JHU APL to hold Technical Achievement Awards Event with New Robotic Displays

An unusual opportunity is being offered to reporters who are interested in writing about new science and technology — most of which has not been made public before now. The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) is holding its first combined Technical Achievement Awards event, with displays and demonstrations of more than a dozen new technologies, a nod to the Laboratory's 70-year legacy, and robots galore.

This celebration of discovery and innovation will include Invention of the Year and Government Purpose Innovation awards along with recognition for outstanding publications, R&D and new technology research being done at the Laboratory. Interested? Come to APL's Kossiakoff Center on Wednesday, May 1, from 4 to 6 p.m. to mingle with researchers who are creating the future.

WHAT: Technical Achievement Awards Event with New Technology Demonstrations and Displays, including:

• Human Surrogates — human-like models (torso and arm) to help study blunt-force trauma injuries
• RoboSally — a robotic system, leveraging two Modular Prosthetic Limbs, designed to replicate human capabilities to safely remove humans from life-threatening operations
• EMAPS — a backpack-sized package for mapping and sensing in GPS-deprived areas
• Transparent Armor — a thinner/lighter armor that protects against the same threat level as existing armor
• Kevlar/Carbon NanoTube Armor — game-changing lightweight, flexible, body armor
• Free Space Optics Terminal — demonstrating how optical communications can be as reliable as today's fiber-reliant systems
• ANIMATOR — a device that turns off-the-shelf, remote-controlled vehicles into autonomous, controlled vehicles
• IBuoy — a mini, low-cost, expendable buoy made with off-the-shelf components and satellite data telemetry to measure ocean waves
• IT Super Hero — a game that teaches players about the world of information technology and basic cybersecurity, like how to handle online stalkers
• Models of the Transit (first navigation satellite), New Horizons (on its way to Pluto), and MESSENGER (now orbiting Mercury) spacecraft
• Solar Probe Plus Spacecraft Sunshade — insulation material that defies blowtorch heat

WHEN: 4–6 p.m., Wednesday, May 1, 2013

WHERE: The Kossiakoff Center at The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, 11100 Johns Hopkins Road, Laurel, MD 20723

Admission is free; registration is required: Media should contact Gina Ellrich in advance at [email protected].