Magazine Articles - SAE Mobilus
Funding from Google and the U.S. Department of Energy helped a team of researchers develop an assortment of agentic AI-enabled tools to help optimize traditional aerospace design processes. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY A Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) engineering professor, Shaowu Pan, Ph.D. and his team of students have integrated agentic AI into computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to optimize the aerospace design process and alleviate bottlenecks. Pan's advances address priorities outlined in Winning the Race: America's AI Action Plan, which emphasizes that “high-quality data has become a national strategic asset” and calls for “the world's largest and highest quality AI-ready scientific datasets.”
Today's defense operations are defined by mobility, speed and data. Whether coordinating ship-to-shore logistics, maneuvering ground forces, or enabling autonomous and semi-autonomous systems at the tactical edge, reliable communications are no longer a support function - they are mission-critical. Defense forces must operate across fixed and mobile environments while maintaining secure, high-bandwidth connectivity amid interference, jamming, and limited spectrum availability. Legacy approaches, typically optimized for either static infrastructure or limited mobility, struggle to meet these combined requirements.
The convergence of highly capable edge AI models and advanced commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) edge AI accelerators is reshaping how computation is deployed across defense, aerospace, and commercial platforms. Mission-critical decisions increasingly must be made at the edge, onboard vehicles, satellites, and infrastructure nodes, where latency, connectivity, and power availability are constrained.
MyDefence has officially opened its U.S. counter uncrewed aircraft systems (C UAS) manufacturing and innovation facility in Oklahoma City, marking a major step in the company's expansion of its North American production footprint. The latest MyDefence facility, which became operational in February, strengthens the company's ability to support U.S. and allied defense customers with domestically produced counter drone technologies while reinforcing supply chain resilience, regulatory compliance, and lifecycle support. The opening comes amid rapid growth in the scale, diversity, and technical sophistication of uncrewed aerial system threats. Advances in autonomy, range, payload integration, and - critically -radio frequency (RF) employment have increased demand for counter UAS solutions that can evolve as quickly as the threat itself.
Machina Labs recently closed its latest round of financing with $124 million, enough to develop a facility featuring up to 50 of its RoboCraftsman cells capable of producing thousands of complex structural assemblies for aerospace and defense customers - a list that already includes Lockheed Martin and the U.S. Air Force, among others. Founded in 2019, Machina Labs is a California-based company that seeks to reinvent metal manufacturing with a robot that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to rapidly form and assemble complex military grade structures directly from digital design files. RoboCraftsman is the company's manufacturing robot that leverages its proprietary “RoboForming” process to integrate multiple manufacturing processes - including metal forming, trimming, scanning, and heat treating - into a single containerized machine.
Researchers recently helped Skydio, the leading U.S. drone manufacturer, demonstrate compliance to the Federal Aviation Administration's rules for safe flights over people and vehicles. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA Operators using a drone from the leading manufacturer in the U.S. can now conduct missions over people and vehicles much easier and with even greater confidence in their safety. In January, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) accepted a declaration of compliance for such flights for the parachute-equipped Skydio X10 drone from Skydio, a San Mateo, California-based company that supplies its drones to customers in public safety, utilities, and national security. The acceptance came as the result of working with Virginia Tech's Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership (MAAP) and Center for Injury Biomechanics to complete their FAA-approved means of compliance testing.
USC Viterbi researcher received Office of Naval Research's Young Investigator Program award with Study on dexterous robotics. University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA In dynamic, unstructured environments like ship decks and even home kitchens, robots today still struggle to perform precision tasks such as tightening bolts or handling wires. This makes critical ship maintenance tasks difficult. USC researcher, Erdem Bıyık, aims to advance robots' finger manipulation and integrate human feedback to enable real-time learning for robots in an upcoming three-year, $750,000 project funded by the Office of Naval Research (ONR).
On a clear afternoon over a contested airspace, a drone suddenly appears on radar. Within seconds, more follow, and they're small, fast, and unpredictable. For the U.S. Army's air and missile defense operators, every moment counts. The difference between mission success and mission failure is measured in milliseconds. During that brief window, sensors must connect instantly, embedded systems must process floods of data at the edge, and command links must hold steady even under electronic interference.
