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Solid state laser sustains 67-kilowatts, approaching battlefield status
We know what you're thinking: when you've got eight-Megajoule railguns, aircraft-mounted tactical lasers, and xenon-based paralysis inducers, what good is a feeble solid state laser blaster? Presumably hoping to see a Star Wars-esque warzone in the not too distant future, a team of researchers at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California have crafted a Solid State Heat Capacity Laser (SSHCL) that can sustain 67-kilowatts of average power in testing, besting their previous record of just 45-kilowatts. Chemically powered lasers, on the other hand, have been able to achieve megawatts of power for some time now, but the solid state variety is much less burdensome and could be used on the battlefield without a constant source of chemical fuel flanking the soldier's belt. The SSHCL is said to generate a "pulsed beam which fires 200 times a second at a wavelength of one micron," and the "magic 100-kilowatt mark" that would enable it to become a satisfactory weapon could purportedly be reached within the year. While we're down with giving our troops crates of real-world rayguns to beam down the baddies, we've got a sneaking suspicion that someone's going to put an eye out while oohing and aahing at the light show these things emit. [Via Slashdot]
US Army to arm UAVs with xenon-based paralysis inducer
While places like Australia and Raleigh might be flooding certain areas (or in the Aussie's case, the whole continent) with more energy-efficient light, the US Army is looking to counteract those uber-green intentions by busting out a 7.5-million candlepower strobe floodlight system to be used as a "non-lethal crowd-control device." The government has awards Pennsylvania-based Peak Systems a contract to fabricate a modified Maxa Beam searchlight that will be xenon-based, sport strobing capabilities, and will act as an "immobilization system /deterrent device" on large crowds. Furthermore, this behemoth of a flashlight will be flanking an unmanned aerial system, presumably to cruise over a rioting crowd (or platoon of foes) and theoretically flash bomb them until they suffer from "short-term paralysis." While the idea sounds like a logical way to slow down millions of oncoming soldiers whilst at war, what happens with those baddies come over the hill rocking welding masks or ultra-tinted Thump shades? [Via Wired]
US Army using Xbox 360 controller in Future Combat Systems tests
The US Army recently conducted its first live-fire exercise using Future Combat Systems technologies and equipment, including what appears to be anti-sniper bot RedOwl. The assortment of robotics and unmanned vehicles are controlled, in part, by modified Xbox 360 controllers, which look to be wired into Cross-Com devices straight outta GRAW. What?! The military didn't budget for wireless controllers? That's, like, sooo last-gen...But seriously, how far could FCS technology evolve? Will future American soldiers be judged by how fast they can work their thumbs? Will boot camp become a LAN lab? Will combat become as distant as an Xbox Live deathmatch? [Thanks, Sgt Malcolm W. Thomas Jr.]%Gallery-1473%
Caption Contest: Operation Red Ring of Death
The US Army just wrapped up its first live-fire exercise for Future Combat Systems technologies and equipment in Texas last week, with 36 soldiers testing out robotics, UAVs and remote sensors -- though it looks like Bogden here wasn't quite putting in his fair share of the work.Ryan: "Is it just me, or is the Xbox Live connection hella laggy out here?" Or, "Dude, have you guys played this America's Army game?!"Evan: "Um, I'd love to keep playing UNO fellas, but I'm a little busy right now." Or, "Hey guys, anyone know how many Achievement points I get for taking out a landmine?"Paul: "Just a sec guys, they're doing the romance dance!"Thomas: "What's the command for safety off?"Chris: "Just give me a sec, Sarge... I'm playing out this scenario in GRAW to see if we live or die." Or, "Gold subscription expired... I can't connect to the drone. Can I use your Visa, sir?"Donald: "Hang on guys, we need a firmware update before we can go any further."Darren: "I admit, I feel a little bad for keeping the head-mounted displays biz lucrative."
