The defense industry and military organizations have been behind some of the most impactful innovations in recent history, from duct tape (initially developed to seal ammunition crates in WWII and now used for everything) to GPS navigation systems (pioneered by the U.S. Department of Defense in the 1970s). [1] It’s no surprise why: the defense sector has the resources required to accelerate innovation and an urgent drive to advance technologically for ever-evolving combat readiness.Today, printed electronics are at the forefront of defense innovation, and technologies like Voltera’s NOVA <a href="https://www.voltera.io/blog/introduction-direct-ink-writing-printing-technology?utm_campaign=Wevolver&amp;utm_source=webinar&amp;utm_medium=enhancing-combat-equipment&amp;utm_content=direct%20ink%20writing" target="_blank">direct ink writing</a> (DIW) solution are enabling defense organizations to increase vital metrics like efficiency, adaptability, and miniaturization when it comes to both wearables and combat equipment. In a previous article, we looked at several combat wearable applications for Voltera printed electronics, including discreet sensors for health monitoring and wearable heaters. In this article, we are turning to combat equipment to understand how Voltera’s technology can help defense organizations address an increasing demand for advanced integrated electronics that augment equipment functionality without adding bulk. The <a href="https://www.voltera.io/products/nova?utm_campaign=Wevolver&amp;utm_source=website&amp;utm_medium=enhancing-combat-equipment&amp;utm_content=NOVA" target="_blank">NOVA</a> platform, launched by Canadian company <a href="https://www.voltera.io/about/about-us?utm_campaign=Wevolver&amp;utm_source=website&amp;utm_medium=enhancing-combat-equipment&amp;utm_content=voltera" target="_blank">Voltera</a> in 2022, is a materials dispensing system designed to accelerate the development of advanced flexible circuits and sensors. The process selectively deposits screen-printable inks (i.e., conductive, dielectric, and functional inks) onto a wide variety of substrates, including both rigid and flexible materials. This printing approach eliminates the need for tooling and masks, resulting in faster iteration cycles and greater agility for applications such as electronics development, materials testing, and low-volume production runs.In the context of combat equipment, NOVA has the potential to be a game-changer in the development of circuits, sensors, and displays that enhance the functionality of critical military gear, including communication devices, navigation systems, robotics, vehicles, and more. In the following sections, we’ll be looking at a selection of use cases for the electronics printing technology that showcase this potential.<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2COFihlYVos?&amp;wmode=opaque" frameborder="0" style="width:640px;height:460px"></iframe> <h2 id="isPasted">Remote Robotic Control</h2>In the field, there are many environments and scenarios that can pose a risk to humans, from underwater equipment repairs, to bomb disposal, to reconnaissance in remote or difficult terrain. In the continual effort to make troops safer and minimize risk, defense organizations are becoming more and more interested in leveraging robots to carry out these challenging and potentially hazardous tasks. Electronics printing platforms such as NOVA can play an important role in the development of remotely controlled robotic devices that can operate in these environments, performing reconnaissance and logistical tasks under human control without any risk to human life. <img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1762259608186-Control+Glove+Printed+with+NOVA+used+for+Finger-Level+Motion+Sensing+and+Remote+Control+of+a+Robotic+Hand.webp" style="width:100%px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="Control Glove Printed with NOVA used for Finger-Level Motion Sensing and Remote Control of a Robotic Hand" />Control Glove Printed with NOVA used for Finger-Level Motion Sensing and Remote Control of a Robotic HandIn one relevant use case, NOVA was used to <a href="https://www.voltera.io/use-cases/white-papers/printing-strain-gauges-tpu-laminated-glove-remote-hand-control?utm_campaign=Wevolver&amp;utm_source=website&amp;utm_medium=enhancing-combat-equipment&amp;utm_content=wearable%20glove" target="_blank">print a wearable glove</a> that remotely controls the movements of a robotic hand.