Army researchers recently developed a 3D-printable, easy-to-assemble drone designed to enhance intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities. Army Research Laboratory, Adelphi, MD Researchers at the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command, or DEVCOM, Army Research Laboratory (ARL) harnessed bottom-up Soldier innovation to develop an experimental 3D-printed small unmanned aerial system, or drone, that was demonstrated at the inaugural U.S. Army Best Drone Warfighter Competition in Huntsville, Alabama. Known as the Soldier Portable Autonomous Reconnaissance Transitioning Aircraft, or SPARTA, the drone was developed at DEVCOM ARL in collaboration with Soldiers. By incorporating Soldier feedback early in the design process and leveraging ARL's world-class research facilities, researchers developed a 3D-printable, easy-to-assemble drone designed to enhance intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities. ARL is actively working to partner the technology
A lot can happen in 17 months — especially in the automotive industry. Just ask Ganaio.
Microchip Technology and Hyundai Motor Group recently announced a collaboration to test 10BASE-T1S Single Pair Ethernet (SPE) technology for advanced in-vehicle networks to provide improved ADAS and connected-vehicle features. HMG told SAE Media it is working with multiple technology partners to review the overall applicability of 10BASE-T1S technology and hopes 10BASE-T1S can help optimize the deployment of gateways and switches. The technology's ethernet-based networking concepts might also contribute to simplifying network design and implementation for future zonal architectures. We also spoke with Matthias Kaestner, corporate vice president of Microchip Technology's data center, networking and automotive business units, about the partnership, via email.
A newly developed tool could enable more control over how energetic materials function throughout manufacturing processes. Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN Much like baking the perfect cake involve s following a list of ingredients and instructions, manufacturing energetic materials - explosives, pyrotechnics and propellants - requires precise formulations, conditions and procedures to ensure they are safe and perform as intended. Because any small tweaks or environmental changes can dramatically alter how energetic materials function, Purdue University engineer Monique McClain is developing state-of-the-art tools and methods to control these materials' behavior throughout the manufacturing process and down to the particle level.
Five-Axis CNC machines have become essential for creating the complex geometries demanded by industries such as aerospace and defense. These advanced machines offer superior part accessibility and minimize the need for repositioning, enabling shops to eliminate secondary set-ups and post-processing. However, for many machine shops, unlocking the full performance potential of five-axis equipment requires more than sophisticated motion control: it also demands higher spindle speeds. Traditional five-axis machines often top out at spindle speeds between 6,000 and 15,000 RPM. While this is sufficient for heavy roughing operations using large diameter tools, when it comes to finishing intricate features or micro-drilling, small tools require consistent spindle speeds of 40,000 to 90,000 RPM on the toolpath to function effectively. Without that capability, shops risk poor surface finishes, broken tools and unacceptably long cycle times. This is where governed high-speed air-driven spindles
Leonardo DRS has opened a new naval power and propulsion manufacturing and testing facility in Charleston, South Carolina, expanding its role in delivering next generation electric propulsion, integrated power systems, and high energy payload support for U.S. Navy surface and undersea platforms. The 140,000 square foot site consolidates advanced manufacturing, final assembly, and high fidelity testing for electric power conversion and propulsion systems, while also supporting naval steam turbine design, production, and subsystem integration for programs including the Columbia class ballistic missile submarine. A representative for Leonardo's Naval Power Systems business unit provided emailed statements with details about the type of advanced manufacturing the company will deploy at the new facility.
Audi has streamlined the A6 lineup. The automaker announced this past summer that the fancier-looking A7 (which was essentially an A6 glow up) was being pulled from the North American market. Now it's reduced the engine offerings from three to one. After a recent drive of the 2026 model, what's left under the hood was the best choice. But you might want to wait a few months if you're interested in the vehicle.
This will be my last column for SAE Automotive Engineering after an 11-year run. Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere, just taking a monthly column off my plate to enable more time to spend with my grandson and focus on other passions. While I have been a forecaster for nearly four decades, writing a column for an external publication was always an important outlet for ideas. An opportunity to outline a trend, event, or development that would change the fortunes of our industry, specifically for suppliers. While OEMs get the headlines and the accolades, supporting the unsung supply base has been Job 1 in my book.
