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USC Institute for Creative Technologies gets new building to amp up its military VR work
University of Southern California's Institute for Creative Technologies has just moved into 72,000-square feet of shiny new facilities in Playa Vista, California -- on the same grounds which once served as the headquarters for Howard Hughes' aircraft company. Funded by the US Army to develop virtual reality technology, the ICT's work is now found on 65 military sites across the country. Before your brain starts wandering towards thoughts of Call of Duty on military-grade steroids though, keep in mind that much of the institute's innovations revolve around simulating surrogate interactions with so-called "virtual humans". For example, thanks to advanced AI language programming, soldier patients projected on life size semi-transparent screens help teach doctors about treating combat trauma, while virtual Army personnel characters such as Sergeant Star can interact naturally with soldiers in leadership training exercises. Still, that shouldn't imply ITC doesn't dabble in good ole' fashion combat simulation work. In fact, it's currently running a training exercise on three military bases designed to prepare soldiers for an insurgent ambush within a highly-realistic virtual town reconstructed from satellite imagery. No, it may not sound as wild as robotic exoskeletons, flying Humvees or ultrasound-based mind control, but it does make your life on The Sims seem totally fake. To judge for yourself, check out the video overview on the next page.
Mega Hurtz gun-wielding robot has a menacing look, unfortunate name
Sure, we know how this works: cities need to justify their budgets for continued funding from state and national governments, so they buy expensive -- and often unnecessary -- high-tech toys for their police. And when your town's ready to make that transition from Barney Fife to SWAT, why not call Inspector Bots? The paramilitary nature of its Mega Hurtz Tactical Robot isn't softened by the delicious pun in its name, and if you don't believe us ask any nogoodnik who's had to face down its turret-mounted 20RPS Modified Mil-Sim Paintball Gun / Assault Rifle, capable of firing off twenty non-lethal (but extremely painful) pepperball rounds per second. The beast is billed as a "heavy duty 280 lb two-man-portable monster" that can record audio and video, be controlled by a remote operator, and has night vision capability. But that ain't all! Not only does it feature a welded steel chassis designed to demolish doors and concrete walls, it also looks really awesome in the video... even if it doesn't make the streets safer. See for yourself after the break.
Israel to activate SMS-CB missile alert system next year
This one's been talked about since the middle of last year (at least), but it looks as if the time for contemplating is over and done with. It's bruited that the Israel Defense Forces will be moving forward on a plan to light up a new cellular system that will blast out SMS-CB alerts to citizens if and when a missile is fired in the direction of Israel. Just over $7 million will be invested, with the application itself being jointly designed by eVigilo and Ericsson. If all goes well, it'll be operational in June of 2011, and it's just one aspect of the country's effort to consolidate all emergency alerts into one centralized system. We're told that the blasts would be sent in a variety of languages, and there's even potential to send 'em to TVs, radios, websites and "billboards." And unlike various other SMS emergency alert systems that have been implemented, these would actually differ based on how the threat was forecasted to affect different geographic regions. Something tells us eVigilo's going to become a multinational company in no time. Update: eVigilo pinged us with a few extra details surrounding the service. For starters, it'll be using SMS-CB (read: not standard SMS) in order to circumvent core networks that tend to collapse during emergencies. This will enable the messages to bypass any congestion and hit all users at around the same time. The alerts would be delivered geographically, not to a specific number of users, with tests proving that "millions" could be reached within 20 seconds over 3G. Besides broadcast over mobile networks, the company will also connect to the national TV network using DVB and offer also DAB reaching digital radio subscribers. Additional capabilities will be given through multicast over IP (Billboards, Variable Message Signs and social networks).
Lockheed Martin begins laboratory testing of HULC robotic exoskeleton
We already knew that it was ready for testing, and Lockheed Martin has now announced that it has finally begun laboratory tests of its HULC robotic exoskeleton. The testing follows a number of improvements made to the exoskeleton that increased its reliability and performance, including some new environmental sealing that provides additional protection from natural elements and battlefield hazards, and some refinements to the HULC's form and fit that promise to let its wearer adapt to it in less time. While complete details on the testing itself is obviously a bit light, Lockheed Martin says that it will "validate the ruggedized system's capabilities and reliability in a variety of simulated battlefield conditions" -- think Laser Tag with robot legs (at least we will). Head past the break for the full press release, and look for the next milestone to happen sometime next year, when it's expected to see some actual use in the field.
