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Posts Tagged “

Army

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Army Gadgets

US Army Selects Top Inventions That Can Take, Or Save, Your Life

IEDs, or Improvised Explosive Devices, are a sad fact of war in Iraq and Afghanistan, so you'll see the influence of these deadly weapons in this list of the US Army's top inventions for 2007. Every year the Army selects the top refinements, outright new inventions, or streamlined weaponry, and pumps out a list. This year's list features several new types of Humvee armor, GPS-guided artillery rounds, and a wheeled contraption for vehicles called SPARK (above), which sniffs out IEDs before they have a chance to do any damage. More »

6:00 PM on Sun Jul 6 2008
By Jack Loftus
7,729 views, 46 comments

Latest by Kevin: I like the up-armor on the M-1114 HMMV but it STILL leaves serious gaps and when that golden BB makes it through that gap people, all that extra armor is just a bumper for it to bounce off of and more »

binoculars

Brainwave Binoculars Will Pick Out The Things You Looked At, But Didn't See

Pentagon gadget lab DARPA has just earmarked $6.7 million to develop "brain-wave binoculars." Electrodes placed on the user's scalp record electrical brain activity in an attempt to use the cranium's unrivaled ability to spot patterns. With time, the binoculars can learn to identify objects that would normally pique the user's interest and direct them towards it. The binoculars are supposed to help soldiers out in the field by pointing out tanks or enemy combatants that they may have seen, but not noticed. More »

7:30 PM on Sun Jun 22 2008
By Elaine Chow
3,540 views, 25 comments

Latest by ANoel: "can learn to identify objects that would normally pique the user's interest and direct them towards it."I used to have a set of these when I was a kid.You'd press the lever on the side and up would pop interesting more »

army

Army Reimagines Recruitment Center as an Apple Store-Inspired, Interactive Battle Simulator

With recruitment levels sagging, the U.S. Army is going the hyper-interactive route with an experimental new store that's right out of the Apple playbook. That is, if Apple Genius Bar employees greeted customers with Apache attack helicopter simulators, full-scale Army vehicle mock-ups, and wrap-around 270-degree video screens, instead of those paperless receipt scanner things. More »

6:30 PM on Sun Jun 15 2008
By Jack Loftus
7,281 views, 34 comments

robots

New MAARS Kill-Bot Delivered to Military, May Finally Get to Shoot Something

You may recall that earlier robots developed by Foster-Miller had some minor safety issues in Iraq last year that reportedly shook up confidence in the entire kill-bot program. That story turned out to be a bit of an exaggeration, but it was clear that a newer, safer design would have to be implemented to get things back on track. To that end, Foster-Miller has delivered the 350-pound MAARS (Modular Advanced Armed Robotic System), which they emphasize as being "human operated." More »

4:10 PM on Wed Jun 4 2008
By Sean Fallon
6,950 views, 30 comments

Latest by Channing: Next stop, Metal Gear! more »

bombs

New Army Cluster Bomb Rains Down Thousands of Deadly Darts

Cluster bombs are increasingly frowned upon—there's an international agreement banning them, though the US hasn't signed on—in part because even low dud rates leave lots of little unexploded bombs scattered over a wide area. An alternative developed by the army is a GPS-guided version of the Multiple Launch Rocket system with a payload of thousands of small darts, or as the army calls them, "kinetic energy rods." The warhead spins as it's launched, so it breaks open at high altitude, evenly raining down thousands of unique metal snowflakes of death, using straight up gravity and aerodynamics for its killing force, no explosions required. Um, I guess that's better than having a real cluster bomb dropped on you? [Danger Room]

11:15 AM on Fri May 30 2008
By matt buchanan
8,642 views, 106 comments

Latest by Alucard: They differ from fragmentation weapons (frequently referred as shrapnels). In those, fragments are produced at high velocity from the detonation of a single charge. The fragments do not carry their own explosive charge. Such fragments become ineffective after being thrown more »

military intelligence

US Military Wasted Millions on Fake Hardware, Sparking Cyber-Terrorism Fears

The U.S. Military has spent millions of dollars on counterfeit computer components over the years, according to an FBI report. This not only screws over businesses, but it also makes it easier for cyber-terrorists to hack into our systems by putting trojans and viruses in fake circuitry. An anti-counterfeit initiative by the FBI, led to 15 criminal cases and over $3.5 million worth of seized products. More »

