Soldiers who can blend in like chameleons, radio waves serving as weapons in combat and homes outfitted with biological threat sensors in their vents are ideas that sound like pure fiction. But they are innovations that, according to a panel at Columbus, Ohio-based technology research and development group Battelle, will be available to defend America by the year 2012.

“We will see a transformation of American security and defense over the next ten years,” says Charles Wilhelm, a retired Marine Corps general and head of Battelle's research and design programs for Homeland security. “Innovative technologies are clearly needed which will give us more security at home and abroad.”

Experts in the fields of technology, science and defense met in Washington, D.C., to forecast the most significant new technologies likely to be ready for use by the year 2012.

Information and Intelligence Management — As computers become more accessible, powerful and easy to use, commanders will have information precisely when and where they need it, creating “knowledge warriors,” making them more aware of their surroundings and options with the aid of integrated sensors and reliable network connections.

Renewable Sources of Energy — Problems associated with powering and fueling today's military will be rare as fuel cells and other forms of alternative energy become more available. Large fuel cells for tanks and smaller ones — the size of a disposable lighter — for soldiers will have 10 times the energy density and life of the average battery and relieve U.S. dependence on oil imports.

Non-Lethal Weapons — Research is under way to develop weapons that will temporarily incapacitate or stun rather than wound or kill. Weapons such as non-penetrating bullets, shocks and radio frequency waves will aim to achieve the highest level of success with the least amount of violence. Efforts are also under way to fine-tune the accuracy of weapons and reduce their damage to unintended targets.

Advanced Detection and Tracking Systems - By 2012, non-invasive biological, chemical and weapons detectors will be as reliable and easy to use as the X-ray machines or metal detectors of today. A new generation of homing devices, cameras, radio frequency identification devices and global positioning systems (GPS) will track weapons and dangerous materials and objects.

Universal Inoculation — The next decade will usher in the practice of administering one, or a small number of inoculations, which will protect large numbers of people from multiple pathogens. Advanced understanding of the bacteria and viruses will help protect the health of a nation.

The Global Cyber Net — Battelle sees a global cyber network connecting every resource available, one with a capacity 100 to 1,000 times larger than the current World Wide Web, with a self-healing organic network. Software will no longer be surrounded by security code, but have such features embedded inside it.

Individual Warning Devices — Warning individuals will be just as important as warning large groups in the future, as sensors that are able to detect unhealthy air, water and food will become available to homes and businesses and the battlefield.

Rapid Deployment and Mobility — Improved communication systems, new methods of logistics management and faster vehicles of all types will assist the military in deploying and mobilizing troops and machinery out to defend in combat.

Safe Buildings — As witnessed in the anthrax attacks of 2001, bacteria and airborne pathogens are a means of attack for a terrorist or possibly in combat. New flow designs, integrated sensors, filtration methods and automated response mechanisms are predicted to improve the quality of indoor air and water, and filters are expected to be supplemented with other devices to detect and eliminate harmful bacteria and viruses.

Advance Multi-Functional Materials — The soldier of 2012 will be able to blend into his surroundings because of color-changing fibers, individualizing camouflage capabilities. Body armor protection will not only be stronger but more lightweight with the use of advanced composites, while remote physiological status monitoring will allow commanders to know, second by second, the health conditions of their soldiers.