Biotechnologies for the Objective Force Warrior
February 19, 2004, University of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign
Charlene M. Mello, U.S. Army Natick Soldier Center Charlene.mello@us.army.mil
The U.S. Army’s vision of a protective, fully integrated combat suit is central to the Objective Force Warrior concept. New technologies are being developed for protection in all environments including ballistic, chemical and biological warfare agents, weather, flame, thermobaric, laser, puncture and abrasion. This presentation will focus on biotechnologies for the survivability and sustainability of the individual warfighter. New enzymes are being identified and characterized for reactive, protective barrier materials capable of hydrolyzing chemical agents. The exquisite control and sensitivity inherent in biological systems is being harnessed to develop sensors for physiological status monitoring, detection of pathogenic microorganisms, and environmental monitoring (i.e., detection of hazardous compounds). The realization of biotechnologies for the warfighter is dependent on effective interfacing of the biological and non-biological world e.g., sensors, microelectronics and optical devices. As a result, understanding the basic principles involved in controlling interactions between polymers and biological materials to stabilize biological function is critical. |
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© 2004 UIUC and Professor Paul V. Braun