Weapon -- Engadget

Heckler and Koch MP5 sub-machine gun Wiimote controller: 'nuff said

by Darren Murph posted Oct 16th 2009 at 10:19AM

That, friends, is a darn good representation of what a Heckler and Koch MP5 sub-machine gun looks like. And contrary to popular belief, there's no real ammunition in there -- unless you consider the kind required to shoot digital clay pigeons "real munitions." Spotted at a nondescript trade show over in Hong Kong, this here Wii controller actually comes with Wiimote, nunchuck and MotionPlus functionality built right in (wild, right?), so there's no need to slip your own Wii controller in before greasing up your face, jumping in the fatigues and mashing that diminutive power button on your console. Who knows if this thing will actually ship Stateside, but man, can you imagine the line at your local GameStop if it does?

[Thanks, TheLostSwede]

Boeing's air-to-ground laser test a success, and we have the video to prove it

by Joseph L. Flatley posted Oct 4th 2009 at 6:37PM

Fans of future wars, heads up! What might at first blush look like a poorly placed roman candle is actually proof positive that Boeing's Advanced Tactical Laser (ATL) is ready to do some damage. Sure, when we heard last month that the company's tests at the White Sands Missile Range were a success, we responded the same way that we always do: "video or it didn't happen." But now that we've seen it in action, we have one more question: When will its big brother, the 747-mounted ABL, get its day in the limelight? We'll keep you posted.

[Via The Register]

Continue reading Boeing's air-to-ground laser test a success, and we have the video to prove it

Portable pain gun could replace Colt 45s, logic in robot-controlled future

by Darren Murph posted Oct 1st 2009 at 7:27PM

The Pentagon has been dreaming of portable pain guns for as long as we can remember, and if it has its druthers, said fantasy could soon become a reality. The Thermal Laser System (or the IR-Lesslethal device, if you prefer) has been brewing since at least 2005, but just recently the weapon prove to testers that it could create a beam strong enough to cause alarm and pain without actually damaging the skin or retina. Think of it as a portable crowd controller (or your worst nightmare, either one). Of course, there's still quite a bit of testing to get through before it's actually rolled out for military or police use, and there's the fact that leaving no marks leaves open the possibility for undocumentable abuse. Not like that would ever happen, though.

[Image courtesy of Deeper Thought]

Adafruit's DIY 'less lethal' weapon looks cool, doesn't really work

by Joseph L. Flatley posted Sep 29th 2009 at 4:03AM

As you're no doubt well aware, the government is always looking for new ways to make dissidents feel uncomfortable. In this space alone we've seen devices meant to cook folks with microwaves, zap 'em with electricity, and make 'em nauseous using light. Taking inspiration from the last one, the open source pranksters at Adafruit Industries have built a contraption of their own called the Bedazzler. It's powered by an Arduino and, unlike the original, Adafruit's version doesn't seem to work for the purpose incapacitating no-goodniks -- but that's probably a good thing. For some background on this extremely less than lethal device, peep the the video after the break. And then hit the read link to build one yourself.

Continue reading Adafruit's DIY 'less lethal' weapon looks cool, doesn't really work

Crapgadget: 'Hopefully USB 3.0 can avoid this path' edition

by Darren Murph posted Sep 21st 2009 at 6:08AM

With USB 3.0 on the horizon, we can only hope that the world's purveyors of crap have a little respect for the forthcoming standard. By and large, USB 2.0 is plenty fast to handle the awful data transmissions between USB hand grenades, alien flash drives, moody card readers, Japanese fans and your PC, and frankly, we're not sure if the world can handle oodles upon oodles of SuperSpeed rubbish. Have a peek at the latest roundup from the worst of the worst, but please, not while you're eating.