Northrop Grumman's CaMEL 'bot features one .50 caliber gun, loads of class
When the dream factory that is Northrop Grumman needed to up the "wow factor" at its Association of the U.S. Army's Washington conference booth, it did what plenty of CES exhibitors wished they could do: it weaponized. Hence, the deadliest CaMEL yet. The acronym stands for Carry-all Mechanized Equipment Landrover -- think of the BigDog robot, but with treads instead of legs. The motorized platform will hump up to 1,200 pounds of gear at seven miles per hour, and as Spencer Ackerman at Wired points out, over sixty of them have been sold to the Israeli military. But the above pictured CaMEL is the only one floating around with armaments: in this case, a .50-caliber M2 machine gun. The gun is fired remotely, via touchscreen controls, and the platform itself could support any number of weapons including the M249, the MK19 grenade launcher, or 30mm cannon. Which kind of proves a pet theory of ours: if you build it, eventually someone will mount a gun on it.
Elbit wins $68 million defense contract to supply OLED-equipped HUDs
We still haven't heard about any takers for the company's "hunter-killer' robot, but Elbit Systems has just scored a big contract for some of its other military gear. It's just announced that it's received a five-year $68 million contract from the U.S. Department of Defense, which will see it provide the Army, Navy, Marines Corps and Coast Guard with its AN/AVS-7 heads-up display system components. While complete details are obviously a bit light, the HUDs apparently incorporate an eMagin OLED microdisplay, and are said to "increase situational awareness and safety by allowing pilots to fly 'head out of the cockpit' during day and night operations." Head on past the break for the full press release.
Flying Humvee a step closer to reality, still seems like a really bad idea
It looks like AAI Corp has, indeed, landed the contract for feasibility studies of the Transformer flying Humvee project, which as far as we can tell takes a lightly armored (if armored at all) four man vehicle and puts it in the air, practically begging to be hit by a rocket-propelled grenade. And if that doesn't sound sketchy enough, keep in mind that among the design considerations are gas tanks in the craft's wings which, as Spencer Ackerman at Wired points out, would make really obvious targets. The testing should last about a year, and cost DARPA a cool $3 million. If all goes well, AAI could have a partial prototype in 2013.
Raytheon's Sarcos XOS 2 military exoskeleton just does the heavy lifting -- for now
Raytheon's XOS 2 has a right hook that can rip straight through a wall, but Dr. Fraser Smith assures us that death-dealing variants are still a good ways off. We caught up with the good doctor earlier today, who's been working on the military-grade exoskeleton for eight years, and quizzed him on the hows and whys of building a would-be Iron Man. Find out what we learned after the break, and see the mean machine in our gallery below!
Operation Cyber Storm III underway, makes digital certificates cool again
Fans of cyberwarfare (which we are, if only because we like to imagine that it looks like Battlezone) take note: following hot on the heels previous Cyber Storm I and II and Cyber ShockWave wargames, the Department of Homeland Security is sponsoring a little something called Cyber Storm III. Starting yesterday, the three-day exercise simulates more than 1,500 different types of attack, with a special emphasis on identities, trust relationships, and digital certificates. As Brett Lambo, director of Homeland Security's Cyber Exercise Program, told AFP, "we're kind of using the Internet to attack itself. At a certain point the operation of the Internet is reliant on trust -- knowing where you're going is where you're supposed to be." The exercise will test the National Cyber Incident Response Plan as well as the new National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center. But you can breathe easily: the operation is focusing on defense, not offense (for now).
