Come to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History on Saturday, May 19, to see leading-edge technologies from armed forces research, meet scientists and engineers, and try your hand at family-friendly invention challenges.
The National Museum of American History is between 12th and 14th Streets on Constitution Avenue, and is also accessible from the national mall. For more directions, see: http://americanhistory.si.edu/visit/getting-here
Displays at Military Invention Day will include:
Air Force
- Automatic Integrated Collision Avoidance Technology
- Battlefield Trauma Observation Kit (BATDOC)
- Flexible Hybrid Electronics
- Hypersonic Flight Boundary Layer Transition (BOLT)
- Insect-controlled Robots
- ISAAC Ground Robot
- Open Architecture Navigation
- Pseudomorphic Glass for Space Solar Cells
- TEC Torch
Army
- Augmented Reality
- Department of Defense Combat Feeding Research and Engineering
- Evolution of Night Vision Technology
- History of the Conquest of Darkness
- Imaging with PUMA Unmanned Aerial Vehicle
- Immersive Conquest of Darkness Experience
- Intelligent Aquatic BioMonitoring System
- SHRAIL Flexible Field Litter
- Silent Utility Rover Universal Superstructure (SURUS)
- Thermal Weapon Sights & Image Intensifier Technology
Coast Guard
- Hammer Hook
- Helicopter Rescue Baskets
- Unmanned Maritime System
Marine Corps
- VR Enhanced Maintenance Operations
Navy – Naval Research Laboratory
- Energy from Seawater
- GelMan Surrogates for Armor Design and Injury Assessment
- Lasers and Plasma Physics
DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency)
- Aqueti, Inc.: Mantis Camera
- Toyon Research Corporation: Spider AI Biohazard Identification
Draper
- Skymark
- Zero-Force Accelerometer
Dynamis
- COBRA Drones and Virtual Reality
MIT Lincoln Laboratory
- Detecting Infection Before Illness
National Museum of American History
- Ghostrider Self-driving Motorcycle
- Invent and Test a Transport Vehicle
- Invention Archives
- Military History Artifacts
USPTO
- Patent and Trademark Information
- Reach for an Idea and Make it Your Own! Build an Exoskeleton
[Sidebar]
Stage Program
12:00pm
- Welcome Address
Arthur Daemmrich, Director, Smithsonian Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation
- Opening Keynote
Heather Wilson, Secretary of the U.S. Air Force
1:00pm
- Demonstration of BATDOK (U.S. Air Force): BATDOK rapidly aggregates health data from sensors on multiple patients to give medics better awareness.
2:00pm
- Demonstration of Hammer Hook (U.S. Coast Guard): Invented by a First Class Petty Officer while stationed on a Coast Guard cutter in Alaska, the Hammer Hook combines two frequently used tools into one.
3:00pm
- Demonstration of SHRAIL System (U.S. Army): Conceived by two U.S. Army surgeons, SHRAIL is a lightweight rail system that mounts to a standard NATO litter to transform it into a highly functional operating table or intensive care unit bed.
Armed Forces Tech
On 19 May 2018, the Smithsonian’s Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation will showcase examples of today’s leading-edge military inventions alongside historical technologies from the Museum’s world-class collections. This daylong festival celebrates the crucial role of invention for the United States, explores the changing relationship between military research and commerce, and gives visitors an opportunity to envision how advances in military technology will impact their daily lives in the future.
