ECBC provided.”

Looking through the eyes of science, this activity, because it allowed us to see students applied inquiry and problem- and examine earthworm behaviors up solving skills to the discovery of a close.”

27

RDECOM’s THE INSIDER

Encrypted DNA technology combats counterfeiting

By Kristen Dalton ECBC Public Affairs ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. — If you have ever wondered whether the luxury handbag you got for Christmas was authentic or just a haggled-over knock-off from Canal Street in New York City, there may be a way to find out: DNA encryption.

Customers may not even be aware that DNA barcodes are sometimes hidden inside luxury goods, a piece of new technology that can be snapped off and sent to a laboratory to verify the authenticity of an item, said Aleksandr Miklos, Ph.D., senior scientist in the Research & Technology Directorate BioDefense division at the U.S. Army Edgewood Chemical Biological Center.

Although luxury handbags are not typically seen on the battlefield, related DNA technology could one day be found there.

In fact, it is exactly what Miklos is working on.

“We’re honestly always thinking about the Warfighter.”

— Aleksandr Miklos “We’re honestly always thinking about the Warfighter. How is this actually going to help our Armed services? If you’re in the middle of nowhere and you want to make sure that some bearing you’re about to install in your helicopter isn’t a counterfeit from who-knows-where, you can’t very well snap the tag off and send it back to a lab.

That’s basically useless,” he said.

“We’re going to take an existing idea, which is to use DNA to tag things, and make it super easy to use in austere environments.”

As the primary investigator for an ECBC project designed to protect troops in theater from counterfeiting schemes, Miklos and his colleagues are developing technologies that would enable a DNA-based barcode to be read with an inexpensive, disposable test ticket that verifies the authenticity of a given item.

Without modifying printing methods, a specific mixture of small synthetic DNA strands would be added to various forms of inks like offset or inkjet, and incorporated into two-dimensional bar codes or quickresponse (QR) codes. These labels are then rubbed with a wet swab from a testing kit and applied to a test ticket containing a tiny piece of membrane printed with DNA.

ECBC’s Dr. Aleksandr Miklos uses a cost-effective, portable DNA encryption technology to verify the authenticity of goods. (U.S. Army photo)

According to Miklos, if the barcode and the test ticket have matching DNA sequences, a fluorescent image of a hidden barcode would develop and could be verified by a simple picture taken by a cell phone in less than 10 minutes.

In less time and at a fraction of the cost, this innovative encrypted DNA technology could let our warfighters use a cuttingedge anticounterfeiting technology without access to a lab and even without heat or cooling. But the biggest benefit, Miklos said, was being able to build end-user confidence in the supply chain.

“You provide an easy-to-use tool like this and the people who are receiving the items are now all the more confident that they’ve received something that’s authentic, been approved, that’s been checked, that’s gone through all of the correct quality controls, and is going to keep them alive and not get them sick,” Miklos said.

Modern-day counterfeiting has become more than just faux designer bags and cheap plastic toys. It has also infiltrated the military realm, flooding U.S. Armed Forces systems with unreliable equipment, he said. Products like integrated circuits, electronics and microchips cannot always be trusted even if they appear to be working properly.

“It has become known at this point that counterfeit items have entered the military supply chain. Furthermore, in discussions with military folks, we’ve learn that once we have a presence in another country sometimes we start to use people in the other country as contractors to provide water and food and things like that,” Miklos said.

“Presumably, there are measures in place to inspect and test these things but when does that system break down? If there’s a pallet of bottled water that comes in and somebody’s actually tested it, they can apply a mark to it and seal it. Then the soldiers can verify that mark and know that the water hasn’t been tampered with or that the water hasn’t just been refilled out of a stream and delivered to them by a local looking to make a buck.”

Despite the subtle tactics, counterfeiting still poses a threat to national security and places a financial burden on the American taxpayer. According to Miklos, utilizing existing infrastructures like the cloud can help prevent counterfeit material from mixing in with quality products. If a product were to turn up as inauthentic or if there was an attempt to hack the DNA code, the Armed Forces would know about it, he said. Every time an item is scanned, a data points system is created, which across a large supply ecosystem would create a rich data set that could identify and detect suspicious patterns.

The senior scientist said the easy-to-use unpowered test ticket style of verifying the validity of goods on the battlefield is “the magic that ECBC brings to the table” as it continues to rework an existing technology to meet the needs of the warfighter. Now, the Center is seeking sponsors to fund the continued development of the prototype into a product that is genuinely valuable in the field. The DNA technology allows highdensity information to be securely stored in just a handful of atoms, Miklos said, giving the soldier the peace of mind that that equipment, food and water sources have not been tainted.

