Sensor technology is becoming the US military's winning trump card

When sensors are used on unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) on the battlefield, information overload often occurs. Now, with the continuous advancement of sensor technology, it has not only expanded to more applications, but also opened up new application opportunities in the combat and military fields.

　　For example, the US Army Research Lab is testing tritium, a radioactive isotope produced in nuclear reactors, to power sensors. The goal is to develop a battlefield energy source with a half-life of 13 years. The researchers are trying to use tritium prototypes to replace chemical batteries by providing a trickle charge mode that can operate for many years.

　　This trickle charge mode is particularly important when it is necessary to understand activities in a distant or isolated area during combat. The way to keep an army out of harm's way is to use a monitor that can detect acoustic and electromagnetic vibrations and transmit the data to a safe location. But having sufficient power to keep the sensor remotely operating for a long time is the challenge. Therefore, the current challenge is to make the sensor operate at a low enough voltage to make the power safe, practical and easy to use. The radiation level emitted by tritium isotopes is comparable to medical X-rays.

　　“You can find trace amounts of tritium in movie theater exit signs or glow sticks, and that’s enough to power a sensor that can detect acoustic and electromagnetic signals for up to a decade,” said Dimos Katsis, designer of energy-harvesting circuits at Athena Energy.

　　But the researchers note that it will take several years before the technology is ready for prime time.

　　Another area of ​​intense research and development is data collection in difficult environments, where sensors must be remotely located or covertly embedded. In addition, DARPA is looking for an ocean sensor that can act as an "underwater satellite" to minimize the time and expense of the Navy's submarine search operations.

　　Other areas of research include automated and onboard data processing based on hyperspectral sensors, which are expected to use this information to find possible roadside bombs based on sensing ground fluctuations. Automated data processing can save personnel from spending hours looking through video and still not understanding what happened. Other sensors use the color spectrum to break through camouflage by detecting chlorophyll - without chlorophyll, of course, it's not a plant.

　　While many useful technologies have been around for decades (such as night vision), continued improvements have mostly come from research, including adding 3D, image intensification tubes, and adjusting power limits, all of which are still in the lab.

　　SENSIAC's areas of expertise

　　The U.S. Department of Defense's Remote Sensing Information Analysis Center (SENSIAC) provides assistance to the military in the field of sensing technology. SENSIAC specializes in infrared, optoelectronics, laser, radar, acoustic measurement and countermeasures, electronic warfare and data fusion, etc. The unit invests approximately $3 billion in research and development funds for the military and government branches each year.

　　如同NASA的传感器技术使医疗应用得以导入民生消费品一样，军用传感器技术的进步已经对于工业、医疗和消费领域带来显著的影响。