U.S. Military scientists developed these amazing technologies in 2019

The U.S. has the most sophisticated weaponry in the world. It’s no surprise there since it also has the largest military budget and can afford to allocate a healthy sum into research and development. Here are some of the top technologies developed by Army scientists in 2019.

Ultra-strong steel parts by 3D printing

3D printing proved to be a very useful technology in the civilian sector especially for businesses in construction, real estate or design. With the technology, companies can easily create scaled-down models of their projects to show potential buyers just how a house would look like in real life.

But the technology has also its uses in the military as well. In fact, scientists already thought of a way how to use 3D printing to create ultra-strong metal parts of all shapes and sizes.

The method created by the military is called Powder Bed Fusion. The 3D printer’s laser melts the alloy power into a pattern which creates the outline of the desired shape when the molten alloy solidifies. The printer then coats it with another layer of alloy powder before firing the laser once more to targeted areas, creating another layer. This goes on until the metal part is completed.

“I think it’s going to really revolutionize logistics,” the Army’s Dr. Brandon McWilliams said. “Additive manufacturing is going to have a huge impact on sustainment…instead of worrying about carrying a whole truckload, or convoys loads of spares, as long as you have raw materials and a printer, you can potentially make anything you need.”

Safer, water-based batteries that are fire-proof

University of Maryland, Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory and Army researchers teamed up to develop a fire-proof and water-based battery. Called aqueous lithium-ion batteries, they are eyed as potential replacements to the highly flammable lithium-ion batteries currently in use.

“Our project addresses the risk by allowing high-energy or high-power batteries to be put on the Soldier with no risk of the batteries catching on fire,” Army materials engineer Dr. Arthur von Wald Cresce said. “We’re hoping that by designing safety into the battery, this concern goes away and Soldiers can use their batteries as they please.”

Army robots with muscles made from plastic

No, the army robots have not yet been developed. But when they are, they’ll be the strongest the world has ever seen. They’ll even sport artificial muscles made entirely out of plastic.

In a collaboration with a visiting professor from Florida A&M University-Florida State University College of Engineering, Army researchers studied how plastic fibers respond by contracting or expanding under different stimuli. The result is the creation of plastic fibers that can mimic the movements of muscles.

If used on a robot, these plastic muscles can enhance the robot's performance. It’s even possible to make them move like a human since the plastic fibers can be molded in exactly the same manner real muscles would around a bone.