RELATED LINKS More online: http://1.usa.gov/Yj9KpQ

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DECEMBER 2012 – ISSUE NO. 6

Heftier UGV offers more lifting, hauling strength

By Robert Karlsen and Bob Van Enkenvoort TARDEC DETROIT ARSENAL, Mich. — A small car can’t pull a heavy trailer. Sports utility vehicles don’t have a compact car’s fuel efficiency.

A perfect, one-size-fits-all vehicle doesn’t exist. The same goes for unmanned ground vehicles.

Soldiers use UGVs— such as the 40-pound PackBot or the larger, 115-pound TALON — to detect and defeat roadside bombs, gain situational awareness, detect chemical and radiological agents, and increase the standoff distance between Soldiers and potentially dangerous situations. Just as SUVs offer utility smaller cars can’t match, larger UGVs provide capabilities not available with smaller platforms.

The 300-pound iRobot Warrior, developed in partnership with the U.S. Army Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center is a large UGV that offers more lifting and carrying power, as well as the potential for better dexterity to grab items or open and close doors. The Warrior’s capabilities combine that of a TARDECdeveloped map-based navigation and those of the Warrior’s predecessor, the Neomover, which was larger than a PackBot and could perform several dexterous tasks with its robotic arm.

In marsupial mode, the iRobot 710 Warrior carries a PackBot to approach, investigate and neutralize IEDs while keeping personnel at a safe stand-off distance. (Photos courtesy of iRobot)

WARRIOR HOLDS UP IN EXERCISES The development team evaluated Warrior UGVs in several live exercises and a real-life disaster response. In February 2009, TARDEC brought the Warrior to the Cobra Gold tactical exercises in Thailand for an assessment at the Marine Experimentation Center.

“A group of Marines were part of the exercise and they tested the system’s mobility, communication-range capabilities, how well can it go up and down stairs and through corridors and hallways,” said Jeremy Gray, TARDEC Ground Vehicle Robotics research electrical engineer.

At the exercise, the Warrior was tested with several infantry mission scenarios including: entry-point checkpoint, vehicle security, building clearance, cordon and search, route clearance, assess mobility and casualty extractions. The Cobra Gold evaluations were vital in helping TARDEC associates determine how to move forward with the platform’s development. “We learned that the systems needed some improvements before we could get them to a fieldable maturity level,” noted TARDEC GVR Customer Support

The iRobot 710 Warrior with Anti-Personnel Obstacle Breaching System provides Warfighters with a powerful and rugged unmanned system that facilitates the deliberate breaching of anti-personnel minefields and multi-strand wire obstacles.

Team Leader Lonnie Freiburger. “There were some good data points that showed that if we continued to make S&T investment in mission payloads — such as manipulators, platform

“There isn’t a perfect robot.

Eventually, you’re going to have an arsenal of robots, and you’re going to pick the one that’s going to help your mission the best each day.”

— Jeremy Gray intelligence, power, vision and explosive and chemical detection systems — we could have a better product.”

Shortly after that evaluation, TARDEC

The iRobot Warrior, using a tool on the end of its arm, is able to grab, lift and carry heavy items. The arm can lift up to 350 pounds and the Warrior can carry a payload of up to 150 pounds.

received Congressional funding to work with iRobot in the development of two Warrior manipulator arms in July 2009. The arms were required to weigh less than 45 kilograms, have a reach of 1.5 meters, lift a 50 kg object and move it 50 meters, drag a 100 kg object for 50 meters, dig 25 cm into the soil, and turn over a 50 cm x 50 cm x 4 cm piece of concrete. iRobot eventually doubled the lift capacity and extended the reach to 1.9 meters, increasing the weight to 54 kg. iRobot also developed a mechanism attaching an Anti-Personnel Obstacle Breaching System to the Warrior to teleoperate it into position and remotely fire the munition. The APOBS has two boxes with a line charge with grenades attached at intervals. An attached rocket is shot to lay

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RDECOM’s THE INSIDER out the line. The grenades on the line then detonate and clear a path for users.

The APOBS is a fielded system, but must currently be put in place manually. Because of that, adding it to the Warrior or other teleoperated UGVs meant having to start from scratch.

