What Are the Critical and Emerging Technologies to Watch as Perceived by the White House?

The following comes from IDTechEx Research out of Cambridge in the United Kingdom. It is a discussion of technologies that America’s Office of Science and Technology Policy, the National Science and Technology Council, and the National Security Council have prioritized for the White House. The five technologies with a heavy emphasis on defensive military capacity include: additive manufacturing, robotics and autonomous systems augmented and virtual reality, environmental sensors, and health sensors. What surprises me is what’s missing from this list: no mention of artificial intelligence and nothing about innovation in energy such as nuclear fusion and renewables.

I have taken the liberty to edit the content but have stayed faithful to the submission. If you would like to learn more about IDTechEx and the research reports they produce, please contact Natalie Moreton at press@IDTechEx.com. As always your comments are welcomed. 

Additive Manufacturing

Additive manufacturing (AM) or 3D printing allows for the manufacture of complex objects within short lead times. This is appealing for defence applications leading to significant interest and applied research from the US military over the past decade. One public example is the military’s 3D concrete printing projects.

When the military needs to assemble structures like barracks or hospitals in combat zones or disaster areas, on-site concrete 3D printing can create buildings quickly. In 2018, the US Marine Corps printed a concrete barracks in 40 hours, the first completely on-site continuous concrete print job in the world. In 2021, the US Army Corp of Engineers announced its Automated Construction of Expeditionary Structures (ACES) program, to supply concrete 3D printers for deployment in difficult terrain.

Outside of construction, 3D printing offers high value for military equipment and transportation. Complex parts can sometimes only be made with additive manufacturing. For example, Boeing flight-tested a flight-critical component for Chinook helicopters made using metal 3D printing. The component’s design and manufacturing method enabled weight reduction and assisted in fuel optimization for the aircraft. These applications of AM by the military and defence contractors demonstrate its continued value for future military use.

IDTechEx’s portfolio of 3D Printing reports provides additional information on the value of additive manufacturing for many industries, including aerospace and defence.

Robotics and Autonomous Systems

In the 21st century, robotics and autonomous systems are becoming more popular for defence. Today robots are finding a wide variety of military uses including space exploration, deep-ocean exploration, submarines, and countermining. They are becoming a new standard for making the military smarter and more efficient, and for extending soldiers’ capabilities in performing hazardous tasks. They are becoming a competitive differentiator for the United States and other countries like China, Japan, Germany, the United Kingdom, and South Korea. The U.S. National Science and Technology Council’s latest report identifies autonomous systems and robotics as a high priority. Similarly China’s 14th Five-Year Plan (2021–2025) for the National Economic and Social Development puts a great emphasis on robotic systems.

IDTechEx has produced a series of reports outlining challenges, roadmaps, and development in the field of robotics to help businesses better understand future impacts.

Augmented and Virtual Reality

Augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR) originally were developed by the defence industry. But today the applications most commonly described are about AR/VR in enterprise and consumer markets. The use of VR in training, at Lockheed Martin, is a good example where the company is using Varjo VR headsets for pilot instruction. Street Smarts VR is using the HTC Vive for training police and ground troops.

Field-deployable AR has proved tougher. In 2021, Microsoft won a $22 billion contract to supply 120,000 HoloLens-based AR headsets for the US Army. There are teething problems in integrating consumer-oriented products like the HoloLens, with defence needs. But these should be overcome as new software is developed and represents a broader shift in AR development methodologies.

IDTechEx reports covering AR/VR and the underlying technologies such as optics and displays can be accessed by the links provided here.

Sensors

The White House report includes Advanced and Networked Sensing and Signature Management, Quantum Information and Space Technologies and Systems in its look at sensors. They are seen as essential components for security and the environment. Across all industrial sectors and in military usage there is a common need for larger sensor arrays that take advantage of a ubiquitous high-speed Internet.

In a most critical arena, environmental monitoring, the use of sensors to help mitigate and adapt to climate change is critical. Society is increasingly threatened by pollution. air quality and other environmental challenges. Recently we have seen a rapid increase in sensor deployment in cities to measure atmospheric volatile organic compounds (VOCs), particulate matter (PM), and greenhouse gasses. Networks of these sensors provide continuous local measurements and help policymakers in their decision-making to meet World Health Organization’s guidance. Sensors are being deployed in closed-loop manufacturing and warehousing, building ventilation, and transportation systems.

Looking further into the future, advancements in sensor technology will see a mass proliferation of smaller Internet-of-Things (IoT) devices that will utilize artificial intelligence [finally mentioned here] to analyze real-time data. This will allow even the general public to become a participant in environmental monitoring, will encourage citizen scientists, and will lead to mass deployment within homes (smart home technology), on handheld devices, and embedded in wearables. Visit IDTechEx to read the latest reports on sensors, and find dedicated publications focused on gas sensors, and wearables.

Health Sensors

The COVID-19 pandemic has made sensors applied to health a sector all on its own. The lack of preparedness by governments in the handling of infectious diseases has become obvious. As more of us live in urban centres, and with a warming planet, vector-borne diseases migrating from the tropics will pose a health and security threat. COVID-19 is likely only the first of many pandemics we will see in the 21st century.

Sensors deployed for the prevention and treatment of future pandemics are creating a pre and point-of-care (POC) diagnostic biomedical industry. The high demand for testing has caused several significant changes. For example, companies like Cue Health have developed molecular COVID-19 at-home tests that have received funding from the US Department of Defense. POC tests have led to mass deployment of readers such as BD’s Veritor and Quidel’s Sofia which have seen their US installed bases double and triple in the last two years. COVID-19 has accelerated start-ups in the market, helping them to establish beachheads in infectious disease diagnostics. One of these is CRISPR-based Mammoth Biosciences, a company founded by 2020 Nobel Laureate Jennifer Doudna [who I interviewed for a posting on this site several years ago.]

For more on the growth in biosensors read the IDTechEx report entitled “Biomedical Diagnostics at Point-of-Care 2019-2029: Technologies, Applications, Forecasts.”

Health sensors for chronic disease management represent another area of rapid growth. The silent pandemic known as Type 2 diabetes has led to the development of continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) which have largely replaced traditional finger-prick testing for Type 1 diabetics. CGMs have seen strong growth with total revenues in 2021 hitting $7 billion. For more information visit IDTechEx’s “Technologies for Diabetes Management 2019-2029: Technology, Players and Forecasts.”