The U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) participated in the Navy League’s 52nd annual Sea-Air-Space Exposition at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland, April 3-5.
More than 290 exhibitors displayed their products to nearly 12,000 attendees and representatives from 68 countries, as well as U.S. government officials.
NRL researchers were on hand to discuss their work and potential research opportunities. Some of the technologies highlighted included:
Unmanned Vehicles; CICADA Mark 5, Flying Sea Glider, Solar Soaring and Ion Tiger; High-Temperature Polymers and Ceramics; ERASER Rep-Rated Pulsed Power System; NEMESYS Single Shot Indoor Range Laboratory Launcher System; SWORD (Software for the Optimization of Radiation Detectors); Over-the-Horizon Radar; Cell Pack (used for helmet testing); CT-Analyst (3D predictions of chemical, biological, & radiological (CBR) agent transport in urban settings) and MeRLIn (Meso-scale Robotic Locomotin Initiative).
“Participating in the Sea-Air-Space Expo is a great way for us to get out and showcase our work and network with our peers,” said Mike Osborn, NRL's MeRLIn project manager, Spacecraft Engineering Department. “For us it’s a benefit because it provides us the opportunity to share our vision for the future uses of robotics.”
The expo provided the opportunity for Navy leaders to directly interact with government and industry representatives to further the conversation about current maritime affairs.
Venues such as the Navy League Sea-Air-Space Exposition are key for NRL’s Technology Transfer Office, which helps market the lab’s research and technologies to potential industry partners.
“Events like SAS are an essential tool in fulfilling the technology transfer aspect of NRL’s mission by enabling us to build relationships with potential industry partners and match them with NRL scientists and technologies in real time in an exciting, dynamic environment,” said Amanda Horansky-McKinney, Head, NRL’s Technology Transfer Office
More than 100 military flag officers, senior executive leaders and official representatives participated in the event.
The Navy League's Sea-Air-Space Exposition was founded in 1965 as a means to bring the U.S. defense industrial base, U.S. private-sector companies and key military decision makers together for an annual innovative, educational, professional and maritime-based event located in the heart of Washington, D.C. Sea-Air-Space is the largest maritime exposition in the U.S. and continues as an invaluable extension of the Navy League's mission of maritime policy education and sea service support.