Department Of Defense

The US Defense Department made it clear that it wants to be more involved with wearable technology. The department has announced a partnership with a consortium called the FlexTech Alliance. The consortium consists of over 160 private sector organizations including companies, universities, nonprofits, and independent research organizations. Among its members are Apple, MIT, Stanford, Boeing, GE, and Qualcomm. True to the name FlexTech, the members will work to further refine flexible electronic circuit technology, addressing durability, size, weight, and cost. The idea is create a technology that can be as easily applied to a soldier’s uniform as it can to the side of a jet. While specific goals aren’t known, each company will bid out solving particular problems of the technology and its application. There will be a centralized headquarters in San Jose called the “Manufacturing Innovation Institute for Flexible Hybrid Electronics” and regional hubs, all of which will serve as venues for the various organizations involved to meet and collaborate. It is interesting that the Defense Department is beginning to rely more and more on the innovation occurring in the private sector. Hopefully they don’t become so reliant that the department follows a similar path to what happened with NASA.