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DARPA Delivers 2 Mobius Bionics-Built Prosthetic Arms to Walter Reed; Justin Sanchez Comments
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DARPA Delivers 2 Mobius Bionics-Built Prosthetic Arms to Walter Reed; Justin Sanchez Comments


DARPA Delivers 2 Mobius Bionics-Built Prosthetic Arms to Walter Reed; Justin Sanchez CommentsThe Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has handed the first pair of prosthetic arms to the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Maryland in an effort to facilitate the deployment of the device to veterans and uniformed personnel who suffered upper limb loss.

Mobius Bionics produced the Life Under Kinetic Evolution bionic arm through DARPA’s Revolutionizing Prosthetics program, DARPA said Thursday.

DEKA Integrated Solutions developed the technology behind the LUKE prosthetic system and filed a 510(k) premarket application with the Food and Drug Administration in 2012 to seek approval for the device.

LUKE is a battery-powered device that has an arm and six selectable grips and works to help users control multiple joints through wireless signals derived from sensors on the user’s feet.

Justin Sanchez, director of DARPA’s biological technologies office, said the agency plans to link the prosthetic to the users’ central nervous and peripheral systems in an effort to restore upper arm control among amputees.

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DoD-Led Crowdsourcing Effort Draws in Ideas to Address Operational Challenges
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DoD-Led Crowdsourcing Effort Draws in Ideas to Address Operational Challenges


DoD-Led Crowdsourcing Effort Draws in Ideas to Address Operational ChallengesA Defense Department-launched crowdsourcing effort has received nearly 100 submissions of proposals designed to address operational challenges on power projection, counter-power projection and changes in joint force operational and organizational constructs, DoD News reported Wednesday.

Cheryl Pellerin writes the three chairs of the Operational Challenges Crowdsourcing Initiative selected two top papers and several submissions on systems that can potentially aid efforts to address operational challenges.

DoD’s Office of Strategy and Force Development launched the crowdsourcing effort in November to collect ideas that can support the department’s efforts.

“We launched the initiative to try to inspire creative thinking inside and outside the department on some key operational challenges that face the U.S. military, and to try to contribute to the department’s ongoing third-offset efforts,” said Mara Karlin, deputy assistant secretary of defense for strategy and force development.

One of the proposals from Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessment researchers involved potential changes in posture and investment priorities to help boost the military’s capacity to conduct sustained operations in the Asia Pacific.

Another proposal from U.S. Army leaders involved an operational concept for amphibious assault strategy that can help project power and boost battle networks.

DoD Selects ARMI to Lead Tissue Biofabrication Manufacturing Innovation Hub
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DoD Selects ARMI to Lead Tissue Biofabrication Manufacturing Innovation Hub


DoD Selects ARMI to Lead Tissue Biofabrication Manufacturing Innovation HubThe Defense Department has chosen Advanced Regenerative Manufacturing Institute Inc. to oversee a tissue biofabrication manufacturing innovation facility in Manchester, New Hamsphire, with up to $294 million in public-private investment.

DoD said Wednesday that ARMI will lead the Advanced Tissue Biofabrication Manufacturing USA Institute as part of continuing efforts to help advance U.S. manufacturing and new technology development initiatives.

ATB is part of the Manufacturing USA Institute network and comprised of 87 industrial, academic, government and nonprofit organizations that will work to develop manufacturing processes to repair the cells, tissues and organs of wounded warriors and civilians.

ARMI will collaborate with partners from various disciplines such as cell biology and bioengineering, materials science and computer modeling to develop high-throughput culture and three-dimensional biofabication techniques, the White House said Wednesday.

High-throughput culture systems, 3D biofabrication technologies, bioreactors, storage methodologies, non-destructive evaluation, real-time monitoring and sensing and detection systems are some of the technologies considered mature within the ATB institute.

The ATB facility marks the 12th Manufacturing USA institute in the network.

“The investments we are making in advanced manufacturing, including today’s announcement,  will ensure that the innovations needed to develop, manufacture and commercialize cutting-edge processes and materials will happen right here, in America,” said Defense Secretary Ashton Carter.

