Lifeboat Foundation

Facilitating Novel Health-Tech and Bio-Medical Innovations For Over 9 Million Veterans — Dr. Rachel Ramoni, Chief of R&D, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

Dr. Rachel Ramoni, is the Chief Research and Development Officer of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), where she oversees their nationwide research enterprise, encompassing some 2000 active projects, at more than 100 sites, with a total budget of $2 billion in both direct VA support, and research funding from outside entities such as the National Institutes of Health, other federal agencies, and nonprofit and private organizations.

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The question really is not if, but when and where drone swarms, which is the next evolution of robotic warfare, will be utilised in real-time operations.

“Especially during times of tension, verifiable limits on Russia’s intercontinental-range nuclear weapons are vitally important,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.

Beyond AI-powered weapons, the panel’s lengthy report recommended use of AI by intelligence agencies to streamline data gathering and review; $32 billion in annual federal funding for AI research; and new bodies including a digital corps modeled after the army’s Medical Corps and a technology competitiveness council chaired by the U.S. vice president.

The United States should not agree to ban the use or development of autonomous weapons powered by artificial intelligence (AI) software, a government-appointed panel said in a draft report for Congress.

If the U.S. and China ever come to blows, this vessel will play a big part in the battle.

The U.S. Marine Corps is taking a completely new tack to providing fire support during amphibious landings: unmanned boats stocked full of suicide drones.

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“Don’t knock it until you try it” should be for tasting new foods, not building robots capable of ending human life.

Defiant X can fly twice as far and fast as the greatest helo ever.

The Lockheed Martin-owned Sikorsky and Boeing have rolled out the final specs of their new helicopter, one of two candidates that will replace the U.S. Army’s iconic UH-60 Black Hawk. The Defiant X isn’t just meant to replace the Black Hawk, but also fly up to twice as fast and twice as far, giving Army air assault forces an unparalleled battlefield mobility.

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Here’s a riddle: What do the Moon, nuclear weapons, clean energy of the future, terrorism, and lung disease all have in common?

The answer is helium-3, a gas that’s extremely rare on Earth but 100 million times more abundant on the Moon.

The capability to show anatomic details of the lungs and airways, and the ability to display functional imaging as a patient breathes, makes helium-3 MRI far better than the standard method of testing lung function. Called spirometry, this method tells physicians how the lungs function overall, but does not home in on particular areas that may be causing a problem. Plus, spirometry requires patients to follow instructions and hold their breath, so it is not great for testing young children with pulmonary disease.

Continue reading “Shoot for the Moon: Its Surface Contains a Pot of Gold” »

DARPA is starting a program to develop a new multispectral Enhanced Night Vision (ENVision) system for the military that replaces today’s heavy night-vision goggles with ones that are as light and compact as a pair of eyeglasses.

Night-vision devices were first developed before the Second World War, but only became practical in the 1960s. Since then, they have revolutionized warfare by effectively eliminating the cover of darkness as protection for a hostile force. Where once aircraft and ground troops were effectively nullified by the fall of night, pilots and soldiers can now operate as if it was high noon.

However, the technology is far from mature even after four or five development generations. The devices have become more sophisticated and sensitive, with the capability to see across more of the infrared spectrum as well as seeing heat signatures, but night-vision goggles remain bulky and heavy, with a field of vision that’s a third that of the naked eye.