“Trying to take a system that was designed for that and adapt it and integrate it to a UGV was a great challenge because the technical reports and training manuals don’t have helpful information,” noted Gray. “We had a lot of questions [regarding the APOBS integration] and asked the developers that made the training manuals and they weren’t even sure. So it was a lot of: ‘Let’s see if this works.’ Luckily, we got through it all without blowing up the robot. It ended up being a success. We had a couple of close calls, but we learned a lot from that.”

EXPANDING CAPABILITIES After those refinements were made, the team put Warrior to the test again. The Congressional funding also allowed them to run more drills at the Navy’s China Lake, CA, facility in November 2009, and then twice at the Combined Arms Live Fire Exercise during 2010 Cobra Gold, outside of Chai Badan, Thailand.

“It is a really big show. That’s when you have air and ground forces coming together from different countries. … It’s basically one big exercise of one big assault. So you had air strikes and mortar rounds coming into an area,” Gray commented. “The ground forces used the APOBS for the initial penetration, so the Warrior went up to the concertina wire, launched and blew that out of the way and then the ground forces were able to go in and complete the exercise.”

Currently, one of TARDEC’s Warriors is undergoing final software testing. The other is at Re2’s facility supporting two SBIRs that TARDEC manages on semi-autonomous door opening and enhanced manipulation feedback. They are also being used to support Gray’s innovation project in developing a new gripper design.

“Re2 is developing an enhanced intuitive control,” Gray noted “A lot of the manipulators don’t have real fine movement, and they don’t have haptic feedback, which is a type of feedback that goes back to the users so they have an idea of what is going on.”

In that light, Re2 is building an end-effector tool kit for the Warrior arm with automatic tool- change capabilities. “On the end of your arm, there is some sort of tool — whether it’s a gripper, whether it’s a knife — that they have the ability to change out automatically.”

nWindow breakers to do entry control point type of jobs.

REAL-LIFE DISASTER TESTING

An iRobot Warrior works in the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station in Japan. (Photo courtesy of the Tokyo Electric Power Co.)

An assessment using the Warrior manipulator arm and the Re2 Modular Intelligent Manipulation and Intuitive Control was completed in December 2011 at Camp Pendleton, CA. Scenarios involved opening doors, getting through locked doors and finding a locked device. The tasks were also done with smaller UGVs without the toolchange capabilities.

Engineers took a unique approach to gather information in terms of what tools to design for

“They’re [industry] more focused on very precise tasks in a benign environment. We’re dealing with very complex environments. Our tolerances are a little more open than what they have to deal with.”

— Lonnie Freiburger the system. “We went out to Fallujah, Iraq, when we deployed and took photos of all the tools being strapped onto the robots. This is the ad-hoc stuff that the user is putting on,” Freiburger said.

It makes sense to have conformed hardware designs instead of the makeshift tools added in the field. “It sounds like there is an opportunity to leverage what industry is doing, but industry is a little different. They’re more focused on very precise tasks in a benign environment. We’re dealing with very complex environments. Our tolerances are a little more open than what they have to deal with.” Tools currently being designed include: nEnd effectors – grippers – for different style of doors. nEngineering tools for route clearance, diggers and trenchers. nSmall pneumatic sledgehammers that can pick through the ground. nWire rakes to pull command wire from the ground.

In addition to the California and Thailand exercises, iRobot sent two PackBots and two Warriors to Japan after the March 2011 magnitude 9.0 earthquake and tsunami that left around 19,000 people dead or missing and damaged several nuclear reactors to the point of near failure.

The PackBots were first sent into a reactor to gain situational awareness, where the investigation found radiation levels of 72.0 Sieverts inside the reactor’s containment vessel — enough to kill a person in minutes.

Tim Trainer, interim general manager of iRobot’s Military Business Unit, said the UGVs stood up well to the conditions. “We knew going into the operation that Warrior was a very rugged platform, but we didn’t know how much of an effect the high radiation levels would have on the robot operationally. We’re pleased that Warrior has continued to perform unaffected in this environment.”

Workers also outfitted the platform with an industrial vacuum cleaner to remove radioactive debris and further reduce radiation levels.

THE RIGHT MACHINE FOR THE JOB Moving ahead, the challenge is building the right size robot for the job. “There isn’t a perfect robot,” Gray noted. “Eventually, you’re going to have an arsenal of robots, and you’re going to pick the one that’s going to help your mission the best each day.”

