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DC Universe Online shows off the new Shield weapon
Shields generally aren't thought of as a weapon; they're usually seen as the exact opposite of a weapon. But in the superheroic milieu, all that changes. A shield is something to be used offensively, and in DC Universe Online's next major update, players will begin wielding the shield for their own superheroic (or villainous) capers. A recent interview with creative director Jens Andersen discusses the intended role of the shield in combat. Andersen explains that while the new weapon comes along in a very PvP-centered update, it's not meant to be used specifically for PvP; the team just wants to have something new for players to enjoy no matter what. In play, shields are similar to a staff weapon, but unlike most other weapons, the shield can continue to build a combo after a heavy strike by moving back to light strikes. That should make the shield a very aggressive option -- perhaps odd for something that's not generally thought of as a weapon.
US Army gets picky, solicits smart feed ammo system for machine guns and auto cannons (video)
War! Huh! What is it good for? Stuff like smart bullet-feeding systems, apparently. See, the US Army isn't quite satisfied with the mixed ammo feed it currently uses with weapons like the helicopter-mounted M230 chain gun. Instead, it wants its machine gunners to be able to freely switch and pick their ammo of choice -- whether it be incendiary rounds or precision-guided smart bullets -- to better match conditions on the field. So the Army is using another weapon in its arsenal -- good, old tax dollars -- to solicit proposals for a smart bullet-feeding system. Initial project goals include near real-time inventorying of ammo, a fire rate of 300 rounds per minute and a selection accuracy rate of 95 percent. Yeah, it's no freaking railgun or tactical laser system. But at least the feeding system can also be used for more peaceful pursuits, like dispensing medical vials or emergency supplies (not via machine gun, of course). In the meantime, folks who want to see a demo of the system's not-so-peaceful applications can check out the video after the break.
Aion opens the BlackCloud Marketplace, adds eternal weapon
As part of Aion's conversion to the Truly Free model, NCsoft finally opened the doors of the new cash shop. Dubbed the BlackCloud Marketplace, Daevas can immediately begin purchasing in-game items with NCoin either singularly or in bundles. What exactly is stocking the shelves? We finally have the answer for you! Besides the expected pets, consumables, emotion cards, and appearance items, the marketplace also offers XP amulets and special boost packs including immunity from XP loss upon death, boosted AP, and boosted Empyrean Crucible points. From now until 6:30 a.m EDT April 11th, Daevas will receive a bonus pre-order gift for purchasing a large C.U.B.E. -- a level-50 eternal-grade Tahabata weapon. After this time, only the appearance skins will be sold. The weapon type will be class-appropriate for the character the player chooses when first purchasing the C.U.B.E. Other than the restrictions that characters must be level 30 or above, players can buy as many large C.U.B.E.s as they wish during this time to obtain multiple weapons. Once purchased, the weapons will be delivered after server maintenance on the 11th and will be soul-bound. To get your special deal or even just window shop, check out the BlackCloud Marketplace today.
Navy test-fires weaponized railgun with explosive results (video)
You're about to watch a test firing of BAE's experimental railgun demonstrating why the technology isn't science fiction anymore. Load an aluminum projectile into the 12-meter barrel and one million amps will hypersonically propel it toward the target. The conflagration you'll witness is due to the metal slug burning off in the charged air. In April, General Atomics will supply its own prototype so the military can identify which one is closer to making its way aboard the battleships of the 2020's. Anyway, now you can go watch the video fully aware of what's going on, try not to sit there with your mouth open.
DIY wrist-mounted crossbow gets you one step closer to being a super hero (or villain)
When it comes to all things DIY we tend to be drawn in by odd, internet-connected esoterica and Arduino-powered beer distributors. But, we won't lie, nothing gets us going like a home-crafted instrument of destruction. And, in that vein, may we present you with the wrist-mounted crossbow from homebrew weapon artisan Patrick Priebe. Usually Priebe sticks with lasers but, for this project, he went old school -- as in medieval. The bolt firing wristband isn't without its modern accouterments, though -- a pair of AA batteries and toggle switch are hidden in the palm which power a laser sight for better targeting. We won't waste any more of your time, everything you want to see is contained in the video after the break.