Portable generator converts waste into energy
Although developing alternate fuel sources is most certainly a worthwhile effort, a group of Purdue scientists are looking to demolish two birds with a single, um, bag of refuse, as its portable generator not only creates useful electricity, but it disposes of worthless garbage while it's at it. The aptly-named "tactical biorefinery" processes several kinds of wastes at once, which it then converts into fuel via two parallel processes before burning the results in a diesel engine to power a generator. The device, which comes in just a hair smaller than a "small moving man," can crunch through multiple kinds of garbage at once, creating energy completely without discrimination towards certain kinds of gunk, and is already being eyed by the US Army for future battlefield usage. Interestingly, initial prototypes are showing that it can produce "approximately 90 percent more energy than it consumes," and considering that it pulverizes everything inserted into it, soldiers won't have to worry about leaving behind remnants of their stay. Ideally, the backers would love to see the unit available in commercial settings as well as in the military, but we think this thing will be a real winner when it can compress gobs of garbage into vicious (smelling) pellets and launch grotesque projectiles while keeping our planet green.[Via CNET]
Researchers catch a whiff of "aroma fingerprints"
While we've already seen just how savvy dogs are at scouting out cellphones, researchers around the globe have teamed up to find out how pups distinguish the aromas that each individual emits, and the result is a highly influential electronic nose. Now if the boys in blue can't track you down via fingerprint, EEG signatures, or just looking at those guilt-filled eyes, it looks like your "aroma fingerprint" just might find you out anyway. The team has uncovered that each human has at least 44 chemical compounds in their odors that can be distinguished, and aside from assisting in identification, can be used in forensic studies to determine true causes behind crimes, deaths, or other misdemeanors. It's even stated that this new technique can assist officials in learning about one's "gender, lifestyle, whether or not they smoke, recent meals, and stress levels." Of course, criminals could be shaking in their boots, but until the scientists find a way to sniff through "deodorant and perfume," we can't exactly count on this being reliable.[Via Spluch]
Singapore's DSTA launches urban warfare robot contest
While it's not unusual for a nation to desire a full fledged robot army to handle its dirty work, Singapore's Defense Science and Technology Agency (DSTA) is actually offering up a reward to anyone who can "build a robot that can operate autonomously in urban warfare conditions." Obviously, the task is easier said than done, but the country is aiming to acquire an intelligent, street-fighting machine that can move in and out of buildings, open and close doors, and most importantly, "search and destroy targets like a human soldier." Notably, anyone (including institutions) in the world is open to participate in the TechX Challenge, but foreigners must collaborate with local partners in their construction. The contest is being created in order to shift away from remote-controlled robots that tie up human resources, but the goals of the project may indeed be a bit lofty for today's technology. Robert Richardson from the University of Manchester, UK has proclaimed that the "competition could present a major challenge to even the most sophisticated robot," and added that doors and elevators would likely give the autonomous drones the most problems. Crafty individuals interested in the admittedly tempting S$1 million ($652,000) reward must (hastily) submit their entry by May of this year, where a few rounds of elimination will eventually end when a winner is chosen in August of 2008.[Thanks, John S.]
Project Grizzly inventor crafts real-world Halo suit for military use
While it's not likely that you'll encounter the Arbiter on any given day, the slightly off-kilter Project Grizzly inventor has gone out of his way (and possibly his mind) to create what resembles a real-life Halo suit, sporting protection from gunfire and ensuring you an award at Covenant gatherings. Troy Hurtubise created the suit, dubbed Trojan, in hopes of protecting Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan and US soldiers in Iraq, and considering that it has withstood knives, bullets, light explosives, clubs, and even a round from an elephant gun, it sounds like quite the winner. Proclaimed to be the "first ballistic, full exoskeleton body suit of armor," Trojan is crafted from high-impact plastic lined with ceramic bullet protection over ballistic foam, and features nearly endless compartments, morphine / salt containers, knife and gun holsters, emergency lights, a built-in recording device, pepper spray, ingestible transponder for those "last resort" scenarios, and there's even a fresh air system powered by solar panels within the helmet. Mr. Hurtubise claims the 18 kilograms (40 pounds) suit is comfortable enough to make road trips in (yes, he tried it), and if any major military would take him up on it, they could reportedly be produced for "around $2,000 apiece." Now that's a bargain, folks.[Thanks, Alec]
British Army recruits gamers to pilot dusty Apaches
According to the UK's Sunday Mirror, the British Army is actively seeking out veteran gamers for military service. Senior officers have descended upon schools, hoping to recruit an elite l33t team of Apache pilots. Headhunters are targeting teens as young as 17 with the promise of university scholarships (after service). A senior Army Air Corps source explained that the "new generation of computer-game playing youngsters glued to their PlayStations, Xboxes, and Game Boys" has already developed "some" of the skills necessary to fly an Apache. Interesting theory.GameSpot notes that the British Army is desperate to train a squadron of pilots capable of handling a fleet of 67 Apaches that were ordered back in 2002 (for more than $4.5 billion). The training program has been delayed for nearly three years, and most of the Apaches remain in storage.