Today, Soldiers primarily tele-operate robots. “There are some intelligent features that vendors are selling such as scripts for movements, such as manipulation. Maybe you need to reposition an arm before it can go upstairs. You push a button and the center of gravity is recalibrated from the manipulator for all the payloads and now you can climb up the stairs. Maybe you have a user that is continually picking up objects so now you have a script for that task,” Freiburger added. “We know we want to reduce the cognitive load of our warfighters and eventually be a force multiplier.”

For now, engineers are working on augmented tele-operation to improve the optempo in any way possible, and continue the quest for improved autonomy and dexterity. “A robot is an enabler,” Freiburger said. “We’re constantly working on improving the touch, senses, and other ways of communicating and understanding our environment. [We’re] trying to make the robots more like humans in any way possible.”

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DECEMBER 2012 – ISSUE NO. 6

Detroit public school students participate at A World in Motion’s JetToy competition at SAE World Congress in April. Michigan schools rank No. 1 in the United States in AWIM participation with 542 schools. California ranks second with 274 participating schools. (Photo courtesy of Linda Cavanaugh).

Program makes math, science fun while addressing need for engineers TARDEC Public Affairs DETROIT ARSENAL, Mich. — An April 2012 report compiled by the U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee Chairman’s staff noted that the need for workers with science, technology, engineering and mathematics skills is heightened in today’s global economy because technological innovation improves the competitive position of U.S. industries, drives export growth and supports high-quality jobs.

That report cited Bureau of Labor statistics that show STEM occupation employment is expected to grow 17 percent from 2010 to 2020. “While the number of students receiving degrees from four-year institutions has increased in the U.S. as access to higher education has expanded over the past several decades, the share of students graduating with STEM degrees has declined. The share of bachelor’s degrees awarded in STEM fields peaked at 24 percent in 1985; by 2009, the share had fallen to 18 percent. The share of master’s degrees in STEM fields dropped from 18 percent to 14 percent over the same period,” the report indicated.

The U.S. Army and its industry partners are

committed to strengthening the nation’s STEM skill set, and key to doing that is engaging students in these areas while they’re young.

The challenge is that many elementary school students don’t know fact from fiction about being a scientist or engineer. To them, science and math are not seen as doorways to possible careers, but as difficult subjects that bring hours of homework.

But something happens when fourth- and fifth-graders participate in the Society of Automotive Engineers International’s A World in Motion program, which transforms those math and science concepts from drudgery to relevancy by engaging students in hands-on engineering projects. They have fun and get a taste of how it feels to work, think and act like an engineer.

That’s something that volunteer engineers involved in the six-week AWIM program hope will help reduce resistance to math and science and propel today’s elementary school students into tomorrow’s engineering jobs in the auto industry or at Army research laboratories, such as the U.S. Army Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center.

“Most of the schools have very little hands-on involvement in math and science,”

commented TARDEC Deputy Chief Scientist Paul Decker. “The kids have to memorize multiplication tables. We’re calculating the area of different sail shapes in my class. They’re asking, ‘Why do we need to know math?’ I say, ‘Here’s exactly why you have to know math.

You have to figure out why your sail is different from the one over here. You need to know how this shape makes a difference, and you can’t figure out the area of the shape unless you know some math.’”

FROM STEM TO STERN: STRESSING TECHNICAL EDUCATION AWIM is a teacher-administered, industry volunteer-assisted program that brings science, technology, engineering and math education to the classroom. Michigan ranks No. 1 in the United States in AWIM participation, with 542 schools involved. A group of General Motors and TARDEC engineers volunteer to go into classrooms to give practical examples of how knowledge gained in STEM-related classes applies to the real world.

“Kids are not attracted to math. Once they hear the word, they kind of shy away from it,” explained GM’s Namir Zara, who coordinates

RDECOM’s THE INSIDER programs at St. Anne’s Catholic School in Warren, Mich. “We are trying to encourage children to see how much fun engineering and math can be.”

Participating fourth-grade students construct paper sailboats and test the effect of different sail shapes, sizes and construction methods to meet specific performance criteria — learning about friction, forces, and the effect of surface area. Fifth-grade students make balloon-powered toy cars that meet specific performance criteria like distance traveled, weight carried and speed of travel.

Students learn about jet propulsion, friction, air resistance and design in this challenge.

“It’s really doing physics in a fourth-grade environment,” said Melissa Morgan, a test engineer on the Physical Simulation Team for TARDEC’s Concepts, Analysis, Systems Simulation and Integration group who has volunteered at St. Anne’s for seven years. “It’s simplified so much. That’s what they are really doing without knowing it.”

