With such challenges as base closings, shrinking defense budgets, and sequestration, the worldwide maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) sector is projected to experience a significant decline over the next few years.

Imaging and mapping of electric fields at radio frequencies (RF) currently requires the use of metallic structures such as dipoles, probes, and reference antennas. To make such measurements efficiently, the size of these structures needs to be on the order of the wavelength of the RF fields to be mapped. This poses practical limitations on the smallest features that can be measured.

Recent advancements in electronics, computers, and power distribution have made distributed propulsion feasible, but major challenges remain.

The demand for innovative manufacturing technology that produces lighter parts with stronger material grows each day in the competitive aerospace industry. 3-D printing, also known as “additive manufacturing,” is at the center of this innovation.

Unmanned systems coursework will examine the application, development, management, and policies of unmanned systems and address issues including regulation; systems design; policy and ethics; education and training; and human performance and machine interaction.

The project is an 18-month program sponsored by the U.S. Army’s Tank Automotive Research, Development, and Engineering Center (TARDEC) through the Robotics Technology Consortium.