Army research director addresses CBRN defense

Eric Moore, director of the U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command Chemical & Biological Center (RDECOM C&B) recently spoke at an industry conference about technology and innovation in development to bolster chemical and biological defense.

The CBRN (chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear) Defense Conference and Exhibition was recently hosted by the National Defense Industrial Association in Wilmington, Del.

Moore discussed how the center’s research is aligned with the U.S. Army’s modernization strategy. He also spoke on the innovative uses of robotics and semi-autonomous systems.

“The future is bright,” Moore said. “We’re developing paper tickets embedded with cellular machinery that change color in response to a range of threats today, but we’re looking to the future. By 2038, we’ll incorporate life-mimicking properties, such as sense-and-respond and self-healing, into deployed systems.”

Other developments the center is working on include synthetic biology that mimics the natural abilities of living systems, non-aqueous decontamination technologies that return to the fight faster after exposure, and early warning systems that provide actionable information to warfighters, allowing commanders to make real-time decisions.

The center formed a government-industry partnership with Maryland’s newly opened Defense Technology Commercialization (DefTech) Center, Moore said.

DefTech’s goal is to support the area’s technological workforce and the growth of new businesses, provide technology thrusts to Army invention, and support the commercialization of Army technology.