Technically speaking, hypersonic weapons have existed since the middle of the 20th century. A hypersonic weapon is merely something that travels at Mach-5 or faster, or at least five times the speed of sound. Ballistic missiles have long possessed these speeds. What differentiates today’s emerging class of hypersonic capabilities is the use of aerodynamic lift […]
Fact Sheet: Autonomous Weapons
Often misleadingly referred to as “killer robots,” autonomous systems can interact with their environments by gathering information, determining a course of action and undertaking actions to achieve a goal, all with limited or no human interaction. In the realm of weaponry, autonomous technologies have most prominently been deployed in unmanned aerial and submersible drones. Such […]
Fact Sheet: Artificial Intelligence
Clear, comprehensive and actionable definitions of Artificial Intelligence (AI) are elusive given the rapid pace of its evolution. Generally, the term refers to a suite of capabilities executed via computer systems that are designed to perform the cognitive functions of the human mind. Among these are machine learning, deep learning, computer vision, natural language processing […]
Fact Sheet: Biotechnology
Biotechnology is the application of biological systems and materials to create new technologies, products, and services that offer qualitative improvements to human and environmental health. Biotechnology encompasses many disciplines including genetics, molecular biology, bioengineering, pharmaceuticals, agriculture, bioinformatics and more. Among the most widely recognized applications of biotechnology is genomic manipulation, or gene editing. Through gene […]
Fact Sheet: Computing and Cyber Tools
Emerging cyber tools and computational capabilities will expand and connect the digital world in ways that will create new opportunities as well as new cybersecurity vulnerabilities. Quantum information sciences (QIS), the Internet of Things and cloud computing are among the most promising technologies in terms of impact on the evolution of the digital world — […]