The program takes abstract thoughts from textbooks and applies them in a hands-on way, according to Decker, who leads the fourthgrade AWIM program at Guardian Angels Catholic Elementary School in Clawson, MI. He instructed his class to divide into groups to form a “company.”

“The kids have different roles,” Decker stated. “There is a project engineer, who in charge of the team. There is a facilities engineer, who is in charge of the materials, designs and all the information they need.

There is a testing engineer who is in charge of the testing. There is a consulting engineer who has to plan a step ahead and help all the different functions.” Students rotate responsibilities during the program so they are exposed to a variety of duties.

Students perform testing on their vehicles, make adjustments and record the differences in performance to review results. “If they feel it doesn’t go as far as expected, they have the opportunity to redesign the car or boat to see if it can go farther,” said Kathy Belan, St. Anne School fourth-grade teacher.

Instructors stress that teamwork is an essential skill for all engineers and they have to learn to resolve differences to move forward.

“We tell kids, there is no one person who is smart or knowledgeable enough to design a full vehicle themselves. It takes different specialties. Nobody has all the answers to everything,” Decker explained. “It helps to get answers from other members of your team. It makes for a better product.”

Volunteers are often impressed by the thoughts that come from the elementary school engineers. Zara said one fifth-grader came up with a theory that his group’s vehicle

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A Detroit student participates at A World in Motion’s JetToy competition at SAE World Congress in April.

Volunteers go into schools using the AWIm curriculum in an effort to get students hooked on STEM-related classes at an early age. (Photo courtesy of Linda Cavanaugh)

traveled farther along a less-traveled part of the school’s cafeteria floor because the floor wax was smoother than in the heavily-traveled areas. “I think that is a big accomplishment for a kid to understand,” Zara said.

QUALIFIED APPLICANTS NEEDED TARDEC Ground Vehicle Robotics Chief Engineer Gregory Hudas discusses robotics with St. Anne students as part of the program.

He became involved after hearing that the number of students, particularly females, who plan to study engineering in college continues to drop.

Attracting more women to the STEM workforce is essential. The JEC report noted: “In 2009, women earned 57 percent of all bachelor’s degrees awarded, up from 54 percent in 1993. However, at the same time, the share of bachelor’s degrees awarded to women in mathematics and statistics declined by 4 percent and in computer science by 10 percent. Consequently, while women have comprised a growing share of the collegeeducated workforce, their share of the STEM workforce has not increased. Only 14 percent of engineers are women, as are just 27 percent of individuals working in computer science and math positions.”

Hudas hopes to expand St. Anne’s program to include AWIM curriculum that introduces scientific concepts through stories and pictures to kindergarten and first-grade students.

The program previously targeted 7th-9th graders, but shifted its focus to 4th and 5th graders when it proved more difficult to blend

AWIM activities into the school’s curriculum at that level. “By that time it’s too late. Their minds are made up,” Hudas said.

Getting the word out to even more students would help in that regard. “It would be nice to see more TARDEC involvement in the program,” Morgan said. “That would be something I would hope for in the future because those students could be future TARDEC employees.”

TARDEC Associate Director for Communications and Outreach Derhun D. Sanders noted TARDEC is responsible for STEM community educational outreach to ensure that the country has enough qualified workers to fill future STEM-related jobs. “We understand that in order for this country to be productive, we need to have scientists and engineers.”

It’s also important for TARDEC to get involved and engage because of its location in the world’s automotive capital. “We have a ton of engineering schools in our backyard,” Sanders noted. “It’s our role to help Michigan continue to grow these engineers and scientists to fill not only the nation’s role but also the state’s workforce.

“This program provides that hands-on experience to students that will turn on the light bulb in their heads. Once they get that spark and it turns on, then they can be unstoppable.

This is what the President calls ‘our sputnik moment.’”

Zara added that American companies and government cannot continually rely on engineering students from outside the country to fill key roles. “We can’t lead if we don’t have people to help us lead,” Zara said.

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DECEMBER 2012 – ISSUE NO. 6

AMRDEC scientist named investigator of the year

By Heather R. Smith AMRDEC Public Affairs REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. — Dr. Greg Drake, a research chemist with the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Research, Development and Engineering Center, has been selected by his peers as the 2012 Investigator of the Year Award for the Joint Insensitive Munitions Technology Program.

The JIMTP is a 6.2/6.3 research program funded by the Office of the Secretary of Defense to develop and mature Insensitive Munitions technologies.

