airstrike
Latest
Israel is the first to respond to a cyberattack with immediate force
It's no longer novel for militaries to respond to cyberattacks with physical force (the US used a drone strike in 2015), but now they're being treated with the same urgency as real-world bullets and missiles. Israel Defense Forces have launched an airstrike on a Gaza Strip building believed to house Hamas digital warfare operatives after the militant group reportedly failed in an attempted "cyber offensive." Details of the virtual attack weren't available, but the IDF said it was "ahead of them all the time."
Raytheon's updated JTACs situational awareness system eyes-on (video)
Though you may think drones do all the fighting these days, actual soldiers on the ground are still used to call in airstrikes. Sometimes it's still necessary to visually confirm targets before the flyboys create a smoking crater. Though the army has toyed with smartphones and other means to connect soldiers, Raytheon has created a new JTACs (Joint Tactical Air Controller system) prototype for ground forces to let them separate friendlies from enemies and relay the information to strike forces. The system consists of a chest-worn computer, heads-up monocle viewer and wrist-worn display, which together let the solider select a target merely by looking at it and pressing a button. They can also tag friendly forces the same way or send update situational data to the rest of the team, whether they're on the ground or flying a fighter overhead. That assistance from the ground will make it easier for those at the yoke to differentiate between friendlies and targets. We tried the prototype ourselves in a limited, 2D environment here at the 2013 Paris Air Show and, without any help getting set up, were able to tag targets as red diamonds and friendly forces as amber squares. Everything we did was also displayed on second screen, simulating the ability to send live updates to other soldiers or the base. Impressive as it was, the whole thing is merely a prototype for now, though, that could eventually change. The military AR system is part of a larger platform called AWARE, which Raytheon hopes to eventually deploy. For a detailed explanation about how it works, check out the video after the break.
Seven45 Studios may have a six-string guitar, but your bud'll be playing air drums (video)
You think you'll hit these colored pads? Think again, because while Seven45 Studios' Power Gig rhythm game has you shredding on the sweetest axe we've seen, it doesn't actually come with drums -- you'll be waving sticks in the air instead, while four colored sensors pick up your motions. That makes your drum kit nice and portable, sure, but removes all physical feedback -- and given the history of video game peripherals (look up Sega Activator, please) we kind of wonder what the company's designers were thinking. Or we did, at least, until we saw the video after the break. Seems they're just as confused as we are.
Video: LM3Labs' AirStrike interactive holograms, because they can
We're not sure why they did it, but LM3Labs have a developed an interactive, gesture-controlled hologram technology called AirStrike. Presumably, the technology can be applied to advertising or as an event novelty. We imagine this is about as close to a God Complex as any of us non-surgeons will ever get. See what we mean in the video after the break.[Via fresh creation]
