Army honors internal inventors

The Army last week unveiled its list of the service's top 10 inventions for 2007, with more than half the winners focused on protecting troops from improvised explosive devices, which have caused more than 40 per cent of the casualties in Iraq.

The service said one winner, a new process to treat wounded soldiers, has achieved results equal to the introduction of antibiotics to treat disease.

Nominations for the top inventions list were submitted from across the Army laboratory community. The winners were chosen by a group made up of members of active-duty divisions and the service's Training and Doctrine Command, along with the Army's vice chief of staff.

Gen. Benjamin Griffin, commander of Army Materiel Command, said the awards program recognizes the best technology solutions for soldiers and highlights work done by the Army research and development community.

The Army will hold an awards ceremony honoring the winners on June 12 at the Hyatt Crystal City in Arlington, Va.

The winning inventions are:

• Damage Control Resuscitation of Severely Injured Soldiers
  U.S. Army Institute of Surgical Research
• Shadow 200 Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Communications Relay System
  Army Aviation and Missile Research, Development and Engineering Center
• Reconnaissance Vehicle System
  Army Aviation and Missile Research, Development and Engineering Center
• Objective Gunner Protection Kit
  Army Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center
• XM982 Excalibur Precision Guided Extended Range Artillery Projectile
  Army Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center
• M110 7.62mm Semi-Automatic Sniper System
  Army Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center
• Picatinny Blast Shield for Light Armored Vehicles
  Army Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center
• Self Protective Adaptive Roller Kit
  Army Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center
• Humvee Egress Assistance Trainer
  Army Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center
• Improvised Explosive Device Interrogation Arm
  Army Communications-Electronics Research, Development and Engineering Center