Department of Defense officials define IM as munitions which reliably fulfill their performance, readiness and operational requirements on demand, and which minimize the probability of inadvertent initiation and severity of subsequent collateral damage to weapon platforms, logistic systems and personnel when subjected to unplanned stimuli.

“These improvements are becoming mandatory for many of our tactical weapon program offices for our emerging energetic based systems,” Drake said. “I don’t have to hit you. I can hit your weapon and take you out. Our fielded weapons contain a lot of energetics. They were designed to burn and blow up, and we’re trying to make them more resistant to that.”

Dr. Greg Drake (left) is presented with the Joint Insensitive Munitions Technology Program Investigator of the Year by William Ruppert, Program Manager, at the Fall Technical Meeting, China Lake, Calif. (Courtesy Photo)

IM research and development involves engineering design of many aspects of the system like casings and warheads, as well as the kind of research Drake does with the propellants.

“We do energetic materials, which is trying to change the chemistry, because the weapon’s energy comes from chemistry,” he said. “The engineers, as they say, squeeze it, push it, pull it to get the weapon to do it, which is very important, but we’re

trying to use new energetic materials.”

All of these advanced technologies are integrated to make the overall weapon system more resistant, Drake said.

Drake joined AMRDEC’s Weapons Development and Integration Directorate five years ago.

Before that he supported the Space Shuttle program at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center and applied research for space propulsion applications at the Air Force Research Lab at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif.

Drake holds a bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from the University of North Carolina at Asheville and a doctorate in Inorganic Chemistry from Clemson University.

Drake said he was honored to receive the award and recognized also the efforts of his team.

“It’s not an individual effort. It’s a team effort,” he said. “I have two wonderful chemists, Sarah Bolden and Jami Dailey, that without whom none of this would have been possible, as well as the support around here from my boss, Mike Morrison, Dr. Jamie Neidert (Chief Scientist of Energetic Materials for the Army) and the WDI chain of command.”

He also credited librarians Ginny Navarro and Dianne Moore with the Redstone Scientific Information Center, and his fellow researchers with the Navy and Air Force.

ECBC gives children, Soldiers a step in the right direction

By Kristen Dalton ECBC Public Affairs ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. — With the help of additive manufacturing, disabled children and Soldiers will soon be walking in customized orthotics that cost less than one-third of the price and manufacturing time of standard braces.

Through a research partnership with the University of Delaware, the U.S. Army Edgewood Chemical Biological Center’s Advanced Design and Manufacturing Division is using 3D imaging to create braces, or orthoses, for the lower limbs.

ECBC is a U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command laboratory located at APG. This project, known as Rapid Manufacture of Personalized Rehabilitation Devices, or RaMPeRD, will cut the cost of braces from $15,000 per pair to $2,000, said Kevin Wallace, Technology and Systems Integration branch chief.

ECBC’s Rick Moore (right) explains how additive manufacturing makes the production of orthotics faster and most cost effective to a University of Delaware student.

“We can produce these orthotic devices in a matter of hours as opposed to weeks,” Wallace said.

Currently, making orthoses takes six to eight weeks through a manual process with less precision. With additive manufacturing, or 3D imaging, an exact three-dimensional shape of a leg or ankle

can be captured and used to mold a brace for a customized fit.

“The whole basis of this project is that we can create customized orthoses by taking a detailed scan of the leg,” said Rick Moore, Rapid Technologies Branch chief. “Using this kind of 3D data capturing technology creates comfortable, customfit rehabilitative devices, is cost-effective and can be produced quickly.”

With the advancements in technology, additive manufacturing technologies and 3D imaging are being applied in medical supply needs, gaming, manufacturing and archaeology.

ECBC and the University of Delaware are currently researching and developing these products for Nemours Center for Children’s Health, which has hospitals and clinics in four states. Eventually, these braces will be manufactured for Soldiers wounded in combat.

RELATED LINKS ECBC: https://www.ecbc.army.mil/

RDECOM’s THE INSIDER

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Young engineer gets charge out of electrical research

By Heather R. Smith AMRDEC Public Affairs REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. — From a young age, Dr. Patrick Taylor was curious about electricity.

“When it came time for me to tear something apart and break it, when I was younger, I was more interested in tearing apart a VCR than I was car engine,” Taylor said.

Taylor had an early fascination with lightning and electric fences. He wondered what made things like televisions, radios and VCRs work.

The U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Research, Development and Engineering Center engineer remembers the first time he experienced a slight electrical shock from touching his grandmother’s VCR; he was fascinated by his hand being thrown back.