Using waste to purify water may sound counterintuitive. But at TU Wien, this is exactly what has now been achieved: a special nanostructure has been developed to filter a widespread class of harmful dyes from water. A crucial component is a material that is considered waste: used cellulose, for example, in the form of cleaning cloths or paper cups. The cellulose is utilized to coat a fine nanofabric to create an efficient filter for polluted water.
In Marina, California, just north of the Monterey Bay, sits a small airport. In a previous life, it was a helicopter-focused military base. Currently, Joby Aviation is one of a handful of businesses occupying the space. The eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing) aircraft company is one of a few such companies that people have actually heard of and is still around. Established in 2009, Joby has been developing, building, and testing its eVTOL aircraft in Marina. During SAE Media's recent visit to the location, Joby showed off its latest aircraft but, more importantly, talked about how it's been able to leverage a nearly $900-million investment and partnership with automaker Toyota to build its eVTOLs.
Master Bond EP40 is a two-part, room temperature curing epoxy for bonding, sealing, coating, and encapsulating. EP40 bonds well to a variety of substrates, including naval steel, the primary structural metal used in the shipbuilding industry. Master Bond Inc., Hackensack, NJ To reduce its environmental impact and pollution, the shipping industry is investigating methods to construct more lightweight ships. One potential method is using adhesive bonding techniques to replace traditional welding and riveted joints on ships to fabricate lighter ships with smaller carbon footprints. However, adhesives age and deteriorate when exposed to moisture, high temperatures, and ultraviolet light. This makes it necessary to understand how they age in maritime environments to determine whether they can truly replace traditional welding techniques. To this end, researchers at Centro de Investigación en Tecnologías Navales e Industriales (CITENI) and Centro de Investigación TIC (CITIC) developed a new
Precise time synchronization is the backbone of today's connected world, keeping telecom networks, data centers, and financial systems running seamlessly. Without accurate timing, our digital infrastructure would quickly fall out of sync. Septentrio designs and manufactures world recognized Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) timing receivers for critical infrastructure and leading industry organizations. The Septentrio mosaic-T timing module delivers nanosecond-level precision for synchronization and is trusted by companies such as Meinberg, VIAVI, and Saab. Built-in AIM+ technology protects against intentional and unintentional GNSS jamming and spoofing, ensuring maximum system uptime even in challenging or hostile conditions.
Despite reports saying the company could delay production until 2028 due to technical challenges, the CEO of Scout Motors, the made-in-America electric SUV and truck startup, said the plan is still to have prototype cars come “down the line” in 2027 with customer vehicles following “thereafter.” Scott Keogh said life as a startup company producing electric vehicles from a clean sheet is a life of on-the-fly adjustments. “There are technical challenges every minute of every day,” he said at an Automotive Press Association briefing at the company's Novi, Michigan tech and engineering site. “But there are no defining ‘oh my god’ technical challenges that can't be solved.”
Why precision engineering is defining confidence in next-generation internal combustion engines. In 2026, the global transport industry, and particularly the automotive industry, finds itself under competing pressures. Regulators are tightening emissions standards, with new regulations such as the EU's Euro 7 being proposed to reduce air pollution in line with net-zero ambitions. Fleet operators are managing ever-aging vehicle populations in uncertain economic conditions, and policymakers are accelerating mandates for sustainable fuels, with countries like the UK moving forward with a Zero Emission Vehicle mandate by 2035. Across passenger vehicles, commercial transport, and off-highway machinery, engineers are now tasked with delivering measurable carbon reduction using a combination of electrification, advanced internal combustion engines (ICE) and fuel innovation without compromising safety, durability or performance.