Howard Shelanski: White House Releases Mobile App for Regulatory Status Check
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Howard Shelanski: White House Releases Mobile App for Regulatory Status Check


Howard Shelanski: White House Releases Mobile App for Regulatory Status CheckThe White House has unveiled a mobile application designed to help people view information about the status of agency regulations via the federal government’s RegInfo  website.

Howard Shelanski, administrator of the White House’s Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, wrote in a blog post published Wednesday that the RegInfo Mobile app is available for both Android and iOS devices.

The app is designed to help users search for information about the status of federal regulations and data collection requests.

Shelanski said users will also be able to see current and historical data about rulemakings, details about OIRA’s pending and closed reviews of rulemakings, log of past and upcoming public meetings related to pending regulations and data about pending information requests.

“This is just the first version of RegInfo Mobile – we’ll continue to make updates to the app based on customer feedback and use,” he added.

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Brig. Gen. William Cooley to Head Air Force Research Lab
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Brig. Gen. William Cooley to Head Air Force Research Lab


Brig. Gen. William Cooley to Head Air Force Research Lab
William Cooley

Brig. Gen. William Cooley, program executive for programs and integration at the Missile Defense Agency, has been appointed as commander of the Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson AF Base in Ohio, the Defense Department announced Wednesday.

He will lead the laboratory’s efforts to discover, build and integrate warfighting technologies for U.S. air, space and cyber forces.

Cooley joined MDA in August last year and managed a portfolio of ground-based midcourse defense, global deployment, targets and countermeasures as well as the agency’s Terminal High Altitude Area Defense System, joint U.S.-Israel efforts and classified programs.

The 28-year military veteran previously held leadership roles at the Space and Missile Systems Center’s global positioning systems directorate, Phillips Research Site and Materiel Wing and AFRL’s space vehicles directorate.

Some of his previous assignments also include service as program manager for the Air Force’s Distributed Common Ground System, program element monitor for military satellite communications and staff officer of the Warrior Preparation Center at Einsiedlerhof Air Station in Germany.

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NIST Seeks Proposals to Address Info Security Threat of Quantum Computers
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NIST Seeks Proposals to Address Info Security Threat of Quantum Computers


NIST Seeks Proposals to Address Info Security Threat of Quantum ComputersThe National Institute of Standards and Technology wants public input on how to address potential information security threats from quantum computers.

NIST said Tuesday the Post-Quantum Cryptography Standardization effort seeks methods and strategies to mitigate future quantum computer attacks that could potentially break encryption codes used to protect digital information.

“We’re looking to replace three NIST cryptographic standards and guidelines that would be the most vulnerable to quantum computers,” said NIST mathematician Dustin Moody.

The agency plans to engage the public in efforts to gather, test and recommend new algorithms that would be less vulnerable to quantum computer attacks.

NIST will accept proposed algorithms from cryptographers through Nov. 30, 2017, then invite individuals with qualified proposals to present their algorithms at an open workshop in 2018.

The agency will subsequently run an evaluation phase which will take approximately three to five years.

Moody said his team might select more than one post-quantum algorithm that NIST will recommend to replace the three current standards.

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UK to Form New Defense Body to Manage Dreadnought Nuclear Submarine Program
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UK to Form New Defense Body to Manage Dreadnought Nuclear Submarine Program

UK to Form New Defense Body to Manage Dreadnought Nuclear Submarine ProgramThe U.K. defense ministry will establish a new agency that will manage the development of a new class of nuclear ballistic missile submarines designed to replace the naval force’s Vanguard-class submarines in support of the country’s $38.4 billion nuclear deterrent program, Defense News reported Wednesday.

Andrew Chuter writes the ministry also appointed former railway construction chief Robert Holden as interim chairman to help set up the new body that will begin operations in April and oversee the construction of four Dreadnought-class missile submarines.

Michael Fallon, U.K. defense secretary, said in the 2016 update to parliament that personnel working on the new submarine program at the defense equipment and support organization will transfer to the new executive agency effective April 1.

