Multiple Visualizations of Emerging Tech in a Multi-year Collaboration

We embarked on a multi-year comprehensive research and development journey with DEFTECH (Defense Future Technologies) at armasuisse, the open-source knowledge-sharing research branch of armasuisse, the Swiss Department of Defense.

The core of the project was to investigate the application of numerous emerging technologies that could affect defense and security. Our role involved detailed research into data presentation, the collection of emerging technology data, and the development of interactive storytelling tools. The culmination of this research was presented annually in Thun, Switzerland, to an open-source intelligence community. The focus of these projects was to underscore the impact of emerging technologies on various stakeholders.

Throughout the collaboration, we delivered multiple Radars and presentations, each highlighting different facets of technological advancement. Key outputs included the DEFTECH 360 radars from 2015, 2016, and 2017, along with specific radars focused on The Future of Supply Chain and Centaurs, which explored Human-Machine Augmentation. Additionally, we co-developed the Future Narratives experience, which brought the radar to life through interactive sci-fi stories, complete with invited authors and bespoke illustrations.

Our Work

• Conducted continuous research on emerging technologies across various sectors.
• Specialized in data presentation and emerging technology insights collection.
• Used a crowdsourced approach for feedback collection.

Impact

• Enhanced engagement by developing interactive storytelling tools.
• Built educational collaborative platforms with experts and students.
• Highlighted technological advancements and their impact on defense and security, driving strategic decision-making.
• Open-source intelligence community made use of material in yearly meetings.
• Multi-year collaboration allowed for refininement of research, content and interface.

For our research on the Future of Supply Chain, we created an impact assessment score to evaluate the potential influence of each technology on the field. This radar included an open survey to crowdsource impact data from a broad community, and the findings were presented during workshops at EPFL. This ensured a comprehensive evaluation of each technology’s readiness and potential for future implementation.

The DEFTECH project involved ongoing research over five years, with expert feedback guiding the development process. This approach allowed us to refine radar content, experiment with various formats, and diversify our deliverables. Some radars featured comprehensive descriptions for each technology, while others took a more strategic approach, outlining challenges and opportunities. In addition, some radars were clustered around narratives, while others followed a more traditional approach of organizing technologies by domains.

For the Future Narratives: Centaur radar, we commissioned four sci-fi authors to create original stories based on the technologies presented in the radar. These stories were accompanied by bespoke illustrations and used an interactive branching interface where readers could explore different narrative pathways based on technological readiness levels. This helped illustrate the concept of Technology Readiness Level (TRL), making it more accessible to the audience by integrating it into engaging, futuristic scenarios.