A research team developed a smart strake system that dynamically adapts to flight conditions, showing a promising drag reduction in the wind tunnel with respect to passive strakes. This approach has the potential to save airlines hundreds of kilograms of fuel per flight. University of Washington Department of Aeronautics & Astronautics (A&A), Seattle, WA For decades, aircraft have carried a fundamental compromise between their engines and wing flow interactions by using strakes. These are small fins attached at the sides of engine nacelles that generate helpful vortices during takeoff and landing that boost lift and avoid stall, but create unwanted drag during cruise flight. Now, seven William E. Boeing Department of Aeronautics & Astronautics (A&A) undergraduates have advanced a solution that improves this trade-off, achieving up to 33 percent drag reduction, on the limited tested conditions, during cruise while maintaining critical safety benefits at high angles of attack. The team
Ford is seeding bits of information about its electric mid-size pickup that is slated to land in 2027. The vehicle is the brainchild of the company's skunkworks division and is set to become the standard by which other new electric vehicles from the blue oval are constructed. The underlying UEV (Universal Electric Vehicle) platform is meant to reduce the cost of EVs so they are comparable with gas vehicles. During a presentation focused on efficiency and how Ford plans to eke every mile it can out of the upcoming vehicle, the automaker shared that the vehicle would have a 48-volt architecture instead of the traditional 12-volt system via a DC-to-DC converter. The converter will step down the power from the 400-volt battery system to 48 volts to power ancillary items in the vehicle.
Defense Advaned Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Arlington, VA
BorgWarner revealed an integrated drive and generator module optimized for range-extended trucks and large SUVs, a technology many see as the predominant electrified strategy for utility vehicles with the headwinds currently facing the BEV market. The company already has a contract with what it calls a major American automaker to build the model beginning in 2029 for a series of range-extended vehicles.
Gasoline direct injection (GDI) engines are the most common technology on American roadways in 2025, and soon, an industrywide gasoline quality standard will better reflect their unique operational needs. Here's why that's important. It's no secret that fuel economy has been one of the greatest driving forces of automotive evolution over the past several decades. As corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) standards have grown increasingly lofty, OEMs eke out new efficiencies from every area of the vehicle. One of those areas, of course, is the engine, and many OEMs have deployed gasoline direct injection (GDI) technology, which is becoming the most common engine technology on American roadways. But while GDI engines proliferate, varying fuel additization throughout North America has not necessarily kept pace with their unique needs and can, in fact, hinder those engines from meeting and sustaining their full fuel economy potential.
A Detroit-based startup says its device can analyze brain activity to help figure out whether a driver is impaired. The impaired driver-detection business has been heating up since even before NHTSA announced in 2024 that it was working what would eventually be a mandate that vehicles be able to detect impaired drivers and mitigate the danger they represent to the motoring public.
At the U.S. headquarters for Aumovio SE (formerly Continental Auto Group), the company showed its new remote temperature sensor for EV motors as part of its post-CES tech day presentations. The tech, which provides a more accurate reading of the rotor temperature of an EV motor, could lead to more sustainable motor designs by reducing the amount of rare earth materials used to increase the heat resistance of magnets. It can also improve potential motor performance. The e-motor rotor temperature sensor (e-RTS) is placed directly near the rotor, improving its tolerance range from 15 degrees C (59 F) to 3 degrees C (37 F). It communicates wirelessly to a wired transceiver elsewhere on the motor module (it can be moved around for better packaging).
Driving in San Francisco can be a challenge. When Mercedes driver Christoph von Hugo - who is on the Development Advanced Driver Assistance Systems team - turns on the company's new MB. Drive Assist Pro, I expect it to disengage within minutes. Instead, the 2027 electric CLA makes the same decisions most drivers would make. A pedestrian looks like they are about to walk into the street from the middle of the block. Immediately, the car reacts by moving over. It's subtle. But don't call it autonomous driving. Mercedes says it's more of a co-driver.
Over the past few Supplier Eye columns, we have explored the impact of weakened U.S. emissions legislation and the loss of global scale economies. In isolation, suppliers could devise a gameplan to accommodate either of these shifts. Together, though, a completely revised approach is necessary. The combination demands that suppliers re-evaluate all facets of market strategies. Given this increased U.S. isolation, is there a possibility that the next five years could be the golden age of our industry? A period where the U.S. takes a pause from the speed and technical requirements of the rest of the world's markets to focus on our internal market? Leave global considerations on the doorstep? It is not only a possibility but a likely reality into the next decade.
