If we had our way, all our military tax dollars would go to DARPA. Whether it be nano planes, robot arms, or high-resolution sniper scopes, it always has something interesting cooking, and today's defense-minded gadget is no different. It's called a DBAC device, for Deep Bleeder Acoustic Coagulation; basically a portable ultrasound wrap that can identify wounds ("bleeders") and reduce their severity. It uses Doppler waves to find an internal leak, then turns up the frequency and amplitude on that location to stem it, all in a completely automated fashion able to be managed by any Joe in a hot zone. Okay, so perhaps it's not as cool as a remote-controlled zombie shark, but this cuff has the potential to save many lives and limbs on the battlefield -- assuming it works. DARPA hopes to have a functional prototype ready in 18 months. [Warning: PDF read link]

[Via CNET News]

Only the ignorant and the uninformed would assume that DARPA has never, ever dabbled in any kind of surveillance that wasn't questionable on some level, but a recent contract awarded to Kitware gives us a better idea of just how deep the rabbit hole has gotten. The $6.7 million deal seeks to create a system whereby DARPA can "monitor live video feeds and search large volumes of archived video data for activities of interest," with the point being to match up similar events from past and present in order to prevent an attack, foreshadow a certain event or discover some sort of terrorist trademark. As of now, we're simply informed of the video spying in areas of Iraq and Afghanistan, but given that the capabilities are already here, it could be enacted wherever the government could place a camera-toting manned or unmanned aerial vehicle. Look up and give the friendly skies a wave, won't you? Just don't do anything "suspicious."

[Via Slashdot, image courtesy of PointNiner]

Aruba Networks already installed the "world's largest" WLAN network at The Ohio State University, but its latest deployment just seems strangely more, how do we say... patriotic. Tag-teaming with Babylon Telecommunications, the pair has rolled out a WiFi network that will provide internet access to over 20,000 US soldiers at Joint Base Balad in Iraq. Believe it or not, there was no existing authorized web access at the base before these two stepped in, but thanks to a contract awarded by the Army & Air Force Exchange Services (AAFES), troops at the largest US military base in the region can now e-mail loved ones with ease, test their ping times from the sandbox and join a few online poker tournaments during down time.

[Via InformationWeek, image courtesy of DefenseLink]

This won't mark the first time the US government has looked into other means for helping soldiers communicate on the battlefield, but it's one of the first instances where vocal cords aren't even necessary. The US Army has recently awarded a $4 million contract to a coalition of scientists, all of which will soon start developing a "thought helmet" to enable voiceless, secure communication between comrades. In theory, at least, the helmet will boast a litany of sensors that will hopefully "lead to direct mental control of military systems by thought alone." According to Dr. Elmar Schmoozer, the Army neuroscience overseeing the program, the system will be like "radio without a microphone." Oh, and don't think for a second that they aren't considering civilian applications as well -- passing along jokes on the boss via telekinesis? Yes, please.

[Via Slashdot]

The University of Michigan's COM-BAT most definitely isn't the first mechanical animal to get its inspirations from the bat, but it's probably the best equipped to play a vital role in modern day warfare. A select group of Wolverines have been blessed with a $10 million grant from the US Army in order to concoct a "six-inch robotic spy plane modeled after a bat [that] would gather data from sights, sounds and smells in urban combat zones and transmit information back to a soldier in real time." Purportedly, the critter will eventually boast a bevy of sensors, miniature microphones and detectors for picking up nuclear radiation and poisonous gases. Even more interesting, creators are hoping to implement "energy scavenging," which would enable the bat to stay charged from wind / solar energy along with vibrations and "other sources." So much for being nocturnal, eh?

[Via UberGizmo]

Get ready, battlefields, as yet another iRobot is gearing up to take you all by storm. Announced today, the aforementioned outfit has received an award under DARPA's LANdroids program which will enable it to "develop a new portable communications relay robot that is small, inexpensive, intelligent and robust." The resulting creature will reportedly be used in "dense urban environments to rapidly deploy and maintain a vital communications infrastructure," and better still, they'll be tough enough to be thrown into position and intelligent enough to "autonomously detect and avoid obstacles while navigating." Unfortunately, it seems the conclusion of said project is still a few years out, but we can already envision soldiers getting antsy to never be forced to utter "can you hear me now?" again.

[Via InformationWeek]

Not that we're experts on the matter or anything, but if barrister and engineer Chris Elliot knows a thing or two about legal issues, a kind of "military Turing test" could be the key to legally deploying autonomous systems in battle. As it stands, "weapons intrinsically incapable of distinguishing between civilian and military targets are illegal" -- at least according to Mr. Elliot -- but by testing an intelligent war machine's ability to hone in on legitimate targets and brush off friendlies, all that could change. Of course, actually administering the test still remains a mystery, but considering that remotely controlled armed bots are currently being used in Iraq, we reckon someone's already figuring out a solution to said dilemma.

So the military is continuing down the totally inevitable path of computer-controlled autonomous robo-warriors capable of fighting deadly human battles on our behalf -- and out come the naysayers like U of Sheffield prof Noel Sharkey, who, at The Ethics of Autonomous Military Systems conference in London, decried the bots' self-determined killing abilities as "a threat to humanity" -- especially if they're captured and re-purposed by terrorists to do their evil bidding. Sharkey exclaimed that he's "worked in artificial intelligence for decades, and the idea of a robot making decisions about human termination terrifies [him]," but -- and we're just gonna throw this out there -- what if being oppressed by a race of automatons run amok were actually an improvement over our corrupt governments of men? Isn't that a possibility, too? We're certainly going to keep telling ourselves it is, thankful we've somehow managed to not be overthrown by our own creations. Thus far.

