News Releases

More accurate navigational aids such as gyroscopes, next-generation sensors including magnetic and gravitational sensors and clocks - will all get a boost from the research from the latest physics Nobel Prize winners, who have been supported for years by the Office of Naval Research.* Eric Cornell...

In the deep waters two miles south of Edgartown on Martha's Vineyard, not far from where, two centuries ago, the likes of Captain Ahab and a thousand others kept their watch for the great white and his kin, we are now searching to understand another potential beast in those parts: the ocean and the...

A new type of analog processor that is compact while offering extremely fast computations for image processing could possibly lead to the creation of an artificial eye that has the potential to replace damaged human retinas, offering sight to the blind if the chip works as planned. The cellular...

Marines Take a Byte Out Of Complex Mission Planning "When carrying out a mission, Marine aviators don't take off without a plan," says ONR science officer Tom McKenna. "A definitive plan is critical. This is because flight schedules are more than just timetables-any scheduling must consider the...

A computer chip implanted near the eye's retina is well on its way to offering some restored vision to people blinded by eye diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa and age-related degeneration of the eye. The implant works for eye diseases where healthy retinal neurons remain intact after they lose...

Communicating with Light Polarization A new and novel way of communicating over fiber optics is being developed by physicists supported by the Office of Naval Research. Rather than using the amplitude and frequency of electromagnetic waves, they're using the polarization of the wave to carry the...

Scientist John Reintjes is what you might call a 'build a better mousetrap' type-of-guy. About ten years ago, he watched as Navy ships took regular oil samples from their lubricating systems and sent them ashore to be analyzed. Fine debris and particulate matter suspended in a ship's oil reservoirs...

Figuring there had to be a better way of keeping track of available beds, medical equipment and blood supplies in the field, rather than depending on information relayed by phone and then scribbled on a white board with a grease pencil, the Office of Naval Research has come up with an answer -...

With the expected 70,000 daily visitors to the Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City this month, reliable communications are essential. Even the best laid plan needs a backup, and that's why the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) in Washington, D.C., has its mobile communications center ready in Salt...

Building an Aircraft Carreir Hull is No Small Matter In shipbuilding, some things never change...When its first steel-hulled ships were being built in the late 19th century, the Navy was a tough customer. Not only was the shipbuilder required to conform to the 'tests of steel' prescribed by the...