Consider this: A new groundbreaking technology has just been developed that needs to be integrated into multiple types of aircraft as soon as possible. This could take years to accomplish, since each aircraft implements a different method of communicating with it, using different data transport protocols. Even worse, this new technology likely has proprietary information that needs to be transmitted to the aircraft in some format. All of these issues would require a different version of the technology for each aircraft.
EnCharge AI, a California-based startup, recently launched the EnCharge EN100 artificial intelligence (AI) chip, developed with a scalable analog in-memory computing architecture. The launch of EN100 came a year after EnCharge AI signed a partnership with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to develop the new chip. The company describes EN100 as the industry's “first AI accelerator built on precise and scalable analog in-memory computing.”
The U.S. Army has selected two companies to develop prototype chassis and plug-in-cards for aviation and ground vehicles. The selection is the Army's latest milestone accomplishment in an effort to feature Modular Open System Approach (MOSA) -aligned embedded computing systems across all of the new investments it makes in technology upgrades for new and legacy vehicles. In a program update posted in September 2025, the Army selected General Dynamics Mission Systems and Pacific Defense as the lead developers for new C5ISR/EW Modular Open Suite of Standards (CMOSS) Mounted Form Factor prototypes. CMOSS is a set of standards developed by the U.S. Army to guide the design of embedded computing networks featured on Army vehicles.
For decades, researchers have recognized the potential of rotating detonation engines (RDEs) in powering the next generation of hypersonic air-breathing engines, rocket engines, and stationary power generation gas turbine systems. But realizing the potential has been fraught with challenges.
The evolution of wireless communications and the miniaturization of electrical circuits have fundamentally reshaped our lives and the digital landscape. However, as we push toward higher-frequency communications in an increasingly connected world, engineers face growing challenges from multipath propagation — a phenomenon where the same radio signal reaches receiving antennas through multiple routes, usually with time delays and altered amplitudes. Multipath interference leads to many reliability issues, ranging from “ghosting” in television broadcasts to signal fading in wireless communications.
Dassault Systèmes and NVIDIA have announced a long-term strategic partnership to establish a shared industrial architecture for mission-critical artificial intelligence across industries. Combining Dassault Systèmes' Virtual Twin technologies with NVIDIA AI infrastructure, open models and accelerated software libraries will establish science-validated industry World Models, and new ways of working through skilled virtual companions on the agentic 3DEXPERIENCE platform, that empower professionals with new expertise.
Military and aerospace applications have become increasingly complex real-time systems. Multi-core SoCs improve performance but create new challenges in maintaining and verifying deterministic behavior. Connected systems require exceptional security to protect code from external cyberattacks. Evolving functional safety and reliability standards that keep raising the bar mean developers need to begin comprehensive testing sooner if they are going to meet tighter design schedules. Finally, certifying these complex systems has become even more difficult. To help OEMs meet these challenges, the RISC-V architecture has been designed with unique capabilities that support reliability and security in the development of safety-critical applications. With its open instruction set architecture, modularity, and extensibility, RISC-V accelerates the design of functionally safe systems while reducing the complexity, cost, and risk associated with certification to standards like DO-178C and ISO 26262
Microchip's PIC64 is a new portfolio of microprocessors that the Chandler, Arizona-based company claims could enable a generational leap in embedded processing performance for aerospace and defense applications. The new MPU technology is supported by a 64-bit reduced instruction set computer (RISC-V) architecture with an embedded Time Sensitive Networking (TSN) Ethernet switch.
During the 2025 Association of the United States Army (AUSA) annual meeting and exhibition, Forterra announced several major defense industry vehicle partnerships and introduced four new integrated modules designed to enable autonomy for military vehicles, communications, and more. Headquartered in Clarksburg, Maryland, Forterra develops autonomous mission systems for specific defense applications, including robotics and self-driving vehicles. The company has a new partnership with BAE Systems that will rapidly prototype an autonomous Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle (AMPV). Separately, Forterra has also collaborated with Oshkosh Defense and Raytheon to develop the “DeepFires” autonomous vehicle launcher technology.