US Navy's electromagnetic railgun hits testing milestone: 1,000 shots fired
If there's one thing you want your multi-million dollar electromagnetic railgun to be, it's reliable, and the US Navy announced today that it's reached a key milestone towards that goal. It's now successfully fired its prototype gun 1,000 times, which translates to as many as 15 shots per week. In recent years, those tests have generally been conducted at a 1.5 megajoule launch energy, which the Navy puts into perspective by noting that "a one-ton vehicle moving at 100 mph has approximately one megajoule of kinetic energy." Eventually, the Navy hopes to install even more advanced and far more powerful railgun weapons systems on ships, although the project's future remains a bit up in the air given some recent funding battles in the US Senate.
Mass Effect 3 N7 replica gets real world debut for your Spacer pleasure
If you're the type to stock your walls with Lord of the Rings-style elvish daggers (or, you know, build full-scale Portal gun replicas), then you'll love this official Mass Effect 3 mockup commissioned by the folks at Bioware. Arduously crafted by self-proclaimed graphic design dork Harrison Krix, the N7 assault rifle replica made its facsimile debut at this year's San Diego Comic-Con. With only a fortnight to work with, the DIY, prop-making hobbyist took the made-for-cosplay gun from a glued wood, styrene and PVC-detailed master concept to paint weathered, final collector's edition mold. It's an impressive feat you can view in heavily photographed detail at the source, but there's still one thing we're waiting on Krix to bring to life -- that space-skipping SSV Normandy.
Senate denies Navy's missile-destroying laser funding, puts the kibosh on annoying Dr. Evil impressions
Leave it to the Senate to crush the military's fragile dreams. All the Navy ever really wanted was a giant ship-based laser that could be used to shoot down missiles. Despite some record breaking stats, however, the latest defense authorization bill handed down from the Senate Armed Services Committee throws a giant congressional wet blanket on the free-electron laser. The project, it seems, has simply proven too expensive -- among other things, the laser's researchers haven't found the ideal method for powering the weapon from a ship. According to the current timeline, the project was not likely to have been completed before 2020, and as such the Navy's request for further funding was, somewhat ironically, ultimately shot down.
Portal turret replica has real laser, insatiable bloodlust
You might not remember Ryan Palser by name, but you'll surely recall the good gent's homemade Fallout 3 plasma rifle. He has since stepped his game up to bigger and badder video game weapon replicas, and has just completed the construction of the first of his forthcoming army of Portal laser turrets. Thankfully, Ryan has been sporting enough to build the older version of these human eviscerators (not the upgraded Portal 2 turrets, phew!), giving us at least a small chance of survival -- provided we have the right gear, of course. See the laser-equipped, GLaDOS-approved, 38-inch tall turret next to its maker after the break, or hit up the source link for some gorgeous photos of its construction.
Marines field test solar panels by day, watch Gomer Pyle by night
United States Marines are among the best-equipped soldiers on the planet, but more gadgets mean extra batteries to haul, adding dozens of pounds on extended missions. Troops in Afghanistan recently put that hot Middle Eastern sun to use, swapping spare batteries for placemat-size solar panels on a three-week patrol. Batts were replaced with extra bullets, so the soldiers didn't get off easy, but they were also able to reduce generator usage, making a significant dent in fuel consumption. It will be several years before all soldiers charge their radios, night vision goggles, and GPS devices using the sun, but the Marine Corps hopes to cut fuel use in half by 2025, so it's only a matter of time before solar-powered gadgets have a more permanent home on the battlefield. Sha-zam!
