The Dual Use Science and Technology (DU S&T) Program was established by the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1998 to make dual use technology development an accepted and utilized alternative to the traditional development process in the Military Departments. The DU S&T Achievement Award recognizes successful dual use projects and honors those individuals in the Military Departments responsible for their initiation and execution. This was the second year the award was presented. A total of 12 nominations were received. From those nominations one winner and two runner-ups were chosen. The responsible individual(s) identified from the winning project received a $5,000 award and the runner-ups received $2,500.

Any science and technology (S&T) project that has developed or is resulting in the development of a dual use technology and meets the following criteria was eligible to compete for the award:

• The project developed, or is developing, a dual use technology that will meet a military need and has sufficient potential commercial application to support a viable production base.
• At least half (50%) the cost of each proposed project must be paid by non-federal participants, one of which must be a for-profit company.
• Projects must have been awarded competitively, using Technology Investment Agreements (TIAs), i.e. Cooperative Agreements or Other Transactions.
• The project must have developed or will result in the development of a technology, not the application of a technology.

Projects that met these criteria were evaluated based on military benefit, commercial viability of technology, transition of technology into military or commercial programs, and the quality of cost share.

To find out more about the Dual Use S&T Achievement Award and the Dual Use S&T Program visit our web site at www.dtic.mil/dust.

The winner of the second annual Dual Use Achievement Award is a Navy project titled Thermal Spray Nanostructured Coatings. The Project developed a highly wear and corrosion resistant ceramic composite coating that can be applied using existing industrial equipment and standard thermal spray processes.

The primary benefit of this technology is a reduction in life cycle costs through increased corrosion and wear protection. In addition, thermal spray coatings are superior to hard chrome plating and are about 60% less expensive due to the cost of complying with environmental regulations. Navy applications for this technology are well underway and include air intake and exhaust values for submarines that is expected to save $400K/ship or $20M over the next ten years. It was also used on the USS George Washington’s electric motor and oil pump shafts and will be used for the main propulsion shaft for mine countermeasure ships resulting in a $1M/year savings per ship.

The technology is also transitioning into commercial products. Warren Pump is using the technology to manufacture screw pump rotors for commercial gas turbines and fuel feed pumps and the technology is also being used on water pan rolls for the printing industry. Inframat - the contractor for the project - has formed a new company Nanopac, to pursue new opportunities to include its possible use in diesel engines. The military benefits of this technology are realized by reduced total ownership costs for submarines, surface ships, and aircraft.

Two individuals from the Navy’s Office of Naval Research are sharing the $5,000 cash award.

For further information concerning this project, please contact the project engineers at the following phone numbers (703) 696-0283 or (703) 696-8181.

This project designed, fabricated and tested a low cost, low power, uncooled infrared camera that weights approximately 1 and three quarter ounces and is only two cubic inches in size.

The small size and reduced cost of the camera makes it ideally suited to be mounted on a helmet or rifle, as a battlespace sensor, and for micro air vehicles. The 10th Mountain Division is currently testing the camera in an Unmanned Arial Vehicle and the technology developed under this program has generated the Warrior Extended Battlefield Science & Technology Objective and a follow-on Advanced Technology Demonstration, which will ultimately result in this technology being employed into the field.

The camera also has tremendous commercial potential. Two applications are underway. The OMEGA, the commercial name for the UL3, is the enabling technology for a new generation of handheld fire fighting cameras. A total of 1,200 units are expected to be delivered in 2002. In addition, Indigo — the contractor for this project - and Autolite are introducing a new night driving system in 2003 that is based on the Omega camera. The units are expected to cost $500 and projected 5 year sales are $400 million. These commercial sales are essential to drive down the cost of the technology and make it more affordable for military applications.

Three individuals from the Army’s Night Vision & Electronic Sensors Directorate are sharing a $2,500 cash award.

For further information concerning this project, please contact the project engineers at one of the following phone numbers (703) 704-2025, (703) 704-3877, or (703) 704-2115

The project developed the first full color, high luminance, monochrome active-matrix organic light emitting diode display. The display characteristics make it ideal for helmet display optics and it was designated by the Society for Information Display and information Display Magazine as the display technology of the year for 2000.

The technology is expected to meet all military needs for helmet mounted displays and was selected for several Air Force and Army helmet programs including the Joint Strike Fighter and the Land Warrior program, which will require about 3,000 units per year over the next 10 years.

The low cost, and power consumption rates make this display technology also ideally suited for commercial applications. eMagin Corporation — the contractor for this project - has shipped over 20 evaluation kits to customers and their micro display is considered the best on the market. The technology is already finding applications in cell phones, computer-connected eyeglass displays, and head mounted instrumentation displays. Future applications include medical and computer gaming and video.

For further information concerning this project,
please contact the project engineer at (937) 255-8904.