Military technology

The United States has the largest and most advanced military in the world. One of the most critical aspects of maintaining national security is stay abreast of the rapidly changing field of technology, and identify any advances that can benefit military applications. Since every branch of the armed services depends heavily on sophisticated electronic communication and logistical tools such, this is an area of particular importance.

Just over fifty years ago, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), was formed with a mission to invest in the research and development of the most promising technological advances. An added benefit is that many of the projects that are originally funded by DARPA go on to become widely advantageous to civilian society, including the internet, portable GPS devices. and language translation software.

Major improvements to the way military data is transmitted

Saffron Communications is honored to have been selected by DARPA to use full duplex functionality to upgrade military applications. Like other industries, the military is constrained by the capacity of available radio frequencies even though there is an ongoing need to improve and increase communication abilities. The potential to simultaneously send and receive data on the same frequency significantly expands the bandwidth and speed of networks used in military applications, such as the radar systems on Navy vessels. The next step for Saffron is to apply this technology to other industries.

Commercial applications for full duplex radar

There is massive commercial potential for full duplex radar technology in the design of automobiles that are becoming more autonomous. The current system consists of ultrasonic technology. An example would be the device that operates when the car is in reverse, alerting the driver to an obstruction in the way. This method is not foolproof, however, and can be affected by the presence of fog or smoke. Automotive engineers are investigating radar to replace ultrasound in this instance. In the not-too-distant future, the same technology will be installed in a self-driving car which will be outfitted with multiple radar devices to accomplish tasks like sensing surrounding vehicles, adjusting for road conditions, and navigation.