Tactile display could convey signals on soldiers' backs
Although glitzy, stat-filled jerseys are certainly sufficient ways to get information off your chest (ahem), a new vibrating vest could give "body language" an entirely new meaning. Joining the air-conditioned and insulating renditions, this snazzy vest features a "tactile display" on the back, which is created by 16 small vibrating motors that are connected to an internal wireless control unit. The jacket "writes symbols and messages on its wearer's back," and while the actual writing resembles Braille more than text, it can supposedly be used to "send important commands to soldiers or firefighters, warning them of imminent danger when ordinary radios cannot be used." Commands are beamed to the vests via a wirelessly-enabled computer, and can stealthily inform platoons to stop, look in a specific direction, run, or slow down. The US Army is partially funding the research, as it hopes to investigate different ways to communicate when hand signals and / or radio transmissions aren't effective. During initial testing, results have shown nearly flawless interpretation by participants, and while we're not exactly sure when we can expect rumble-equipped gear to grace our armed forces, the problem of "excess noise from the motors" has to be quelled before hitting the battlefield.[Via BoingBoing]
Army tank sim in need of Smell-O-Vision?
Even at roughly $1.6 million a pop, one of the world's most expensive video game platforms is still missing a key component of immersion: smell. The US Army's M1 Abrams tank simulators offer valuable training exercises for troops stationed at Fort Carson in Colorado -- and they're fuel efficient. What these sims lack however is that 'authentic' tank stench. No plans for a patch have been announced.How long before Nintendo attempts Smell-O-Vision in one of its consoles?
Chemists craft molecular keypad lock
While the folks behind the AACS could probably use a few pointers about constructing a sufficient lock of their own, a group of scientists at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovat, Israel have crafted a molecule-sized "keypad lock" that "only activates when exposed to the correct password, a sequence of chemicals and light." Organic chemist Abraham Shanzer and his colleagues suggest that their invention could "lead to a new level of safeguards for secret information," but we tend think the infamous hackers of the world would inevitably crack the code. Nevertheless, the molecule -- dubbed FLIP -- houses a core linker that mimics a bacterial compound that binds to iron, and attached to it are two molecules that respectively can glow either blue or green. Using three "buttons," which just so happen to be an acidic molecule, an alkaline compound, and ultraviolet light, the lock can be "opened" if given the right sequence of chemicals and light, and there's a grand total of two noticeable results possible. Interestingly, the researchers have insinuated that their creation could be used to recognize "when certain sequences of chemicals (like harmful toxins) are released in the body," but we haven't heard a 10-4 from the US Army just yet.[Via Yahoo, thanks, Antonio H.]
New "imaging machines" distinguish between grass and camouflage
While we've got robots that can sniff out faux wine, and cyclops cameras that distinguish between humans and blow-up dolls (saywha?), Dr. Andy Harvey's latest invention could actually prove useful in battle and on the operating table. Although he hasn't tied the latest rounds of DIY artillery to this technology, the camcorder-styled machine can reportedly "distinguish the world's best camouflage from real foliage," not to mention its ability to "spot buried landmines" and "hidden enemies." Developed in Edinburgh, the imaging machine could be toted by soldiers to tip them off to unusual patterns in the grass (like carefully painted iRobots) before they come too close, as it can supposedly "identify 30 times more colors than the human eye." Interestingly, it is possible that the technology could eventually be used to "detect forms of cancer that are currently hard to pick up." While £800,000 ($1.56 million) have already been invested by the Department for Trade and Industry and QinetiQ, we don't imagine this project slowing down anytime soon, and it looks to be just one more reason we ought to simply let robots do all the fighting, anyway.
Army proposes cutbacks, Land Warrior not spared
Just a few weeks after the Army announced that the first battalion equipped with its high tech Land Warrior gear would be shipping out, it now looks to suddenly be putting the brakes on the program, proposing a $3.3 billion cut to its massive Future Combat Systems initiative. That cost cutting measure would not only take out the entire Land Warrior program, but a number of other futuristic weapons systems as well, and see other projects cut back or shifted to other areas. Of course, as Defense Tech points out, this is just a proposed cut, and given the recent changes at the Defense Department and in Congress, it's entirely possible that the Army will get the funding they want in the end. If not, us humans will have a few less tools at our disposal in our attempts to ward off the inevitable robot uprising.[Via docinthemachine]
Radio-controlled airgun picks off unsuspecting rodents, children
While it's no big deal when militaries establish sentry gun perimeters to protect their own backyard, crafting a slightly less dangerous version for your own property deserves its share of credit. While USB rocket launchers (even ones with lasers) are fairly potent at livening up your mundane office environment, their short range (and harmless nature) won't do you much good if you've got rodents (or mischievous kids) rummaging around your grasslands. Enter the RC Airgun, a remote controlled shooter that can be dictated from afar to take out any unsuspecting trespassers whenever you deem worthy. While details of its construction are scant, we certainly applaud the engineering efforts here, so be sure to click on for a few more pics, or hit the read link for some sweet video action.[Via Slashgear]
