Opportunities in Biotechnology for Future Army Applications (2001) / Chapter Skim
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6. Reducing Logistics Requirements
6. Reducing Logistics Requirements
Pages 46-58
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From page 46... ...
In general, however, anything smaller and lighter will reduce the logistic burden, will further the Army' s transformation, and will be in keeping with trends and developments in biotechnology, such as small-scale biological devices, functional foods, biological photovoltaics, and renewable resources. MINIATURIZATION OF BIOLOGICAL DEVICES The miniaturization of systems and components would reduce logistics support requirements by making things smaller, lighter, and more portable and by reducing requirements for fuel and power.
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From page 47... ...
A variety of mechanical and nonmechanical pumping methods have been used in chips. The most troublesome issues for pumping in microfluidic structures are the avoidance of cavities where fluid cannot flow and bubble formation, which creates back pressure and can inhibit (or even reverse)
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From page 48... ...
A growing trend in the development of many parallel microreactions in microfabricated reaction chambers is to scale out rather than scale up parameter-sensitive production processes (Ehrfeld, 2000~. Microreactors may have many other applications: · uniforms with self-adjusting control mechanisms for such things as temperature, humidity, contamination exposure, energy harnessing, and camouflage · harvesting of nutrients, energy, medications, and therap~es medical devices for self-application of drugs · embedded microsystems to improve the performance of or replace organs and tissues synthesis of chemicals and biochemicals · biosensor detection mechanisms and biofeedback systems Microreactors coupled with miniaturized sampling, fluidics, detectors, sensors, and computers could enable biosystems capable of solving many key operational problems in the future.
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From page 49... ...
This system has a mixture of micromachined parts and external instrumentation to provide functionality, including microfabricated fluidic channels, heaters, temperature sensors, and fluorescence detectors, to analyze nanoliter-sized DNA samples (see Figure 6-1~. The tie-clasp-sized chip includes a nanoliter liquid injector, a sample mixing and positioning system, a temperature-controlled reaction chamber, an electrophoretic FIGURE 6-1 MEMS device for integrated DNA analysis.
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From page 50... ...
air bubbles can completely block fluid flow; (3) the sample volume is so small that the concentration of the analyte must be very high (i.e., low sensitivity results)
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From page 51... ...
. These probes are based on micromachined cantilevers with dimensions of a few microns and are fabricated using MEMS technology.
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From page 52... ...
It is, FIGURE 6-3 An interdigitated cantilever and fixed-reference plate forming a scanning surface probe. The cantilever position can be measured with great accuracy using diffraction.
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From page 53... ...
Phytochemicals are plant-derived compounds purported to afford specific health benefits (Watkins, 2001~. 53 A critical barrier to the development of functional foods may be the public perception that genetically modified organisms are undesirable.
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From page 54... ...
The commercial potential of genetic manipulation using recombinant methods has only recently begun to be realized; at the same time significant public resistance has arisen to genetically modified organisms. Nevertheless, research continues, and foods with amplified functions are being developed.
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From page 55... ...
Key Recommenclations Agricultural biotechnologies can be beneficial for the Army beyond improving nutrition. Engineered foods, edible vaccines, and biological tagging are all near-term technologies that could increase soldier effectiveness, improve command and control, and reduce logistics support requirements.
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From page 56... ...
These pigment systems were not designed just to convert light into electron translocation, but rather to use light for electron transfer simultaneously with the conversion of water to oxygen plus a proton (PSII) or to convert a light-induced electron gradient to convert the electron acceptor NADP (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate)
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From page 57... ...
The high potential of biological photovoltaics provides ample rationale for Army research on making the photosynthetic apparatus of plants or bacteria compatible with current electronic storage systems. Key Recommenclation Biological photovoltaics is a promising technology that could satisfy Army power requirements in the field, but usable products are at least 15 years away.
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From page 58... ...
Materials from genetically engineered plants could be readily processed into fabrics, either directly or indirectly. Natural polymers could combine the best characteristics of cotton and artificial fibers to perform specialized functions to protect soldiers from the environment.
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