An intelligent and industrious child, growing up in White House, Tenn., Taylor became bored with the fourth grade. The middle son of three boys and a girl, Taylor skipped fifth grade, a move that turned out to be crucial to Taylor’s future educational and career paths.

“I was bored, and I knew that I could go beyond this,” said Taylor. “I knew I could work at a more accelerated rate.”

Skipping a grade placed Taylor in the same class level as his older brother. The two graduated together – Taylor as valedictorian and his brother the salutatorian – and both chose to attend Vanderbilt University. Both were interested in mechanical and electrical engineering, but they didn’t want to study the same exact field. So they flipped a coin.

“I won the coin toss and I chose electrical,” Taylor said.

At Vanderbilt, Taylor took an interest in forensics, specifically working with professor Francis Wells to investigate the causes of electrical fires and other electrical failures.

“You’d go in and you’d look to see what happened, what was the cause electrically that created this thing to happen: What set the fan on fire that burned the house down?

What caused the airplane to crash? You’d go to the accident and you’d get the evidence out, and sort through it. Then you’d testify or bring your evidence to court. I loved that kind of stuff.”

Taylor initially set his sights on the FBI Academy, but did not meet the minimum age requirement. He decided to stay at Vanderbilt and pursue advanced degrees.

“My initial goal with getting my further education was to get bolstered up so I’d have enough credentials that when I went to the FBI Academy I could go straight to forensics

Dr. Patrick Taylor (right) discusses electronic propulsion efforts with former Deputy Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology Dr. Marilyn Freeman during an April 12 tour at Redstone Arsenal, Ala. (U.S. Army photo by Ryan Keith)

and I could be a special agent or forensics scientist.”

That’s not how things worked out though.

Taylor enjoyed working in student media as head engineer at the student television station and a radio disc jockey and talk show host. These interests ultimately led to an opportunity with Redstone and AMRDEC. A group of students were building a database for a video library for Dr. Jay Lilley, chief of the Weapons Development and Integration Directorate’s Propulsion Technology Function. The students called upon Taylor for his skills with digital media.

“That’s how the initial connection was made.

It wasn’t because I was looking at working with rocket scientists or working on military things, in particular. It was because of all my video work.”

Taylor worked as a summer hire in the propulsion division at WDI in the summer of 2006, and after finishing his doctorate later that year joined the team full-time in the area of electrical propulsion.

Today, he works with cutting-edge battery and motor technologies, trying to get the maximum energy possible for the lowest weight. “When you’re looking at electric propulsion systems for flight, you’re trying to look for things that give a lot of power but don’t necessarily have a lot of weight,” Taylor said. “If you have a Soldier that has to carry 15 different batteries around for 15 different tasks, that’s not as efficient as it needs to be.

If they’re going to have to do that, at least you want to make them as small and as light, as disposable and as cheap as you can.”

Taylor is interested in electrical power because of its importance to nearly everything

people do. “There are electrical devices that every single one of us uses, every single day, and we take them for granted,” he said.

“People develop these things, and just because we’ve been using something for 50 years doesn’t mean that we’ve actually figured everything out about it or that there’s not room for improvement.”

One of the things Taylor is most proud of since coming to Redstone is developing a laboratory in which he can conduct research. “Showing up from scratch, I’ve been able to develop a laboratory now that gives me some freedom to do a lot of different types of work for a lot of different people here, both on the base itself as well as for the Army overall, in electric propulsion.

There’s not been a concentrated mass for a lot of electric propulsion work in AMRDEC, in general, or here at Redstone specifically, and I’ve now got a base on which I can build on a lot of that.”

Taylor works on a wide range of Army projects from the very small – an aircraft the size of a piece of paper – to the medium sized 400-pound Shadow Unmanned Aerial System.

For the Hybrid Electric Advanced Turbine Technology project, the lab is converting the Shadow UAS’ gas-powered internal combustion engine to a completely electric model to demonstrate advanced technologies.

“It’s to create, for the Army and the Unmanned Aerial Systems office, a platform where we can try to demonstrate some of these new types of electric and hybrid electric technologies, going towards added reliability, green use, or stealth operations. It also gives us the ability to look at different technologies in manners that we can’t normally examine them.”

For another project, the lab is investigating the effects of environmental conditions on the electric power systems on smaller aircraft.

Despite his busy schedule, Taylor also serves as an ambassador for the Army’s education outreach program, mentoring students in AMRDEC co-op and summer programs. “I was in their shoes at one point,” Taylor said. “It doesn’t take a lot to push a student toward an interest in something.