Blocklets' Arduino-powered trebuchet could be your cat's worst nightmare (video)
We don't do a whole lot of reporting on ancient weaponry here, because, well, it's a little dated -- but throw in an Arduino and a servo, and you've got our attention. Take, for example, this miniaturized trebuchet. Constructed from a series of click-in-place pieces known as Blocklets, the little launcher is basically a standalone slingshot. With the addition of the aforementioned components, however, it becomes a motorized annoyance for anyone and anything that stands in its way. The folks behind the tiny trebuchet tested its capabilities against a sculpture similarly built from Blocklets, but we prefer the challenge of a moving target. Unfortunately, we'll have to wait to get all medieval with this thing, as Blockets haven't quite made it out of the funding stage yet.
Apache's new infrared targeting system spots foes when they fire, doesn't wait for the smoke
It just keeps getting harder for America's enemies to hide from the technological marvel that is the modern US military. A new ground fire acquisition system (GFAS), coming to Apache Attack helicopters next spring, uses infrared sensors to detect muzzle flashes from small arms fire and pinpoint enemy positions to within five meters. Before the sound would have a chance to reach current acoustics-based sensors the source of the shot pops up on the targeting computer, is sent back to commanders in the Operations Center, relayed to ground troops, and fed to other aircraft -- by the time they're able to pull the trigger again combatants may already be on the wrong side of a Hellfire missile. The new system will make spotting opposing forces easier and keep pilots as safe as they can be -- at least until missions can be flown from the comfort of their couch.
New laser sighting system enlists electronic sensors to make sure snipers hit their marks
Anyone who's ever picked a flea off a dog's back with an automatic weapon knows there's a fine line between a crushed bug and a bloody mutt. Fortunately for flea-bitten K9s, a team of researchers are working on a laser-packing fiber-optic sensor system to guarantee that your rifle's crosshairs are always dead on. Known simply as the Reticle Compensating Rifle Barrel Reference Sensor, the setup enlists the exterior grooves, or flutes, on a typical rifle as a receptacle for glass optical fibers. These fibers direct beams of light along the top and side of the weapon to precisely measure just how far off the gun's sights are from the barrel's actual position. A set of algorithms and sensor inputs are then employed to adjust for distance and other factors that affect a bullet's trajectory, providing the shooter with crosshairs that adjust to environmental changes in real time. Unsurprisingly, the system is being targeted at military and law enforcement, which means it probably won't make it into the hands of anyone who uses firearms as an alternative to Advantage. Sorry, Rover. Full PR after the break.
US Navy's solid-state laser sets boat ablaze (video)
See that flaming wreckage in the picture above? A laser did that, mounted on board a second vessel similarly bobbing on top of the ocean last week. Yes, even though the United States Navy told us that legitimate seafaring death rays might take another decade to materialize, basic weaponized lasers are ready today, as the 15-kilowatt gun attached to the USS Paul Foster happily demonstrates. Of course, as you'll see in the video after the break, a beam of such minimal power takes a moment to burn through even an unshielded engine and ignite the fuel therein -- once we get some 100+ kilowatt lasers up in there, we shouldn't have such problems.
Future Navy lasers will 'burn incoming missiles,' blast through ominous vessels
The United States Navy has been working on next-gen weaponry ever since the last-gen was present-gen, and if the next next-gen ever actually arrives, well... we don't stand a chance at lasting very long. According to Wired, the Navy's Office of Naval Research is expecting laser technology (as it relates to weaponry) to mature in the next score, and if all goes well, a free-electron laser could be mounted on a ship during the 2020s. As of now, FELs produce a 14-kilowatt beam, but that figure needs to hit 100+ in order to seriously defend a ship; unfortunately for those who adore peace, it seems we're well on our way to having just that. When it's complete, these outrageous pieces of artillery will be capable of "burning incoming missiles out of the sky [and] zapping through an enemy vessel's hull." Something tells us that whole "You Sunk My Battleship" meme is just years from reappearing in grand fashion.