Air Force looking to develop foot-long subterranean defusers
While it probably won't matter much once we're pitting one robot army against another, it appears that the US Air Force is looking into new "subterranean vehicles" that could be used to navigate to underground bombs, traps, or nuclear pods and defuse the situation from beneath. Although we figured the USAF would focus the majority of its attention somewhere above the Earth's surface, the newfangled moles would be deployed a safe distance from the target and "autonomously navigate itself to the target" while cleverly avoiding buried obstacles on its route. While larger digging machines can certainly accomplish the same task, the catch here is that the life-saving worm must not exceed "12 inches" in length and be able to run off of minimal battery power. Similar to other "teams" of robotic creatures feeding off one another to accomplish complex goals, the Air Force envisions swarms of these diggers penetrating and neutralizing potential hotbeds for underground explosives, all without sacrificing human lives. Now if we only had one of these bad boys to sneak up into Best Buy's PS3 holding closet last night, we'd have a winner.[Via Defense Tech]
Sarcos to produce US Army's exoskeletons in 2008
While Cyberdyne is off ramping up production for its own superhuman suit, it looks like Sarcos has been tasked with eventually producing an army's worth of exoskeletons here in the US. While armies across the globe have been scouting out robotic enhancements for front line GIs, the head honcho for DARPA's exoskelton program says that units enabling soldiers to "run faster, leap further and carry more will be delivered for Army testing in 2008." Sarcos bested 13 other firms seeking the presumably lucrative contract, primarily because its "system uses just one engine instead of many," and amps up the lucky (or not) individual strapped in by "driving hydraulic fluid via high pressure lines to servo valves on each joint." Of course, OSHA regulations won't allow these combustion engine-equipped suits to operate "inside of buildings," but bionic men / women shouldn't have any qualms busting out a bit of drywall to exploit that loophole anyway.
Boeing's laser-equipped 747-400F ready for testing
It looks like scenes from Independence Day and Star Wars may not be so futuristic after all, especially considering Boeing's recent unveiling of its heavily modified (and laser-equipped) 747-400F. Following the recent "first light" phase on its ATL-packin' C-130H, the "airborne laser (ABL) aircraft" was officially introduced at a ceremony in the firm's integrated defense systems facility in Wichita, and it was announced that all systems were go for "testing." Even the branch's director, General Henry Obering III, threw in a Skywalker reference as he insinuated that the forthcoming plane represented "the forces of good," and unleashing it was akin to "giving the American people their first light saber." Just be careful where you bust that bad boy out, Mr. Obering. [Via FARK]
Battlefield-ready iRobots roll into Washington
Considering India, South Korea, and Germany are apparently already stocking up on robotic replacements to man their respective armies, we Americans better get on the ball. We've known the Pentagon has been on a quest to find autonomous replacements to tried and true human soldiers, and it looks like help is on the way from our favorite floor-cleaning supplier, iRobot. Holding true to prior expectations, the company's products were out in full force at the Association of the United States Army show, as a myriad of self-directed 'bots induced frightening thoughts of mutiny and widespread anarchy. The "armed and dangerous" bevy of creations boasted automatic shotguns, bomb launchers, precision sniper rifles, infrared cameras, and even a 30-caliber chaingun. The machines were touted as "lifesavers," insinuating that their presence on the battlefield would allow soldiers to hang back out of harm's way -- but we aren't exactly certain how these deadly automatons actually distinguish between friendlies and foes. Nevertheless, we're working under the assumption that unlike more "chore-friendly versions," these iRobots won't be seeing any shelf time outside of maximum security armories -- but it's for our own good, anyway.[Via MobileMag]
Face recognition system identifies terrorists so soldiers don't have to
It's not often that we come across new technology that physically makes us sick to write about, but when we do encounter such morally questionable tech, nine times out of ten it's something to do with facilitating the killing of other human beings. A small company specializing in visual image processing called ACAGI Inc., in partnership with researchers at the University of Maryland, has developed a portable face recognition system called the Image Acquisition and Exploitation Camera System which is intended to help soldiers recall faces in crowded areas. The system, which can run over video cameras in the gun barrel or on the soldier's helmet, will notify users when someone who was present previously turns up at the soldiers current location, which should help them identify trouble makers. In ACAGI CEO Peter Spatharis' own words: "If our system sees somebody it knows, it tells you, and it tells others so quick decisions can be made" -- and let's just say that those "quick decisions" he refers to aren't spur of the moment invitations to tea parties back at the barracks. Possibly the scariest "feature" of the face recognition system is that it can be hooked up to an existing hit list database of naughty people's mugs which can then be referenced against real world data from a camera. Just what we need: software telling us which people live and which ones die. Um, hasn't anyone ever heard of Skynet?[Via The Raw Feed]