Armed Forces Tech at Military Invention Day
Air Force
ISAAC Ground Robot. Clear communication is critical for future human–robotic joint missions. The Infrared and Sonar Autonomous Avoidance Comrade (ISAAC) is a ground robot with sonar and infrared sensors that help it navigate through a novel environment while providing feedback to humans via text communications. Courtesy of US Air Force
- Automatic Integrated Collision Avoidance Technology
- Battlefield Trauma Observation Kit (BATDOK)
- Flexible Hybrid Electronics
- Hypersonic Flight Boundary Layer Transition (BOLT)
- Insect-controlled Robots
- ISAAC Ground Robot
- Open Architecture Navigation
- BendiGlass
- TEC Torch
Army
- Augmented Reality
- Department of Defense Combat Feeding Research and Engineering
- Evolution of Night Vision Technology
- History of the Conquest of Darkness
- Imaging with PUMA Unmanned Aerial Vehicle
- Immersive Conquest of Darkness Experience
- Intelligent Aquatic BioMonitoring System
- SHRAIL Flexible Field Litter
- Silent Utility Rover Universal Superstructure (SURUS)
- Thermal Weapon Sights & Image Intensifier Technology
SHRAIL. Conceived by two US Army surgeons, Capt. Maxwell Sirkin and Col. Jason Hiles, the lightweight Sirkin-Hiles Rail System (SHRAIL) mounts to a standard NATO litter to transform it into a highly-functional operating table or intensive-care-unit bed. The rails provide a standardized means of attaching a broad range of medical devices, monitors, and products. Courtesy of US Army
Coast Guard
Hammer Hook. Petty Officer First Class Kevin Spratt of the Coast Guard Cutter Spar welded a hook to the head of a maul, combining two tools frequently used on a buoy deck. The Hammer Hook reduces clutter on the deck and makes it easier for crewmembers to switch between tools. Courtesy of US Coast Guard
- Hammer Hook
- Helicopter Rescue Baskets
- Unmanned Maritime System
Marine Corps
- VR Enhanced Maintenance Operations
Navy—Naval Research Laboratory
- Energy from Seawater
- GelMan Surrogates for Armor Design and Injury Assessment
- Lasers and Plasma Physics
GelMan. Dr. Amit Bagchi, Dr. Peter Matic, and Dr. Thomas O'Shaughnessy (left to right) use GelMan surrogates, made of synthetic bones and soft tissue, to test helmets and armor for the military. "Our job is to provide some basic understanding of what's going on," says Matic. "Then we can contribute to the design and selection of the best protective equipment." Courtesy of US Naval Research Laboratory; photo by Jamie Hartman
DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency)
The Mantis camera has better than 100-megapixel resolution, operates at 30 frames per second, and can achieve face recognition at 120 meters. Courtesy of Aqueti, Inc.
- Aqueti, Inc.: Mantis Camera
- Toyon Research Corporation: Spider AI Biohazard Identification
Draper
- Skymark
- Zero-Force Accelerometer
Skymark provides a location fix through a unique combination of advanced optics, sensors, and algorithms to triangulate from known positions of stars and satellites. The result is accuracy better than 15 meters and direction-finding in the absence of GPS. Courtesy of Draper
Dynamis
- COBRA Drones and Virtual Reality
COBRA is a scalable suite of drones, cameras, and digital tools that supports military operations and also are used in managing security for special events and for emergencies and disasters. This photo shows an example of work with the Brazilian army on integrating chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosive (CBRNE) detection and identification technologies. Courtesy of Dynamis, Inc.
MIT Lincoln Laboratory
- Detecting Infection Before Illness
10 am – 5:30 pm Free and open to the public
Stage Program
12:00 pm
Welcome Address
- Arthur Daemmrich, Director, Smithsonian Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation
Opening Keynote
- Heather Wilson, Secretary of the US Air Force
1:00 pm
Demonstration of BATDOK (US Air Force). BATDOK rapidly aggregates health data from sensors on multiple patients to give medics better awareness.
2:00 pm
Demonstration of Hammer Hook (US Coast Guard). Invented by a First Class Petty Officer while stationed on a Coast Guard cutter in Alaska, the Hammer Hook combines two frequently used tools into one.
3:00 pm
Demonstration of SHRAIL System (US Army). Conceived by two US Army surgeons, SHRAIL is a lightweight rail system that mounts to a standard NATO litter to transform it into a highly functional operating table or intensive-care-unit bed.
