Press Release
Three Johns Hopkins APL Innovations Earn 2026 R&D 100 Honors
Three technologies developed by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Maryland, have been named as winners of 2026 R&D 100 Awards, which recognize the year’s most revolutionary technologies across industry, government, and academia.
APL’s winning innovations span health care, space communications, and advanced manufacturing, reflecting the Laboratory’s breadth of expertise and capability, and its commitment to translating research into technologies that address complex national and global challenges.
“These cutting-edge technologies demonstrate how APL combines deep research and development expertise with an understanding of real-world missions to create solutions that have meaningful impact,” said APL Director Dave Van Wie. “We’re proud to see our researchers recognized among this year’s R&D 100 honorees.”
This year’s winners are:
OsteoSEE Credit: Johns Hopkins APL/Ed Whitman
OsteoSEE (Surface Echo Evaluation), honored in the Analytical/Test category, is an ultrasound-based platform that enables early, noninvasive detection of tibial stress fractures using surface acoustic waves. Designed to identify injuries before they become severe, the technology offers a radiation-free approach that could improve care for military personnel, athletes, and others at risk of overuse injuries.
PExT Credit: NASA/Dave Ryan
PExT (Polylingual Experimental Terminal), honored in the IT/Electrical category, is a first-of-its-kind wideband communications terminal that enables satellites to communicate across diverse commercial and government networks and frequency bands. Developed with support from NASA’s Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) program, the technology improves interoperability for missions spanning low Earth orbit to cislunar space.
SATURN Credit: Johns Hopkins APL/Ed Whitman
SATURN (Spectrally Augmented Thermal Understanding Reducing Nonconformance), honored in the Process/Prototyping category, is a patented multispectral sensing system that provides real-time monitoring of metal additive manufacturing processes. By detecting defects as parts are produced and enabling digital calibration across manufacturing systems, the technology helps improve consistency, quality, and confidence in additively manufactured components.
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