The Department of National Defence (DND) and the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) is proud to publish this catalogue of emerging technologies trend cards in support of the Government of Canada’s open science and research security initiatives. These trend cards can help researchers make science and research more transparent, inclusive, sustainable, and collaborative, while minimizing risks to security, especially with emerging technologies that have dual civilian and military uses.
DND’s science and technology organization, Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC), developed these trend cards in partnership with the National Research Council (NRC), to openly communicate information about technologies that may impact defence, public safety, and national security. The trend cards offer one more tool to the research community by providing context and building awareness about emerging technologies, focused specifically on defence and national security. This can help researchers protect themselves, their sensitive work and valuable intellectual property, as well as Canadian national defence and security. However, please note that the trend cards do not add to or replace any Government of Canada lists of sensitive research areas, particularly for the purposes of research security due diligence.
DND will regularly update this catalogue of trend cards with new emerging technologies that may have impacts in those areas of national interest to better inform Canadian innovators now and into the future.
For more information on the technology domains identified, you are encouraged to reach out to DRDC’s science and technology foresight and risk assessment program at EDT-TEP@forces.gc.ca. This program was established in 2011 to identify emerging science and technology and assess their likely implications for defence, public safety, and national security.
Consult the DND/CAF Open Science Action Plan for learn more about the common, phased approach for making DND/CAF science and research data readily available to Canadians, while taking into account the unique safety and security considerations of the department.
Catalogue of emerging technology trend cards
Visit the pages below to access HTML and PDF versions of each emerging technologies trend card.
| Title | Description |
|---|---|
| Early detection of emerging technologies | The rapidly increasing volume of scientific publications makes early detection of emerging technologies in the resulting vast body of literature more and more challenging. An active field of scientific research is continuously experimenting with new approaches, such as network analysis, topic modelling and machine learning. |
| Bidirectional brain-computer interfaces | Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) allow the brain to interact with an environment by reading brain signals and using them to impact external objects, or by enabling external stimuli to impact the brain. Devices that can perform both operations simultaneously are called bidirectional brain-computer interfaces (bBCIs). |
| Cognitive computing | Cognitive computing research aims to build systems which mimic the processes of the human brain. New systems are designed to learn from past experiences, adapt in real-time and draw inferences from data. |
| Enhancement of cognition in humans for decision making | Various psychological and technological systems have been shown to reliably enhance certain inherent human cognitive capabilities, such as memory and attention. |
| Deep learning for human decision support | Deep learning is a fast growing subfield of machine learning and artificial intelligence based on artificial neural networks and how the human brain learns. Its algorithms use hierarchical, non-linear layers to represent data at increasing levels of abstraction. |
| Human optimization, training and fitness technologies | Both physical and cognitive fitness contribute to readiness and performance in many occupations, giving humans an edge in complex and demanding environments. |
| Education and training of mental skills | Delivery of professional and post-academic training has changed significantly in recent years. Pre-pandemic advances were seen in non-traditional approaches to learning. During the pandemic, there was dramatic rapid development and adoption of digital and distance learning technologies. |
| Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) prevention | Mild TBIs (mTBIs) often occur due to an injury to the head as a result of contact and/or acceleration/deceleration of forces acting on the brain. While typically benign, mTBI has a complex etiology, various symptoms, and a risk of short- and long-term sequelae. |
| Diagnosis of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) | Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) typically occur due to an injury to the head as a result of contact and/or acceleration/deceleration of forces acting on the brain. TBI is a common health problem among civilian, first responders, and military populations. |
| Beyond line-of-sight communications and applications | Modern wireless communications systems normally require a transmitter and receiver to be within ‘line-of-sight’ of each other. For example, smartphones switch between base stations to stay connected and enable voice and data transmission while on the move. |
| Directed energy weapons | Directed energy weapons (DEWs) use concentrated energy from electromagnetic or particle technology, rather than kinetic energy, to degrade or destroy targets. DEWs have the capability to damage physical targets over several kilometers with high precision and accuracy. |
| Positioning, navigation and timing technologies | The Global Positioning System (GPS) is indispensable to the military and other industries for precise positioning, navigation and timing (PNT). However, satellite signals are increasingly vulnerable to accidental or intentional interference and are generally unavailable in certain locations, such as indoors, underground or underwater. |
| Space technologies | Space technologies support critical functions in our daily lives. The range of space-enabled applications extends from communications and navigation to earth observation, weather forecasting, security and intelligence operations, and applications requiring precise timing/positioning. |
| Underwater detection | Underwater detection technologies have a broad range of application, including the location and monitoring of subsurface infrastructure, mapping of undersea terrain, the study of aquatic biodiversity and supporting military operations such as the identification and tracking of submarines and other objects. |
| Countermeasures against hypersonic weapons | Hypersonic weapons (including cruise missiles, glide and boost-glide vehicles) travel at Mach 5 or higher, retain a degree of in-flight maneuverability and follow lower-altitude, difficult-to-track trajectories, all of which make intercepting these weapons much harder than with ballistic missiles. |
| Energy generation and storage in cold climates | Northern and remote communities are heavily reliant on fossil fuels, with between 70-80% of primary energy being generated by diesel. The global push toward decarbonization has led to a flurry of research on clean energy generation and storage. |
| Cold climate clothing materials and physiological monitoring | In extreme cold environments humans lose heat through temperature, air movement, relative humidity and clothing. Proper clothing and layering provides thermal management and protection from cold weather injuries. Advances in new materials such as organohydrogels, ion gels, and phase change materials are improving cold weather textiles and wearables. |
| Personnel shielding | Today’s warfighters and first responders face a dangerous, uncertain, and ever evolving threat landscape. They are at risk from direct and indirect fires, improvised explosives, chemical and biological agents, radiation, and a wide variety of other occupational hazards. To ensure that personnel are shielded from these threats, next-generation protective equipment relies on multiple technologies and improved designs. |
| Military women’s health research | Military service is associated with unique physical and mental health issues and women are at higher risk compared to servicemen. With an increasing number of women serving in the military, gaining a robust understanding of military women’s health (MWH) research is key to providing preventive and curative care and to supporting the development of evidence-based practices that protect servicewomen. |