US Army to deploy Individual Gunshot Detector, essentially a radar for bullets
Latest in our series of "when video games turn real," here's the US Army's newest addition to the wargadget arsenal. The Individual Gunshot Detector, produced by QinetiQ, is an acoustic monitor attuned to tracking down the source of gunshots just by their sound. It has four sensors to pick up the noise of incoming fire, and its analysis of those sound waves produces a readout on a small display that lets the soldier know where the deadly projectiles originated from. The entire system weighs just under two pounds, and while it may not be much help in an actual firefight -- there's no way to distinguish between friendly and hostile fire -- we imagine it'll be a pretty handy tool to have if assaulted by well hidden enemies. 13,000 IGD units are being shipped out to Afghanistan later this month, with a view to deploying 1,500 each month going forward and an ultimate ambition of networking their data so that when one soldier's detector picks up a gunfire source, his nearby colleagues can be informed as well.
Mega Hurtz paintball robot is the remote-controlled, armor-plated tank you always wanted (video)
For whatever reason, the paths of paintball and robotics development have tended to converge. Latest in maintaining this fine tradition is the Mega Hurtz drone you see above, designed by a chap named Chris Rogers. It features a reconfigurable weapon platform -- so yes, you can spruce it up into a modern-day ED-209 -- equipped with a night-vision camera, a thermal imaging camera, and a laser scope. The paintball gun Chris has installed on the Mega Hurtz can rip through 20 rounds each second and tilt both vertically and horizontally for more refined aiming. It comes with a remote control feeding video of what the drone sees to the user, so all you'll really need to dominate your next wargame with the Mega Hurtz will be a generous helping of ruthlessness. Video after the break.
US Navy's free-electron laser breaks another record, takes aim at missiles next
The US Navy's free-electron laser has broken a few records already, but it's just plowed through another fairly big one -- one that its creators say could put it on the fast track to actually being used to shoot down missiles. That particular record involved running the system for eight hours at 500 kilovolts, which is a level they've been trying to achieve for the past six years and, according to the researchers, "definitely shortens" the time frame for getting to their ultimate goal of 100 kilowatts. What's more, while this particular test didn't actually involve blowing anything up, the Navy seems confident that the laser will eventually be able to do just that, as it's just recently awarded Boeing a $163 million contract to package the laser in a weapons system that would be deployed on ships and be able to detect, track, and destroy missiles (or presumably anything else ). According the Office of Naval Research, the Navy hopes to meet that goal by 2015. [Image: Wired / Danger Room]
Modder adds FPS-style ammo counter to automatic weapon
It may not be the first time than an actual weapon has been equipped with an FPS-style ammo counter (or Aliens pulse rifle-style, if you prefer), but this add-on device built by the DIY-minded Michael Ciuffo is certainly still plenty impressive enough to garner some attention on its own. It simply uses an accelerometer to detect the recoil from the gun, and it can apparently be adjusted for use on a variety of different weapons. What's more, Michael says that he's already gotten so many requests for one that he's planning on putting it into production. Head on past the break to check it out in action.
BAE's lasers blind high seas pirates, have no effect on Ice Pirates
BAE Systems has had its hands in some pretty crazy research in the past, from Bug Bots to invisibility cloak development and more. But as this next item has implications for our planned dystopian gadget community on the high seas (think Waterworld-meets-The Engadget Show), we took notice tout de suite. Being marketed as a non-lethal deterrent to pirates, the heart of the ship-based system is a Nd:YAG laser that can be used to warn off attackers over half a mile away -- and disorient them at closer ranges. "The effect is similar to when a fighter pilot attacks from the direction of the sun," said BAE's Roy Evans. "The glare from the laser is intense enough to make it impossible to aim weapons like AK47s or RPGs, but doesn't have a permanent effect." Wild, huh? Check out the PR after the break for the complete low-down.