Raytheon revamps Sarcos exoskeleton, creates better, faster and stronger XOS 2 (video)
When we first laid eyes on the Sarcos XOS military exoskeleton three years ago, its sheer power and dexterity left us in awe... but as you can see immediately above, that wasn't enough for Raytheon. Today, the defense contractor's unveiling the XOS 2, a lighter, stronger robotic suit that uses 50 percent less power for dropping and giving us several hundred pushups. Video and a press release after the break don't specify the suit's military duties (they're focused on instilling the notion that the XOS 2 is a real-life Iron Man) but we can definitely imagine these causing some serious damage if Hammer Industries decided to weaponize that high-pressure hydraulic frame. Update: We previously stated that the suit didn't need to be tethered to a power source for operation, but that information was incorrect. [Thanks, SmoothMarx]
DARPA seeks out remote controls for soldiers' minds
DARPA is always on the lookout for the newest, zaniest gadgets but this time, we think it's gone too far. According to the Department of Defense's recent blog post, the military is interested in developing remote control techniques using ultrasound... for soldiers. Arizona State University neuroscientist William Tyler has been working on the project for several years, and now, DARPA is getting involved as well. Tyler and his team have developed a transcranial pulsed ultrasound capable of stimulating brain circuits from outside of the brain, and it can target deeper parts of the brain than past devices. The prototypes are small enough to be placed inside of a helmet, and the plan is to improve its spatial resolution with DARPA's new infusion of funding. We know they're probably looking to do cool stuff like make soldiers think they're nice and cool when they're actually frying in the sun, but we can't help but get the creeps from this one.
U of M laser mimics helicopter heat signatures to thwart missiles
Researchers at the University of Michigan have developed a new laser-based countermeasure for aircraft, and unlike others we've seen (and we've seen a few) this technology aims to "blind" missiles rather than knock 'em out of the sky. The system uses a mid-infrared supercontinuum laser to mimic the heat signature of a helicopter, and it has no moving parts -- making it rugged enough to last a long time on rotor-based aircraft. The school has even spun off a company, Omni Sciences, to develop the thing, and has received some $1 million in grants from the Army and DARPA to build a second-generation prototype. Of course, questions remain: is it really a wargadget if you can't blow something up with it? And even if it is, where's the fun in that?
Stealth's rugged USB keyboard is extremely tough, extremely pricey
There are no hard and fast rules in the gadget game, but there is one bit of wisdom we generally stand by: everything benefits by being ruggedized. Sure, we know this speaks to a deep-seated need to smash things, drown things, run 'em over in a truck or shoot them -- and we're not making any excuses. Housed in vandal resistant stainless steel, the Stealth KYBX-400-DT-BL-TB-USB keyboard feature an optical trackball mouse, and NVIS-compliant red adjustable backlighting (just the thing for when you dig out the night vision goggles). If that weren't enough, the whole thing is environmentally sealed to NEMA 4, 4X, IP65 specifications (whatever that means). Yours now for $695! Get a closer look below. %Gallery-101177%
DARPA's Transformer TX 'flying Humvee' project gets off the ground
Sometimes it feels like the Military-Industrial Complex only exists to keep us entertained with tales of laser weapons and robots that eat enemy combatants -- not that we'd complain if it did! And for today's fantastical wargadget, we have nothing less than a flying Humvee. The Transformer TX project calls for four-man vehicle that drives like a jeep and then takes off to avoid roadside bombs (or impress the ladies). While DARPA has yet to say who will be awarded with the contract for the conceptual design stage of the project, Popular Mechanics has done some digging and it looks like Lockheed Martin and AAI Corp are both on the short list. While the former has declined to talk about its offering, AAI's incorporates something called "slowed-rotor / compound," where a rotor provides lift on takeoff, and when it achieves a certain speed wings take over. We'll be waiting for our review unit, but in the meantime you can get a closer look after the break.
MQ-8 Fire Scout UAV resists its human oppressors, joyrides over Washington DC
A Northrop Grumman MQ-8 Fire Scout UAV strayed into restricted airspace above Washington DC after departing Patuxent River Naval Air Station in Maryland on August 2, the result of a software logic flaw that caused the operator to momentarily lose contact with the drone. Programmed to circle when communications are severed, the chopper failed to follow its failure protocol, instead heading twenty-three miles on a north/northwest trajectory -- which could have had serious consequences had it been equipped with 70mm Hydra rocket pods or Hellfire tankbuster missiles. Although this type of incident is rare, it is not unheard of: last September the Air Force had to take down an MQ-9 Reaper in Afghanistan when it failed to adhere to failure protocols after dropping communications with the ground. At least, that's what we'd like to believe... the alternative scenario is too frightening to consider.
