Today, the need for purposeful and focused R&D in the United States has never been greater, but technology is advancing so quickly that the structures available to manage technology have not kept pace. A comprehensive examination of the technological landscape is needed to help the government take a more holistic approach to investing in and regulating technologies. The goal should be an overall technology R&D strategy…

Building on the vision of USSOCOM strategic guidance documents, the Operating in the Human Domain (OHD) Concept describes the mindset and approaches that are necessary to achieve strategic ends and create enduring effects in the current and future environment. The Human Domain consists of the people (individuals, groups, and populations) in the environment, including their perceptions, decision-making, and behavior. Success…

The Operational Environment (OE) remains as it has always been: complex. The interaction of the many variables within the environment, including human behavior, assures both fog and friction. The current operational environment presents ambiguity, with multiple layers of complexity, challenging the Army with requirements beyond traditional warfighting skills and training. Capturing the key strategic conditions is fundamental…

“Visualizing the Tactical ground Battlefield in the Year 2050: Workshop Report.” US Army Research Laboratory. June 2015.

This workshop report considers the future battlefield from the perspective of both informational and physical changes expected to occur over the next 35 years. They focused on 7 interrelated future capabilities including:

• Augmented humans
• Automated decision making and autonomous…

The next Mad Scientist has been scheduled for October 27-28, 2015 at the Frontier Center, Ft. Leavenworth, KS. The theme for this year's conference is: Human Dimension 2040, Building Cohesive Teams to Win in a Complex World.

Details for registration and other key information will be provided soon!

Coming soon! Human Dimensions lecture series, in anticipation of our Fall Mad Scientist event at Ft Leavenworth. Scheduled speakers include:

Dr. Perkins (biotechnologies), late July/Early August; Andrew Herr of Helicase (human performance enhancements), 27 August; Dr. Bruce West (manned/unmanned teams), 7 September.  

These are UNCLASSIFIED talks through APAN. Details to follow!

In a recent article for the New York Times, Didi Kristen Tatlow explores cultural differences between US and Chinese ethical considerations on genetic modification of human embryos.  The Chinese possess dissimilar norms on embryo experimentation, operating against a different "red line" than US scientists. Ultimately, they may be able to genetically modify embryos to breed specific traits- such as super intelligence and…

Kevin Ashton argues that the US is falling behind in a key technology area- the Internet of Things- with decreasing government funding to R&D.

Find the article here: http://www.politico.com/agenda/story/2015/06/kevin-ashton-internet-of-things-in-the-us-000102

The next Mad Scientist event will focus on the Human Dimension and what technologies will enable soldiers to operate in the future OE. Recruiting and training soldiers to operate in the context of manned/unmanned teaming, autonomous systems, instantaneous communications, and super-fast feedback loops present multiple challenges. These are addressed in a recent document released by the National Research Council of the…

Currently computer chip implants focus on repairing brain damage to help people with impairments function normally. In the future, those technologies may be applied to enhance performance on otherwise healthy people.

Scientist believe these improvements will include the ability to:

1. Hear a conversation from across a room, or in a crowded club.

2. Give you the ability to see in the dark, on par with the way nocturnal…

Research and science fiction has been fascinated by brain-machine or brain-computer interfaces – BCI for short – since the early 1970s. Quite apart from cyborgs and the game industry, the most important application potentials lie in thought-controlled communication and movement support of physically disabled persons. Today BCIs stand on the threshold between laboratory prototypes and user-friendly real applications.…

What are the implications for advances in creating color through structure?

Science Daily article found here: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/05/150513125150.htm

“Geneticists have for the first time identified the genetic clues behind what makes you a 'lark' or an 'owl'. Based on analysis of a fruit fly, the scientists have discovered nearly 80 genes associated with 'morningness' and 'eveningness'. Apparently fruit flies have similar gene clocks to humans, so the discovery of the genes in fruit flies has implications for future capabilities to assess an individual’s body…

Interesting article from the 11 May Washington Post. The article explains quantum entanglement and some of the uses of quantum computing we did not discuss at the conference, such as for "weather forecasting, financial analysis, logistical planning, search for Earth-like planets, and drug discovery.” It also brings up some interesting questions about the material science behind building a quantum computer, and of course…

 Andrew Herr argues humans will be integral to the wars of the future, in particular because of our ability to react in real time to unforeseen complications in missions, our ability to recognize and respond to erroneous data, and, of course, due to issues of cost. But, we have to be prepared for working with increasingly complex autonomous systems, and that means more than improving the performance of machines. Training…

The April 2015 Mad Scientist Conference raised important issues about how teams of humans can interact effectively with autonomous systems. Machine cognition can help compress decision cycles for human operators, allowing for faster reactions in a complex operational environment. The future of decision-making may be the results of collaborative interactions between humans and machines where human sensors interact with…

New post:  Mad Scientist notes from the conference, compiled by LTC Violand, are now posted in the document library!

Mad Scientist 2015 Conference Videos are located here:  https://goo.gl/LkylNe

The presentations from Mad Scientist 2015: Maintaining Relative Technological

Advantage for the Army from 2025 to 2040 are now available!  You can find them under the "Document Library" tab.

Welcome to the Mad Scientist Collaboration Site!