Read - Bear hand warmers
Read - Solar cap fan
Read - USB hand fan
Read - USB moody card reader
Read - Alien flash drive
Read - Mosquito repellent USB dongle
Read - USB hand grenade

Sonic Blaster is defeated by fashionable noise-canceling 'head shield'

by Vladislav Savov posted Aug 28th 2009 at 10:56AM

The Long Range Acoustic Device (or Sonic Blaster, for us simple people) is among the Navy's proudest feats of warfare engineering and a favored tool of law enforcement agencies. The non-lethal amp pumps out an ultra-powerful beam of sound that deters baddies from coming within 82 feet of its position. Unless, of course, those baddies decide to act fresh and bring one of these sound insulating, double-glazed head shields, which will let the wearer stand right in front of a Sonic Blaster without losing his hearing for all eternity. Created by the BBC's Bang Goes the Theory show, the head shield is a perfect complement to your favorite hoodie and casual pair of jeans for a stylish riot out on the town.

TASER X3 triple-shot stunner arrives, subdues population

by Nilay Patel posted Jul 27th 2009 at 6:26PM

Right on schedule, Taser's launching the TASER X3 "force option," which allows "peace officers" the ability to shoot up to three probes in quick succession in order to "incapacitate" their "targets." Not only that, but the X3 can display a "warning arc" when loaded, allowing officers to "gain voluntary compliance" and "avert use-of-force" by putting on a light show. When it comes time to take down that unruly Trustafarian, however, it'll get done with style -- the probes are aimed with laser sights, and the new Pulse Calibration System actively monitors the perp to deliver a Precision Shaped Pulse(TM) that provides "consistent effects." Yeah, we want one. Video after the break.

Continue reading TASER X3 triple-shot stunner arrives, subdues population

Triple-shot TASER X3 imminent, deranged employees celebrate with mock executions

by Paul Miller posted Jul 21st 2009 at 2:20PM

Sure, we love a good electric jolt to the face as much as the next guy, but perhaps the company is taking things a bit far with its new TASER X3 gun. The device has a multi-shot design that allows it to fire three probes in rapid succession, along with laser sights and other enhancements to do the deed with a modicum of accuracy and safety. The new weapon will be officially unveiled on July 27th, but in anticipation of that glorious day, TASER has kindly posted an employee demonstration video of shooting three entirely underpaid women in the back, to the applause of onlookers. Our word of advice? If somebody starts yelling "TASER TASER TASER," you and your two girlfriends might wanna duck. Horrific footage is after the break.

[Via gizmag]

Continue reading Triple-shot TASER X3 imminent, deranged employees celebrate with mock executions

Boeing to develop microwave-based airborne EMP weapon

by Nilay Patel posted May 18th 2009 at 11:37AM

Boeing's been busy with the high-tech death lately -- just a week after the company announced the Phantom Ray fighter UAV, it's back in the news with a high-powered airborne microwave weapon designed to knock out enemy electronics. The goal is to more or less destroy the enemy's tech with out having to set off one of those pesky nuclear explosions necessary for an EMP, and Boeing plans to test the tech out both in the air and on the ground several times over the next three years as part of the Air Force's Counter-electronics High power microwave Advanced Missile Project (CHAMP) project. We'll be ready with the popcorn.

[Via The Register]

Navy shells out for development of missile-killing free-electron laser

by Darren Murph posted Apr 24th 2009 at 6:09PM

You may think that the Navy's just the baby brother to the two other US Armed Forces, but its weapon development record definitely shows otherwise. Just over two years after building an 8-Megajoule railgun, the branch has penned two $7 million checks to defense contractors Boeing and Raytheon for the design and development of a free-electron laser (FEL). For what it's worth, such a device has been yearned for since a day after the dawn of time, as unlike chemical-based lasers, the FEL would be 100 percent electric and easier to move. For those unaware,this stormy petrel of a weapon would be used to blast down missiles in mid-flight, all while putting on a pretty impressive light show. 'Course, the Navy must also figure out how to build a massive energy generating ship in order to use it, but let's not get too far ahead of ourselves here, okay?