Thumb drive-based malware attack led to formation of US Cyber Command
Recently declassified documents have revealed that the worst breach of U.S. military computers evar went down in 2008, a major turning point in our nation's cyberstrategy that eventually led to the formation of the United States Cyber Command. Operation Buckshot Yankee, as the defense came to be known, began when a USB thumb drive infected by a foreign intelligence agency was found in the parking lot of a Department of Defense facility in the Middle East. Whomever found the thing placed it in their laptop (probably hoping to find Justin Bieber MP3s), which just so happened to be attached to United States Central Command. From that point, writes Deputy Defense Secretary William J. Lynn in Foreign Affairs, malware spread "undetected on both classified and unclassified systems, establishing what amounted to a digital beachhead, from which data could be transferred to servers under foreign control." Yikes! We still haven't found out which country orchestrated the attack, or what they might have learned from it, so until the Pentagon tells us otherwise we're going to do what we usually do in these situations and blame Canada (sorry, Don). [Warning: read link requires subscription]
Raytheon's 'pain ray' to be installed in LA County jail, Charlie Sheen contemplating move to Portland
Raytheon's been cranking on its 10,000 pound Silent Guardian for years now, and we always try to keep abreast of its... progress. The device, popularly known as a 'pain gun,' is a non-lethal weapon designed to deliver an overwhelming heat to say, members of a mob scene or rioters at a prison, causing an immediate flight response. The Air Force, which helped test the device, has assured the world of its safety, and recently the devices went on sale. So what's next for the Silent Guardian? Installation at the LA County jail in Castaic, where a large scale riot recently broke out, injuring more than 20 people and lasting well over an hour. Now, we're in no position to form an opinion about whether the pain ray is going to help situations like these or not, but we're pretty sure of one thing: it'll likely have little to no effect the next time Britney Spears is brought in.
Military's first Advanced Extremely High Frequency satellite makes its way into orbit
The first piece of the Advanced Extremely High Frequency communications system made its way into space recently with the launch of the AEHF 1 satellite. Also referred to as Milstar III, the planned successor to the current Milstar system will consist of three or more geostationary satellites, each of which has five times the capacity of current Milstar satellites. They will communicate with each other directly via crosslinks, and with the ground via narrow spot beams. The AEHF "is built to provide the highest levels of protection for our nation's most critical users. Encryption, low probability of intercept and detection, jammer resistance and the ability to penetrate the electro-magnetic interference caused by nuclear weapons are essential features when communication can be of the highest priority," said Col. Michael Sarchet, commander of the Protected Satellite Communications Group at the Space and Missile Systems Center. The craft will spend the next 100 days in testing, circularizing the orbit 22,300 miles over the equator with its conventional and exotic ion propulsion systems, at which point it should enter service from an orbital location to be determined.
General Dynamics' GD300 is the Pip-Boy that runs Android
Yes, we totally stole this headline from our Spanish colleagues, but they summed it up perfectly -- the General Dynamics Itronix GD300 is right out of Fallout 3, well ahead of HP's model. It's a full-on wrist- or chest-mounted GPS unit with an unspecified version of Android at the helm, designed to deliver both real-time global positioning (with a SiRFstarIII chip and stubby quad-helix antenna) and connect to tactical radios. The eight-ounce ruggedized plastic package is MIL-STD 810G tested for durability and holds a 600MHz ARM Cortex A8 processor, 256MB of memory, 8GB flash storage and a 3.5-inch, 800 x 480 "glove-friendly" and "sunlight readable" touchscreen display. That's only about as powerful as your average consumer smartphone, but you're not going to be painting targets on your Nexus One, we suppose. No word on whether it will pick up post-apocalyptic radio stations as your mission unfolds. We've got a close-up photo and press release after the break, and you can find the full brochure at our source link.
US Navy working to make drones laser-proof
No, you're not looking at a still from a purported UFO video. That's an unmanned drone that the US Navy recently shot down with a prototype laser weapon. While that test was a runaway success, it looks like the Navy is now already going the extra mile -- it's begun work on making its drones laser-proof to guard against such weapons eventually winding up in the wrong hands. That's still in the earliest stages, but the Navy has already recruited California-based Adsys Controls and Texas-based Nanohmics to work on the project, which will apparently allow drones to both spot laser weapons before they're fired and deploy countermeasures to avoid being tracked. Head on past the break to see what happens when a drone gets hit by one of the weapons.