P.S. -We dare you, commenters, NOT to bust out the welcoming our robot overlords cliché.

While we certainly hope the average (read: not GI) jane / joe isn't overly concerned about the rate at which homegrown explosions detonate as desired, we understand the Army's need to have more faith in their own munitions. Reportedly, a new "smart fuse" conjured up at Georgia Tech could soon prevent bombs from experiencing fuse failure by using "semiconductor fabrication equipment to make hundreds of ultra-high precision detonators on a wafer at the same time." In addition to cutting down on the use of toxic heavy metals and increasing the safety of weapon production, the intelligent MEMS fuse will supposedly "incorporate built-in arm and fail-safe mechanisms that virtually guarantee that munitions go off when they should, every time." Weapons that fire when needed -- now there's a concept.

[Image courtesy of Rich's Incredible Pyro]

iRobot has unleashed yet another semi-autonomous robot ready to take on whatever the battlefield throws at it, but this one's got a much better feel of where it's headed. The PackBot with Mapping Kit ups the ante by "creating a real-time two-dimensional structural map for the soldier while on the move in theater," essentially enabling the operator (and his / her squad) to see what's just ahead without having to slip into potentially dangerous scenarios to find out. Apparently, the kit utilizes an array of sensors and artificial intelligence to relay the structural map while "simultaneously detecting and avoiding obstacles in its path." Heck, let's just strap a railgun on this thing and let the soldier kick back at the base.

[Thanks, Jonas]
Read - Press release
Read - PackBot with Mapping Kit homepage

It's not as if we haven't seen weapon-wielding robots before, but Robotex is aiming to create a new breed of mechanical soldier that's quick to build and cost effective. The Silicon Valley startup has garnered quite a bit of funding from angel investors, and apparently, it has already created a two-foot tall, motorized robot that can travel ten miles per hour, spin around "on a dime," be controlled remotely and most importantly, "blow a ten-inch hole through a steel door with deadly accuracy from 400 meters." Reportedly, such a critter can be crafted for under $50,000, which is said to be "six times" cheaper than similar alternatives already being tested in Iraq. Of course, there's no telling how soon (or not) these things will actually be called into duty, but we can bet there's already a list forming to be the one behind the remote when it is.

[Via InventorSpot]

Merely days after Sony's Howard Stringer was scrutinized for calling the format war a "stalemate," the exec has apparently decided to tweak his tone a bit. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Stringer was quoted as saying that Blu-ray had "the momentum and the scale" it needed to eventually reign victorious over its rival. Additionally, he noted that Blu-ray was "just a better format," and he even went so far as to tout BD's excellent security features, which were effectively subverted just weeks ago after being hailed as practically impenetrable. Furthermore, he didn't seem worried over the new, lower prices associated with standalone HD DVD players, but who knows, maybe he'll be singing a different tune next week.

[Via Electronista]

No, the headgear in the photo above wasn't some unused prototype created for The Terminator; rather, it's a snazzy new helmet designed to give fighter pilots a better look at their surroundings. Within the tinted faceplate are two projectors which sync up with plane-mounted cameras and display images from the outside for the pilot to view. Essentially, this enables the operator to view high-resolution images (yes, even at night) of areas previously imperceptible without a warplane constructed entirely of plexiglass, and onboard sensors make sure that the imagery reflects exactly where the pilot is looking at any given moment. Furthermore, computerized systems can even feed in "essential flight and combat data on to the display," as well as target symbols of friendlies / enemies. The new visual system is apparently just one amenity on the oh-so-sophisticated Joint Strike Fighter, which the British are planning to pay £66 million ($139 million) apiece for after it hits the production line.

[Via Switched]

Not since the infamous PS3 crime wave of late 2006 have we seen anything like this. According to a notice posted on the heavily trafficked AVS Forum, the HD DVD and Blu-ray sections are being closed to new posts "for a short time," and the reasoning behind such a severe action may shock you. Apparently, a number of hot-headed posters have not only been dissin' supporters of (insert rival format here), but some have lashed out at other members with "physical threats that have involved police and possible legal action." While it's not exactly clear what pushed these extremists to the edge, there's no denying that the recent price drops on standalone HD DVD players have given the HD community as a whole a lot more to yap about, and we guess some folks just didn't know where to draw the line. The format war just took on a whole new meaning, and it's not one to be proud of.

[Via CNET, image courtesy of Olive-Drab]

While not the first bunch to try and mesh invisibility with military equipment, the British Army is reportedly staying busy by "testing technology it claims makes tanks and troops invisible." Apparently, the (previously) uber-secret trials were conducted by the Royal Engineers and scientists from QinetiQ, and if eyewitness reports are to be believed, they were able to "make a vehicle seem to completely disappear." The illusion (read: we're no closer to actual invisibility cloaks) was reportedly created by utilizing "cameras and projectors to beam images captured from the surrounding landscape onto a specially-adapted tank coated with silicon to maximize their reflective qualities," and if things go as planned, these elusive machines could make their way onto the battlefield "within five years." 'Course, it's not like anyone will have visual proof of that, but we suppose that's just the nature of the beast.

[Via DailyMail]