Nine technologies developed by MIT Lincoln Laboratory have been selected as winners of the 2021 R&D 100 awards. Since 1963, the award program recognizes the 100 most important technologies that have been overused or introduced to the market in the past year. The winners are selected by an independent panel of expert judges. R&D World, an online publication serving research scientists and engineers around the world, announced these awards.
The applications of winning technologies are diverse. One technology enables medical staff to initiate life-saving interventions in an emergency; another can help first responders find survivors buried under the rubble. Others have proposed new ways to build motors on the microscale, combine optical fiber arrays, and reduce electromagnetic interference in circuit boards. A small number of winners used machine learning to implement new features.
Field programmable imaging arrays Advanced imagers, such as lidars and high-resolution wide-field sensors, need to be able to process large amounts of data directly in the system or "on-chip." However, the cost of developing such capabilities for novel or niche applications is prohibitively high. To help designers overcome this obstacle, Lincoln Labs has developed a field-programmable imaging array that enables high-performance on-chip digital processing for a wide range of new imaging applications.
This technology is used as a general-purpose digital back end, suitable for any type of optical detector. Once the front end of a specific detector type is integrated, the design cycle for new applications of that detector type can be greatly shortened.
Free-space quantum network link architecture The free-space quantum network link architecture supports the generation, distribution and interaction of entangled photons on free-space links. These capabilities are critical to the development of emerging quantum network applications, such as network computing and distributed sensing.
The system is composed of three main technologies: a gigahertz clock frequency, a three-stage pump laser system; a spectrally pure and long-lasting entangled photon source; and a pump forwarding architecture that can synchronize quantum across free space links with high precision system. The architecture was successfully demonstrated on the 3.2 km free-space atmospheric link between the two buildings at Hanscom Air Force Base.
Global Synthetic Weather Radar The Global Synthetic Weather Radar (GSWR) can provide radar-like weather images and radar forward forecasts for areas where no actual weather radar is deployed or with a limited range. The technology generates these synthetic images by using advanced machine learning techniques, which combine satellite, lightning, numerical weather models and radar real data to produce its predictions.
The laboratory has developed this technology in cooperation with the U.S. Air Force, which will help mission planners arrange operations in remote areas of the world. GSWR's reliable images and forecasts can also provide decision-making guidance for emergency responders, as well as the transportation, agriculture, and tourism industries.
Guided Ultrasound Intervention Device Guided Ultrasound Intervention Device (GUIDE) is the first technology that enables doctors or emergency medical technicians to insert major blood vessels in a pre-hospital environment. This procedure can save the lives of bleeding after trauma.
To use GUIDE, the doctor needs to scan the patient's target area with an ultrasound probe integrated with the device. Then, the device uses artificial intelligence software to locate the femoral blood vessels in real time, and guides the doctor there through a gamified display. Once in place, the device inserts the needle and guide wire into the blood vessel, after which the doctor can easily complete the catheterization process. Similar to the impact of automatic external defibrillators, GUIDE can authorize non-experts to take life-saving measures in emergency situations.
Micro-hydraulic motors Micro-hydraulic motors provide a new method of moving objects on a micro scale. These tiny actuators are constructed by laminating thin disc-shaped polymer sheets on top of microfabricated electrodes and inserting water and oil droplets between the layers. The voltage applied to the electrodes distort the surface tension of the droplets, causing them to move and rotate the entire disk with them.
These precise, powerful and efficient motors can make it possible to deform materials, self-folding displays, or micro-robots for medical procedures.
Monolithic fiber array transmitter The fiber array transmitter is a subsystem that can fix the fiber array in place and reshape the laser beam emitted from the fiber. Traditional transmitters are composed of many small parts, which may be dislocated due to vibration, and are made of inefficient materials that absorb light. In order to solve these problems, the laboratory has developed a monolithic fiber array transmitter.
The transmitter is made of a single piece of glass, the volume is only one-tenth of the traditional array, and is not easily affected by the thermo-optical effect, so it can be extended to higher laser power and number of channels.
Using Radar to Measure Movement Under Rubble Using Radar to Measure Movement Under Rubble (MURMUR) technology is designed to help rescue teams save lives in complex disaster environments. This remote control system is installed on robotic ground vehicles for rapid deployment and uses radar to transmit low-frequency signals that penetrate walls, rubble and debris.
The signal reflected back to the radar is digitized and then processed using classic signal processing techniques and novel machine learning algorithms to determine the depth range of the movement (such as breathing) of the signs of life of the person buried under the rubble. Search and rescue personnel monitor these detection results in real time on mobile devices, thereby reducing time-consuming search tasks and being able to recover survivors in time.
Spectrum Efficient Digital Logic Spectrum Efficient Digital Logic (SEDL) is a set of digital logic building blocks that can substantially reduce electromagnetic interference (EMI) radiation.
EMI radiation can cause interference between electronic components and present safety risks. These emission levels are usually found late in the electronics development process, once all the parts are put together, so repair costs are high. SEDL aims to reduce EMI problems, while being compatible with traditional logic, allowing designers to freely build a system composed entirely of SEDL components or a mixture of traditional logic and SEDL. It also has a size, cost, and clock speed comparable to traditional logic.
The traffic flow impact tool was developed in cooperation with the Federal Aviation Administration. The traffic flow impact tool can help air traffic control managers deal with air traffic interruptions caused by dangerous weather such as thunderstorms.
The tool uses a novel machine learning technique to fuse multiple convective weather forecasting models and calculate an indicator called permeability, which is a measure of the amount of airspace available in a given area. These penetration forecasts are displayed on the user interface, allowing managers to plan ahead of time the impact of weather on air traffic.
Since 2010, Lincoln Laboratory has won 75 R&D 100 awards. The award is a recognition of the laboratory's transfer of non-confidential technology to the industry and the government. Every year, many technological transformations occur in confidential projects. This transfer of technology is critical to the laboratory's role as a federally funded research and development center.
"Our R&D 100 award recognizes the laboratory's ongoing major technological development and transformational success. Our confidential work has also achieved great success," said Eric Evans, director of Lincoln Laboratories. "We are very proud of everyone involved in these programs."
The editors of R&D World announced the winners of the 2021 R&D 100 Awards at the virtual awards ceremony that aired on October 19, 20, and 21.
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