[2] Voltera’s platform printed conductive strain gauges using stretchable silver conductive ink on a flexible TPU substrate. These strain gauges were integrated into a glove and programmed to send haptic signals from the glove to a 3D printed robotic hand, which resulted in the robotic hand mimicking the human hand movements in real time. In the defense sector, enabling robots to move and respond in real time based on human input has a number of potential uses, including the remote handling of dangerous materials and hazardous items, like improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and other explosives, conducting maintenance in a high-risk environment, or gathering intel or data from dangerous or hard-to-reach zones such as collapsed structures, underground tunnels, contaminated zones, or active combat areas.. In the case of IED disposal, the use of advanced explosive ordnance disposal (EOD)  robots can ensure that the expertise and skill of bomb disposal professionals is still being used, just without any risky proximity. This offers a distinct advantage compared to earlier EOD robots, which are controlled via video-game controllers.[3] In addition to enabling human-controlled actuation interfaces, NOVA can print custom sensors, interconnects, and flexible circuits for the robots themselves, which can be encapsulated in moisture-resistant materials that protect devices from harsh environments.  <h2>Electroluminescent Displays</h2>Another important application for Voltera’s NOVA solution is in the development of high-quality display technologies, which play a pivotal role in military operations by promoting situational awareness and facilitating how troops and communications operators receive crucial information. It goes without saying that optimal displays for defense applications must offer a combination of clarity and robustness, particularly when used in the field. Electroluminescent displays (ELDs) are thus a perfect fit.ELDs are flat panel displays that utilize the principles of electroluminescence—a phenomenon where specific types of material, such as phosphors, emit light when exposed to an alternating current or electrical field. This phenomenon can be harnessed to create displays that are characterized by a thin profile, flexibility, temperature resistance, vibration resistance, overall durability, highly uniform light, and low cost.In a defense context, ELDs are already well established due to their high visibility and robustness[4], being used in control panels and instrument clusters in aircrafts, submarines, and road vehicles. ELDs also have great potential in other areas, such as in the production of rugged keypads and portable electronics that require visibility in both dark and light environments.   <img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1762259655487-NOVA+Printing+a+Multilayer+EL+Display+using+Conductive%2C+Dielectric%2C+and+Phosphor+Inks.webp" style="width:100%px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="NOVA Printing a Multilayer EL Display using Conductive, Dielectric, and Phosphor Inks" />NOVA Printing a Multilayer EL Display using Conductive, Dielectric, and Phosphor InksVoltera has demonstrated NOVA’s capability for printing electroluminescent displays. In a <a href="https://www.voltera.io/use-cases/white-papers/printing-electroluminescent-ink-paper-pet?utm_campaign=Wevolver&amp;utm_source=wevolver&amp;utm_medium=enhancing-combat-equipment&amp;utm_content=recent-use-case" target="_blank">recent use case</a>, the company printed a blue-light emitting pattern on two different substrates, exploiting NOVA’s ability to print multiple layers. The EL pattern, printed on flexible paper and PET substrates, consisted of four printed layers: a base conductive layer, a dielectric layer, a phosphor layer, and a top conductive layer. When connected to an alternating current, the thin flexible circuit glows blue.[5] Notably, the paper substrate delivered consistent results in the use case, which opens up the door to integrating ELDs into for example uniforms, sensor and vehicle panels, as well as equipment surfaces for covert, durable and low-signature illumination and situational awareness.It’s also worth noting that NOVA can also print additional material layers, including optical inks that can add anti-glare properties to a range of displays for glare-resistant maps, control panels, and electronics. <h2>Stealth Antennas</h2>As communications and tracking devices become more sophisticated, they are also getting smaller and more flexible. These intersecting trends towards greater miniaturization and flexibility in electronics are highly beneficial for the defense industry, which can pack greater functionality into a smaller, more versatile footprint, thus simplifying logistics and deployment without compromising performance.