Future defense technology was discussed and demonstrated by academics, scientists, experts and business leaders this week the final annual conference of the Defence Technology Centre in Data and Information Fusion (DIF DTC), an approximately $94 million partnership led by General Dynamics [UK] UK for the U.K. Ministry of Defence (MoD).
The DIF DTC, a research consortium of high-tech companies and universities funded jointly by industry, academia and the MoD, is the first of its kind.
A key to the U.K. government’s vision for future defence technology development, DIF DTC is also a vital component of the government’s Defence Industrial Strategy.
At the conference, the DIF DTC’s partners, which include Cardiff University, BT, QinetiQ, Waterfall Solutions, and eight other universities, presented their year’s work to academics, students, and representatives of industry and the Ministry of Defence.
The Centre’s three-year, about $43 million Phase II contract, has allowed the team to develop key technologies and explore how these can be used in military and national security solutions for the future.
Since 2003, successful outputs from the earlier phases of the program have moved forward in seven new cluster projects, aimed at providing new capabilities at a systems level.
These include cutting-edge research on how to track and predict a person’s intentions and behaviors using data about their physical makeup and movements, known collectively as biometrics.
An example of this is automatic gait recognition, which uses information about the way a person walks to identify them and analyze their possible intentions.
Andrew Tilbrook, DIF DTC director, said, “Great progress has been made over the last three years and most of our major projects already have components that are being actively considered for exploitation.”