Tony Douglas, CEO of the DE&S organization, said in his Dec. 20 letter to staff, that the U.K. government has begun to develop proposals to advance the development of the Dreadnoughts through an alliance between the defense ministry and contractors BAE Systems and Rolls-Royce, Chuter reports.

Rolls-Royce has started development work on a nuclear raising plant called PWR3, while BAE will build 16 units that will comprise the four Dreadnought submarines for the Royal Navy, Defense News added.

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Reports: Venture Capitalist Peter Thiel Eyes Addition of Industry Advocates to Trump’s NASA Transition Team
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Reports: Venture Capitalist Peter Thiel Eyes Addition of Industry Advocates to Trump’s NASA Transition Team


Reports: Venture Capitalist Peter Thiel Eyes Addition of Industry Advocates to Trump’s NASA Transition Team
Peter Thiel

Venture capitalist Peter Thiel has initiated efforts to advance the addition of commercial space industry advocates to President-elect Donald Trump’s NASA transition team, the Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday.

Andy Pasztor writes Charles Miller, former NASA official who supported commercial space initiatives, was named to the agency landing team Tuesday.

Other expected appointees to the NASA transition team that appear to reflect Thiel’s influence include Alan Stern, chairman of the trade group Commercial Spaceflight Federation; and Alan Lindenmoyer, a former chief of the agency’s commercial space taxi program, according to sources familiar with the matter.

Sources told the publication that Thiel argued about the lack of industry advocates in the initial NASA transition team.

Thiel pushed for the inclusion of commercial space proponents to the NASA landing team after he received similar complaints from SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon and founder of space company Blue Origin, according to a report by Tim Fernholz for Quartz.

Thiel is critical of NASA’s relationship with conventional aerospace contractors and served as an early investor in Musk’s SpaceX through his venture capital firm Founders Fund, the report added.

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Obama Signs Inspector General Empowerment Bill
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Obama Signs Inspector General Empowerment Bill


Obama Signs Inspector General Empowerment BillPresident Barack Obama has signed into law a bill that provides inspectors general to access data they need to perform their duties.

The Inspectors General Empowerment Act of 2016 will give IGs authority to obtain necessary information without compromising the public’s privacy and civil liberties, the White House said Friday.

House and Senate lawmakers unanimously approved the bill Dec. 10.

The Council of Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency said Dec. 12 the law validates IGs’ right to gain full access to agency records and that whistleblowers and agencies are legally authorized to provide potentially sensitive information to IGs.

The law contains provisions that authorize IGs to compare data across agencies and implement programs to increase public access to information on misconduct among senior government personnel, CIGIE added,

Lt. Gen. Christopher Bogdan: F-35 JPO Eyes Follow-On Modernization Funds to Support Extended Flight Tests
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Lt. Gen. Christopher Bogdan: F-35 JPO Eyes Follow-On Modernization Funds to Support Extended Flight Tests


Lt. Gen. Christopher Bogdan: F-35 JPO Eyes Follow-On Modernization Funds to Support Extended Flight Tests
Christopher Bogdan

Pentagon acquisition chief Frank Kendall is set to inform Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain (R-Arizona) through a letter that developmental test flights for the Lockheed Martin-built F-35 fighter aircraft could extend to May 2018 from October 2017, Defense News reported Monday.

Air Force Lt. Gen. Christopher Bogdan, head of the F-35 joint program office, told Defense News about the letter and that his office plans to use funds from the follow-on modernization program for F-35 Block 4 should the need arise for more money to support the possible extension in System Development and Demonstration flight tests.

Valerie Insinna writes Bogdan noted that JPO is originally scheduled to complete the SDD flight tests on Oct. 31, 2017 but now expects to conclude the testing phase by the end of February 2018.

“That only makes sense, because if you haven’t finished SDD, the development program—which is our number one priority—you probably wouldn’t want to start FOM any sooner anyway,” he said.

Bogdan said he projects the possible extension in SDD flight test activities to cost below $100 million and to delay the FOM program by at least six months, the report added.

Bogdan said in a separate statement that the F-35 program has been on budget and on schedule since JPO restructured the program in 2011.

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