<img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1762259769146-NOVA+Printing+an+RFID+Tag+on+Paper+using+Conductive+Nanocopper+Ink.jpg" style="width:100%px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="NOVA Printing an RFID Tag on Paper using Conductive Nanocopper Ink" />NOVA Printing an RFID Tag on Paper using Conductive Nanocopper InkVoltera demonstrated this capability by printing an <a href="https://www.voltera.io/use-cases/white-papers/printing-rfid-tag-copper-ink-paper?utm_campaign=Wevolver&amp;utm_source=website&amp;utm_medium=enhancing-combat-equipment&amp;utm_content=RFID" target="_blank">ultra-high frequency radio-frequency identification (RFID) antenna</a> using a paper substrate and a nano-copper ink. The result of this proof of concept was an RFID tag suitable for long-range reading capabilities with a performance that exceeded off-the-shelf counterparts.[6] In terms of specific application, this type of RFID antenna is largely intended for inventory tracking, which could directly benefit militaries by streamlining the management and tracking of their weapons, communications gear, vehicles, or medical supplies. NOVA can also print antennas with more sophisticated functionality that can be folded to achieve even greater compaction. Overall, the possibilities for printed antennas are vast in the defense sector: among other things they can be used in portable surveillance kits, in ultra-high frequency tracking, and to enhance radar evasion for stealth aircraft and vehicles.[7]<h2>Conclusion</h2>Ultimately, Voltera’s NOVA printing platform has the ability to empower defense organizations as they seek to develop increasingly sophisticated combat equipment while benefiting from production agility and supply chain independence. Using materials dispensing to prototype and develop remote-controlled robotics, EL displays, and compact antennas is just the tip of the iceberg: by putting such a powerful tool in the hands of some of the most innovative minds in defense R&amp;D, the possibilities for new devices are limitless.To learn more about NOVA and its defense applications, <a href="https://www.voltera.io/book-a-meeting/nova-demo?utm_campaign=Wevolver&amp;utm_source=website&amp;utm_medium=enhancing-combat-equipment&amp;utm_content=get-in-touch" target="_blank">get in touch</a> with the Voltera team today.<h2>References</h2>[1] Military inventions that we use every day [Internet]. NATO, 2025. <a href="https://www.nato.int/cps/fr/natohq/declassified_215371.htm" target="_blank">https://www.nato.int/cps/fr/natohq/declassified_215371.htm</a> [2] Printing Strain Gauges on TPU laminated on a Glove for Remote Hand Control [Internet]. Voltera, 2025. <a href="https://www.voltera.io/use-cases/white-papers/printing-strain-gauges-tpu-laminated-glove-remote-hand-control" target="_blank">https://www.voltera.io/use-cases/white-papers/printing-strain-gauges-tpu-laminated-glove-remote-hand-control</a> [3] Thatcher, Cory. Robots to help TF Muleskinner Soldiers counter IED threat [Internet]. U.S. Army, February 22, 2012. <a href="https://www.army.mil/article/74292/robots_to_help_tf_muleskinner_soldiers_counter_ied_threat" target="_blank">https://www.army.mil/article/74292/robots_to_help_tf_muleskinner_soldiers_counter_ied_threat</a>[4] Monarchie D, Budzilek RA, Cupero F. Sunlight-viewable electroluminescent displays for military applications. InCockpit Displays 1994 Jun 17 (Vol. 2219, pp. 60-67). SPIE. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1117/12.177807" target="_blank">https://doi.org/10.1117/12.177807</a> [5] Printing Electroluminescent Ink on Paper and PET [Internet]. Voltera, 2025. <a href="https://www.voltera.io/use-cases/white-papers/printing-electroluminescent-ink-paper-pet" target="_blank">https://www.voltera.io/use-cases/white-papers/printing-electroluminescent-ink-paper-pet</a> [6] Printing an RFID Tag with Copper Ink on Paper [Internet]. Voltera, 2025. <a href="https://www.voltera.io/use-cases/white-papers/printing-rfid-tag-copper-ink-paper" target="_blank">https://www.voltera.io/use-cases/white-papers/printing-rfid-tag-copper-ink-paper</a> [7] Gupta, Srishti. China shrinks jet antenna to 0.047 times wavelength to boost fighter’s stealth power [Internet]. Interesting Engineering, February 26, 2025. <a href="https://interestingengineering.com/military/china-shrinks-jet-antenna-stealth-power" target="_blank">https://interestingengineering.com/military/china-shrinks-jet-antenna-stealth-power</a>