Sometimes, it might just be seeing somebody doing something or saying ‘what they said sounded neat; maybe I’ll like to do those sorts of things.’ I know I’ve had experiences like that from elementary school on up that have shaped how I have thought about things. I try my best to give back in those sorts of ways.”

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finest that we can possibly obtain for the American Soldier.”

Dillon pointed out that in a head-tohead comparison with the current IOT V, the female version was chosen by all of the 101st Soldiers who tested it.

“They provide a better, more secure fit for female Soldiers,” Dillon said. “I was down there visiting while the testing was ongoing at For t Campbell (Ky.), talking to the Soldiers, and it was just really obvious to me that the form, fit and function are definitely what we were shooting for.”

In a recent inter view with National Public Radio, Lynne Hennessey of NSRDEC, lead designer for the female body armor, related what she heard from Soldiers during testing at For t Campbell.

“Most of them, when they put it on, they were like, ‘oh, my goodness, I need this right now. Can I have this? I could wear this all day. It fits so well,’” Hennessey said. “ We actually took a picture of one Soldier hugging her vest, like she was immediately in love with it.”

Dillon said that more fine tuning is necessar y, however.

“We are going to make some tweaks to the vest based on the feedback that we got from these female Soldiers at Fort Campbell,” Dillon said. “They had some comments about the location of the buckles on the shoulders and some other adjustability concerns, and we’re going to make those modifications before we go out on our next contract. That is exactly the purpose of the ongoing testing -- to make the vest even better.”

The evaluation process will continue.

“Our goal is to fit additional female Soldiers for testing, both stateside and in Afghanistan,” Dillon said. “We’re looking to get more of them down range.”

As Dillon noted, Time’s recognition shines a spotlight on the continuing, combined effort to improve Soldier equipment.

“There is a team of very dedicated professionals both at PEO Soldier and at the NSRDEC at Natick who have done yeoman’s work behind the scenes to design, produce, issue and evaluate this vest,” Dillon said. “While not as important as the feedback we have received directly from the female Soldiers themselves, national-level recognition such as this helps validate our efforts, and provides additional motivation to this team of consummate professionals.”

helped the project come together,” Warwick said.

RELATED LINKS Army.mil: http://www.army.mil/article/90697/

MCIT IPAD APPLICATION In spring 2010 they created their first iPad application for the MCIT, which has been handed off to JIEDDO. The MCIT application simulates a Mobile Counter Improvised Explosives Device Trainer, a series of four modified 40-foot conex boxes set up in a series to educate Warfighters on IEDs. Each station offers tips on how to identify IEDs, plus hands-on scenario training that uses narratives and role playing to guide the Warfighter from station to station. The entire system is interactive and equipped for handson, self-paced training.

A limited number of the MCIT stations are available per geographic location. Shipping the equipment from one location to another, or transporting a Soldier to a training location, was costly. Recreating the MCIT with all of its capabilities on an iPad is a more cost-effective approach to MCIT training.

“With the closest MCIT facility in Kentucky, it takes a lot of money and time to send a Warfighter to the nearest MCIT for training,” Warwick said. “The ability to get started on basic MCIT training on the iPad helps the Warfighter learn faster and is cheaper. Once he makes it down to Kentucky, he has a good idea of what to expect and can get the most out of his training. After he leaves, he can continue to practice with the application.”

While the MCIT and HMDSS trainers are the only projects the group has developed, Wallace said the experience has made them interested in becoming more involved in the creation of tablet and handheld devices to serve the Soldier in different realms.

Compton said he has seen mobile devices frequently used in areas such as on-site biometrics and language translators.

As a cheaper and more convenient option for frequent training, Compton said another advantage is the mobile apps’ ability to bridge the gap between younger Warfighters who grew up in an electronic world and their older counterparts.

“The Soldiers of today were raised playing with video games and virtual equipment like XBox and iPads. Those games can be translated into a lot of useful methods for training,” Compton said. “It’s beneficial to take advantage of this type of intuitive knowledge the young Warfighter has, and turn that knowledge into training to help them do their mission better.”

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The INSIDER is an internal information product of RDECOM G5/Public Affairs 3071 Aberdeen Blvd., Room 103 Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD 21005 (410) 306-4539 G5 Director Linda Longo linda.longo@us.army.mil Public Affairs Officer Joseph Ferrare joseph.ferrare.civ@mail.mil Editor David McNally david.mcnally@us.army.mil Please send us your feedback!