[Image courtesy of AIP]

Northrop Grumman creates 100 kilowatt laser, could usher in World War III

by Darren Murph posted Mar 23rd 2009 at 9:12AM

Northrop Grumman's been plugging along on this little project for years now, and at long last, the company has surpassed the milestone that it's been striving for. According to a new release that's just beaming with pride, the defense company has reportedly achieved 100 kilowatts from a solid-state laser. For those unfamiliar with the back story, 100 kilowatts is the level needed to create a laser gun that could actually do more than cause temporary blindness on the battlefield. Sadly, it seems that lethal laser pointers are still a good ways away, with Dan Wildt, vice president of Northrop's directed energy systems program, noting that "it is still a little heavy and a little big." It's all good, Northrop -- we're down with backpack weapons, too.

[Via CNET]

Scientists shoot down malaria-carrying mosquitoes with frickin' lasers

by Darren Murph posted Mar 15th 2009 at 10:22AM

Seriously, is there anything a laser can't do? A team of mad scientists in Washington have concocted a system that could essentially eliminate malaria-carrying mosquitoes with lasers, and the whole thing can be built from parts sourced on eBay. The so-called mosquito laser is credited to an idea from Lowell Wood, an astrophysicist who worked with Edward Teller, the "architect of the original plan to use lasers to shield America from the rain of Soviet nuclear arms." In theory, at least, the technology could one day be used to draw a laser barrier of sorts around a village. Of course, the trick is to make the lasers powerful enough to smoke the bugs without harming humans -- any of you Earthlings up for a clinical trial or two?

[Via eHow]

iPod touch M110 sniper rifle: another reason to fear the Cult of Apple

by Thomas Ricker posted Jan 20th 2009 at 3:50AM

We're trying... we're trying real hard to cling to our pacifist ways. But damn if the fusion of this US Army M110 Sniper Rifle and mounted iPod touch running the BulletFlight external ballistics calculator (available via the App Store) doesn't make us want to kill. Tap in the variables such as weather conditions, ammunition type, distance to target, and wind speed before exhaling and gently squeezing back on your second amendment right. God bless America.

[Via The Firearm Blog]

Read -- M110 sniper rifle with iPod touch mount
Read -- BulletFlight App [warning: iTunes link]

Nerf dart gun hacked into pulverizing chaingun

by Darren Murph posted Dec 22nd 2008 at 6:42PM

Disintegrator, meet your match. The wild 'n zany hackers over at ManaPotions have taken the Vulcan EBF-25 to heights that no one at Nerf could have ever imagined by transforming a relatively harmless foam dart gun into a bona fide chaingun. Post-hack, the weapon could fire "about as fast as a 7.62mm M60 Machine gun," which -- for those rusty on their ammunition specifications -- equates to 500 rounds-per-minute. The entire mod is laid out in dangerous detail down in the read link, though even the creators admit that you'll likely fry the motor and melt at least a few critical components after a fair amount of use. Check the vid just past the break for a scene sure to make your jaw drop.

Continue reading Nerf dart gun hacked into pulverizing chaingun

DIY "James Bond" laser gun won't make you anything like James Bond

by Laura June posted Dec 7th 2008 at 6:13PM

Well this is a nice little project for a lazy Sunday. The folks over at Instructables have given us the step-by-step how-to on making a James Bond style "laser weapon" -- though it's not actually a gun for killing people (thankfully), and it's not really very much like 007's weapon, either. Using a CO2 pistol, a laser guide, an Xbox 360 HD DVD drive, a housing for the laser and a circuit board, you too can build a blue laser gun that'll do things like light matches and pop balloons. Like we said, it's not going to help you achieve your goal of taking out all those who've wronged you, and it probably won't get you a date with Strawberry Fields, but you might impress your friend(s). Incredibly smooth video of the project after the break.

Continue reading DIY "James Bond" laser gun won't make you anything like James Bond