NOVA Printing a Multilayer EL Display using Conductive, Dielectric, and Phosphor Inks

The NOVA platform by Voltera is a versatile tool that can empower defence organizations in the integration of increasingly sophisticated electronics in combat equipment.

Enhancing Combat Equipment with Printed Sensors, Antennas, Displays

Researchers from ITMO’s School of Physics and Engineering have developed optical labels made with gold and silicon. The nanostructures’ asymmetric shape determines their optical response to a specific direction of light: the tags become visible and change color from yellow to green only at a certain angle (57-75 degrees) of lateral lighting, while no effect is observed at other angles. This solution will find its applications in the authentication of optical chips, sensors, and other microelectronics. The corresponding paper was <a href="https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsaom.5c00156">published</a> in ACS Applied Optical Materials.Various products are protected from forgery by different means – including unique holograms or QR and bar codes. Even though these are convenient in mass production, they are also easy to forge with the necessary equipment. In their search for more secure solutions, researchers are looking into promising security technologies based on the optical properties of nanostructures. Of particular interest in this regard are tags whose protective properties revolve around their interaction with specific types of lighting. Scientists use light scattering as the observable protective property. Its efficiency can be managed by selecting the optimal size, shape, and materials of nanostructures, as well as the parameters of external excitation, such as the angle and polarization of light. However, the exact “recipe” for precise control of light is known only for nanostructures made from one material and not two.Physicists from ITMO’s School of Physics and Engineering have demonstrated how light scattering is modulated by polarization in hybrid gold-silicon nanostructures – their shape resembles microscopic mushrooms, with a silicon “stem” and a gold “cap.” The interaction of the incident electromagnetic field with the mushroom-shaped nanostructures induces bianisotropy – a state in which the nanostructure simultaneously responds to both the electric and magnetic fields of light. The resulting tag demonstrates unique optical properties: it is capable of changing color only when lit at angles of 57 to 75 degrees. This study was conducted by the <a href="https://hnsgroup.tech/">Hybrid Nanophotonic Systems Group</a> under the supervision of Dmitry Zuev, a leading researcher of ITMO’s School of Physics and Engineering, and with support from Alferov University of the Russian Academy of Sciences.<img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1753557953390-1442200.jpg" style="width:100%px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" />Pavel Kustov setting up the installation used to study the polarization dependence in nanostructures. Photo by Dmitry Grigoryev / ITMO NEWS&lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;p&gt;“Using a lithography machine, we created the hybrid gold-silicon nanostructures and modified some of them with a femtosecond laser. Next, we analyzed the sample in dark field geometry using different linear polarizations of the incident radiation at a 70-degree angle. It turned out that when the vector of the electric field is in the plane of the incident light, the original and modified nanostructures have an identical yellow coloring. However, when the vector of the electric field is at a right angle to the incident plane, the original nanostructures remain yellow, while the modified ones turn green. This effect can be used to create tags that will be visible only from a specific angle,” explains Pavel Kustov, the paper's first author and a junior researcher at ITMO's Faculty of Physics&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;<img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1753558261917-ezgif-6a467375aa7648.gif" style="width:100%px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" />A demo of the tag. The original and modified nanostructures are colored in identical yellow. When the polarizer rotates, the original structures remain yellow, while the modified ones turn green. Animation courtesy of Pavel KustovAs special equipment is required to produce the tags, this will be an additional barrier against forgery. The tags can be read both manually and using a computer vision algorithm developed by ITMO researchers for this purpose. Importantly, this reading can only be accomplished at a specific setting of the optical installation, i.e. when the lateral lighting is positioned at the necessary angle. In this case, the algorithm will verify the tag based on an international colorimetry standard () as issued by the International Commission on Illumination.As an example, the team created an image of a human and a dog just 20*20 micrometers in scale. The image’s parameters and contents can be changed as required. Moreover, the tags are easily scalable, meaning that they can easily be adapted for mass production of optical chips, sensors, and other microelectronics.In the future, the researchers are planning to determine if the identified effect can be observed in simpler systems. For this, they will experiment with asymmetric nanostructures consisting of a single material and study their behavior in different modifications.

The new anti-forgery tags. Photo by Dmitry Grigoryev / ITMO NEWS

Researchers from ITMO's School of Physics and Engineering have developed optical labels made with gold and silicon. This solution will find its applications in the authentication of optical chips, sensors, and other microelectronics.

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Enhancing Combat Equipment with Printed Sensors, Antennas, Displays

Physicists' New Anti-Forgery Tags Can Hide in Plain Sight