Major Areas of Opportunity - Implications of Emerging Micro-and Nanotechnologies - page 84

tronic camouflage, body temperature control, hydration control, and proximity
and environmental monitoring are all feasible. The Air Force could apply self-
reliance advances to enhance the survival of downed pilots and prolong the
endurance of personnel in space. In all instances involving implanted devices,
research will require FDA approval as well as the federally required oversight
by the local institutional review board as a safeguard for any research involving
human subjects.
Findings and Recommendations
Finding T3. Biological science offers new opportunities in nanotechnology
systems, especially for sensors, materials, communications, computing, in-
telligent systems, human performance, and self-reliance. Millions of years of
evolution have produced highly specialized sensing and communication ca-
pabilities in nature. Understanding of how these sensors work is growing but
is still very limited. As the fundamental mechanisms are discovered and
studied, applications rapidly follow. Advances in micro- and nanotechnology
have enabled discovery in biological systems, which in turn has provided
new means of sensing and communicating. Clearly, advances in technology
and in the biological sciences go hand in hand in developing new capabili-
ties.
Recommendation T3. The Air Force should closely monitor the biological
sciences for new discoveries and selectively invest in those that show a
potential for making revolutionary advances or realizing new capabilities in
Air Force-specific areas.
STRUCTURAL MATERIALS
Introduction
The range of operational requirements for the most visible parts of military
systems—the physical structures and platforms—is exceptionally broad and of-
ten extreme. Structures of special military importance include satellites and other
spacecraft along with their specialized structural components, aircraft, land ve-
hicles, water vehicles, missile systems and other weaponry, and warfighter sup-
port and protective equipment. In general these structures and platforms need to
be lightweight; exceptionally strong, tough, and durable; tolerant of extreme
temperatures (especially very high temperatures); and suitable for use in extraor-
dinary environments such as high altitudes, space, saltwater, desert, arctic, and
other extreme climates.