Objects Out of Storage & Activities
USPTO
• Patent and Trademark Information
• Reach for an Idea and Make it Your Own! Build an Exoskeleton
Inventors of all ages—especially children—are challenged to build and test an exoskeleton hand using materials provided. Courtesy of USPTO
National Museum of American History
• Invent and Test a Transport Vehicle
Visitors (especially children) try their hand at inventing, testing, and tweaking a vehicle for land, air, or sea transportation of people or goods. © 2018 Smithsonian; photo by Tim Pula
• Ghostrider Self-driving Motorcycle
The Ghostrider motorcycle was developed for the DARPA-sponsored autonomous vehicle competitions in 2004 and 2005 and was subsequently donated to the Smithsonian’s collections.© Smithsonian; NMAH-2008-28
• Military History Artifacts
• Invention Archives
Everett H. Bickley Collection
Drawing, "Control Panels of Fighter Planes,” 1942. Everett H. Bickley Collection, AC0683-0000009. Courtesy of Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian
Everett Huckel Bickley (1888–1972) was an active inventor and entrepreneur. During World War II, he was a "dollar-a-year man" (a nickname given to business and government executives who helped the government during wartime—for an annual salary of $1) and a member of the National Inventors Council, which reviewed war-related invention ideas—he contributed over fifty ideas to the Council. The war years were hard on his company, the Bickley Manufacturing Company—it was able to produce few of its own products, due to wartime material restrictions and having had most of its workers drafted. Consequently, Bickley spent several fruitless years after the war trying to get his patent rights extended to cover time lost during the war.
Brannock Device Company Records
Charles F. Brannock (1903–1992) was an inventor and businessman. He was working as a salesman in the Park-Brannock shoe store in Syracuse, New York, co-owned by his father Otis C. Brannock and Ernest N. Park, when he saw the need for an improved foot-measuring device. He began tinkering with the idea while attending Syracuse University and eventually received US Patent 1,682,366 for a "Foot-Measuring Instrument" on August 28, 1928.
Photograph showing military use of double Brannock device, undated. Brannock Device Company Records, AC0672-0000028. Courtesy of Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian
In 1933, a United States Navy captain asked a shoe salesman to find the source of many sailors' foot problems. The salesman, after measuring sailors' feet with the Brannock device, declared that the Navy shoe was not the cause of the problem; the sailors were simply wearing the wrong size shoes. The captain was so happy that he would not have to order special shoes for his men that he wrote an article in the July 1933 issue of United States Naval Institute Proceedings that described how the Brannock Device had eliminated foot troubles aboard the ship.
As the United States was gearing up for World War II, Brannock heard from the US Army. “In May 1941 . . . I received a phone call from Washington requesting my assistance in connection with Army shoe fitting problems,” he wrote in a letter in 1943. “I worked closely with the Office of the Quartermaster General, and spent many weeks at Army Camps studying the shoe fitting problems and experimenting with and testing various models I had developed especially for the purpose of fitting the regulation Army shoe.” The outcome was a new double unit that could measure both feet at once and was calibrated for standard army shoe sizes.
Maidenform Collection
Carrier pigeons were an important means of communication in wartime. During World War II, Maidenform developed a pigeon vest that allowed paratroopers to strap birds to their chests and keep them safe as they parachuted behind enemy lines. On December 22, 1944, Maidenform agreed to make 28,500 pigeon vests for the US government, switching, as many companies did, from peacetime production to producing necessary supplies for the war. In addition to the pigeon vest, Maidenform also made parachutes.
A paratrooper, with a pigeon in a vest attached to his chest, stands in the hatch of an airplane, 1940s. Maidenform Collection, AC585-0000030. Courtesy of Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian
The vest was made out of porous materials, with a tighter woven fabric underneath so the pigeon's claws would not damage the mesh. It also included an adjustable strap for the paratroopers to strap across their chests. The vest conformed to the pigeon's body, leaving its head, neck, wing tips, tail, and feet exposed. The vest would be attached to the outside of the paratrooper's jacket.
The pigeons carried messages in tiny capsules attached to their legs. The capsules could contain messages, blood samples, or even tiny cameras. Often, carrier pigeons were the only form of communication during World War II. They were also the most secure and reliable—carrier pigeons were the least likely form of communication to be intercepted. More than 95% of the messages they carried were successfully delivered. Approximately 56,000 carrier pigeons were trained for war missions in World War II, and thirty-two pigeons received medals for their service.
10 am – 5:30 pm Free and open to the public
Directions & Hours
10 am – 5:30 pm Free and open to the public
The National Museum of American History is on Constitution Avenue NW, between 12th and 14th Streets NW, and is also accessible from the National Mall. For detailed directions, see http://americanhistory.si.edu/visit/getting-here.
Sponsors
Military Invention Day 2018 is made possible through a collaboration of:
• Smithsonian’s Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation
• United States Patent and Trademark Office
Thanks to the support of:
• Association of the United States Army (AUSA)
• Dynamis, Inc.
