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Intellian delivers first DirecTV Ka-band capable marine satellite TV systems
Hitting the high seas (or the slightly lower lakes and rivers, whatever works) shouldn't keep you from all those new HDTV channels DirecTV's been adding, requiring Intellian Technologies' new k4 and k6, the first marine satellite systems that will tune into Ka-band broadcasts. With their 17.7- and 23.6-inch antennas packed into all-in-one domes they should be able to track and switch among Ka- and older Ku-band satellites as necessary, even on a fast moving boat. We're sure you've already switched to MPEG-4 compatible hardware at home, the dinghy is next.
Ex-Marine goes missing supposedly after Call of Duty triggered flashbacks
Eric Hall, a 24-year-old Floridian and retired Marine, has now been missing for a week. His friends say that shortly after playing Call of Duty (4, we assume), Hall "just got up and said that he had to go." He was last seen departing his home on a motorcycle, which was later found on the side of a road. The local sheriff's office claims that the man was suffering from hallucinations and flashbacks to his time spent serving in Iraq, where he was injured during a patrol by an exploding bomb, which did tremendous damage to the left side of his body, and reportedly decapitated Hall's best friend in front of his eyes.It's not exactly confirmed that Call of Duty was behind Hall's disappearance -- after all, we found the story on Fox News, who has a less than objective view of video gaming as a whole. Regardless, we wish Hall's family the best of luck in locating him, though, as Hall's father pointed out, it's tough to find a Marine that doesn't want to be found.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]
Today's saltiest video: Forever Blue
The Wii undersea exploration non-game, Forever Blue, sure looks pretty in this trailer. (We have to imagine how the graphics will look outside of a web browser, but we'd swear this game takes at least three Gamecubes taped together.)While Japan-only at this point, maybe the SCUBA simulation will surface in other regions, with the Wii's success. See the video after the break.Update: Thanks to readers for pointing out that Forever Blue will launch in the U.S. as Endless Ocean on October 29.%Gallery-4554%
Pentagon wants to make a supercomputer out of a Game Boy
The new program is called STAP-BOY (space-time adaptive processing) and the goal is to turn "any Soldier, any Marine [into] an advanced sensor platform." To do this, the military is looking to take "commercial Graphics Processor Unit (GPU) hardware and software of the type currently used for fast geometry computations in hand-held electronic games like Nintendo's GAME BOY," gifting soldiers in the field with a "technique that enhances the ability of radars to detect targets that might otherwise be obscured." Right now, this can only be done by the most advanced of supercomputers.As of now, Darpa figures it'll be ready to hand the project over to the Army by the end of 2008. Personally, we wouldn't want to be the guy in charge of using the gizmo, since we're sure we'd just play Tetris on the thing.[Via Danger Room]
Robotic submersibles take on fish-like sensing abilities
Controlling your fish remotely is one thing, but utilizing fish sense to dictate the actions of an uncrewed submersible is an entirely different animal. Malcolm MacIver and colleagues at Northwestern University have created an "artificial electric-field sensing system that could ultimately give robotic subs the same additional sensory capabilities" as found in weakly electric fish. These particular sea-dwellers have an uncanny ability to sense electric fields, and can also generate their own to "help navigate, identify objects, and even communicate with other fish." The newfangled "electro-location" system could allow underwater bots big and small to more accurately maneuver and collect data, particularly in situations where precise movements and recognition of surroundings is important. Even the creators admit that it'll be quite some time before man made sensors can come close to mimicking those found in nature, but judging by the videos seen in the read link, they're certainly riding the right wave.[Via NewScientistTech]
Joint Forces Command trialing hybrid GPS technology
Taking geo-location services to a level beyond what vanilla GPS can provide has been looked at a time or two before, and apparently, the Joint Forces Command is hoping to implement a similar system on the battlefield. In a partnership with L-3 Communications, the JFC hopes to "develop a hybrid tracking system using various navigation sensors and radio waves that could be used when GPS isn't available, such as inside buildings or underground in tunnels or caves." The objectives are twofold, as it hopes to assist "field commanders keep track of individual troops as they carry out missions," and moreover, to give soldiers the ability to accurately and consistently track their own in order to keep "friendly fire deaths" from occurring. If all goes as planned, several prototypes will be loosed on the Marine Corps by May of next year, and if this here technology adds a dash of omnipresence to the men and women in uniform, it could be deployed en masse shortly thereafter. [Via DefenseTech]
Bionic armed woman regains sense of touch
Although Matsushita and Activelink have rolled out a rehabilitating robotic suit aimed at giving handicapped individuals their ability to maneuver their own body parts once again, it appears that Claudia Mitchell has regained her sense of movement using a slightly different apparatus. Touted as wearing the "world's first" bionic arm controlled by thought alone, she now has the ability to carry out simple, albeit quite critical tasks again such as cutting up food. Doctors have re-routed the nerve endings in her arm to "a patch of skin on her chest," essentially enabling her prosthetic arm to respond to her thoughts concerning movement. Furthermore, a recent study of her wrist, hand, and elbow functions revealed that she could perform tasks "four times quicker than with a conventional prosthesis," and the team hopes to install "touch sensors" on the artificial hand in order to allow for tactile feedback in the future. Claudia seems to be understandably thrilled with the results thus far, as it even allows her to accomplish tasks such as putting on makeup and feeding herself -- but we're slightly disappointed that she apparently hasn't given a round of Wii Sports a go to build up those oh-so-crucial hand-eye coordination skills, but we're sure that challenge is just around the bend.[Via Digg]
Xbox 360 used as rehab device for Marine
After being on the receiving end of a "head shot" in Iraq, Lance Cpl. John McClellan uses his Xbox 360 as a rehabilitation device to regain movement in his left hand. The Columbia Daily Tribune reports that the 20-year-old Marine originally was playing Cabela's African Safari because Gears of War was "moving too fast," but now he's coordinated enough to try games that push him.McClellan suffered damage to the part of the brain that controls movement in his left hand and leg. It looks like he's getting the hand part down. May we recommend some Dance Dance Revolution for the legs? It keeps you fit and trains coordination in the legs. For four hours a day M-F he does "standard" rehab at a hospital and comes home to do another four hours of non-traditional gaming rehab. The hospital originally gave him a squeeze ball for his home time. Although the Xbox 360 was used in this circumstance, obviously other systems would be just, if not more, effective. Rehab + fun = Not thinking you're doing rehab.