In the rapidly evolving aerospace and defense landscape, simply keeping pace with trends isn't enough. Technology is advancing faster than ever, and in mission critical applications, failure is not an option. Systems must endure harsh environments while meeting uncompromising quality standards - an imperative that demands relentless innovation. Enter the Coyotes: WOLF's specialists in next generation rugged embedded systems, small form factor design, and bold, practical ideas. Whether on Earth or in orbit, they expand what high performance embedded computing can do across ground, orbital, lunar and deep space operations. Their work spans R&D, rapid prototyping and new product development for edge computing and artificial intelligence (AI) enabled imaging.
The roles of aerospace and defense engineers have profoundly changed. Systems integrators and acquisition programs require “standardized openness” while also wishing for boxes that take up less space, weight, and power. Despite the push towards Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA), Sensor Open Systems Architecture (SOSA), and similar open standards, there are still opportunities to use non-standardized, small form factor (SFF) designs. As outlined in the project examples below, a purpose-built SFF module can address technical system requirements better than any current approach focused on open standards.
A new Microelectromechanical system (MEMS) grating modulator has been developed, offering significant advancements in optical efficiency and scalability for communication systems. By integrating a tunable sinusoidal grating with broadside-constrained continuous ribbons, a large-scale aperture of 30 × 30 mm is achieved and supports high-speed modulation up to 250 kHz.
Between the 1920s and 1930s, aluminum started replacing wood as the primary material in aircraft construction and soon became the backbone of modern aviation. Its popularity stemmed from a combination of properties, high strength-to-weight ratio, corrosion resistance, and ease of forming that made it ideal for demanding aerospace applications. Throughout much of the 20th century, high-strength aluminum alloys dominated aircraft design, accounting for 70-80 percent of commercial airframes and more than half of many military aircraft. Even after the introduction of fiber-polymer composites in the early 2000s, aluminum has remained a critical material because it continues to offer the strength, lightness, and versatility needed for modern aviation. Industry forecasts predict that commercial air travel will double in the next 25 years, which means more pollution will be released into the atmosphere. One way to help reduce these emissions is by building airplane fuselages and wings with
Auburn University's Applied Research Institute in Huntsville is adding some serious fiber to its diet. Auburn University, Auburn, AL In collaboration with Auburn University's Center for Polymers and Advanced Composites (CPAC) and the Department of Aerospace Engineering, the institute recently acquired a CF3D Enterprise Cell - a next-generation 3D carbon fiber composites printer set to define the future of the nation's hypersonic programs. Developed by Idaho-based Continuous Composites, the CF3D system represents a highly specialized advanced manufacturing capability and is the only system of its kind currently operating in Alabama.
Carbon fiber-reinforced polymers (CFRPs) have become essential in modern aerospace structures, from fuselage skins and wing components to nacelles, interior structures, and a growing range of primary load-bearing parts. Their high strength-to-weight ratio delivers major benefits in fuel efficiency, payload capacity, and fatigue performance. Yet achieving reliable adhesive bonds on CFRP surfaces remains a persistent engineering challenge. The low intrinsic surface energy of composites - particularly under thermal cycling, vibration, and moisture exposure - limits bond durability unless surfaces are properly prepared. Plasma surface treatment has emerged as a pivotal solution, offering a fast, controllable, and non-destructive way to increase surface energy, improve wettability, and enhance adhesion across complex geometries. This is especially important as the aerospace industry transitions from thermoset to thermoplastic composites (TPCs), which enable faster processing, lower
Volvo Construction Equipment livestreamed on January 15 a preview of its plans for the CONEXPO 2026 trade show in Las Vegas from March 3-7. Its booth will showcase 14 new or first-look machines along with services such as machine control systems, site solutions and advanced telematics. Among the new models announced by Volvo CE that will be revealed at CONEXPO are several new excavators, including the first compact and wheeled machines in its latest excavator series and a new mid-size crawler. The company also announced that the 60-ton A60 articulated hauler has joined its new-generation ADT lineup. Volvo CE says that additional product launches will happen at the show.
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