3:00 PM on Sat May 10 2008
By Elaine Chow
8,230 views, 21 comments

robots

Army Plans Swarms of Military Bug-Robots, Bringing Sci-Fi to Life

The rather beautiful looks of the robot in this image hide the fact that in reality it would be part of a swarm of military bots designed to creep into caves, bunkers and other hostile areas to grab intel on the baddies hiding within. Yes: it sounds like Minority Report, Dr Who and Robot Wars all rolled into one. And yes: it might just end up as a real machine, since BAE Systems has just been awarded $38 million by the Army Research Lab to head up the Micro Autonomous Systems and Technology project to develop the technology. The promotional video gives us a few more clues, despite its game-like looks, and if you don't like spiders then the image of one of the other potential drone bots will surely give you the heebyjeebies. More »

9:05 AM on Fri May 2 2008
By Kit Eaton
10,512 views, 44 comments

Latest by Uncle Remus: The enemy would just create robot sparrows to eat our robot dragonflies. Then we would create robot cats to eat their robot sparrows. Then they would create robot dogs to eat our robot cats. Then we would create robot lions more »

gloves

RallyPoint Combat Glove for Computing Under Fire

Wearable computers may be a reality in today's army, but use is restricted to safe environs like a bunker or an armored vehicle—out in the open, soldiers' priority is keeping hold of their guns. The RallyPoint Handwear Computer Input Device is unique in that it is designed specifically to be used even while the soldier is gripping a gun or a steering wheel. It's full of sensors—maybe too many: More »

10:10 AM on Tue Apr 29 2008
By Wilson Rothman
4,283 views, 23 comments

Latest by BMErdin: @Gann: I love the RallyPoint Handwear Computer Input Device. It's so bad. more »

robots

Combat Robots Not Being Withdrawn From Iraq Says Company, Human Masters Safe

Remember those gun-toting robots that were being pulled out of Iraq because they were moving when they weren't commanded? Well, according to their manufacturer it's all "an urban legend" — the SWORD robot is not going to spin around and point its gun at friendlies... it's fine'n'dandy and still deployed in the field. Phew. Looks like our soldiers are safe from a robot uprising for now. But where did the original story come from? UPDATED More »

12:49 PM on Tue Apr 15 2008
By Kit Eaton
4,806 views, 40 comments

robots

Combat Robot Attempts Rebellion Against Human Masters in Iraq, Army Pulls Plug for 10-20 Years

The army's machine-gun wielding, insurgent-slaying robot SWORDS is no longer spraying foes with hot doom in Iraq. Actually, it never got the chance to notch a single frag, and never will. Apparently, there was an incident where "the gun started moving when it was not intended to move," meaning it totally pointed somewhere it wasn't supposed to—like at friendlies, which resulted in recall from the field and might've set the program back 10-20 years, according to the Army's Program Executive Officer for Ground Forces, Kevin Fahey. More »

8:30 PM on Thu Apr 10 2008
By matt buchanan
137,065 views, 102 comments

Latest by mattnyc99: Popular Mechanics official response: [www.popularmechanics.com] more »

lithium lifesaver

Soldier Uses Body to Shield Comrades from Grenade Blast, Survives Thanks to Backpack

When a British soldier on patrol in Afghanistan set a rigged grenade off by mistake, his first thought was for the safety of his comrades. So, in order to protect them, Lance-Corporal David Croucher dived on the grenade and turned on his side, with only a backpack—containing a first-aid kit, 66-millimeter rocket and radio equipment—and his body armor to protect him. Seconds later, the booby-trap exploded. More »

7:00 PM on Sun Mar 30 2008
By AddyDugdale
31,908 views, 69 comments

war robots

Wiimote, iPhone are New Tools of War

David Bruemmer and Douglas Few, engineers at the US Department of Energy's Idaho National Lab in Idaho Falls, have put together an unlikely use for the Wiimote—they've hacked the remote so it can control a bomb-disposing, landmine-detecting, machine gun-carrying robot. More »

8:30 PM on Sat Mar 29 2008
By Haroon Malik
5,855 views, 16 comments

robots

MacroSwiss 6x6 Spyrobot Is Nearly Indestructable, Can Be Armed

When we last saw MacroSwiss's Spybot it only had four wheels and minimal sensors. Their new Spyrobot model adds thermal sensing, synthetic aperture radar, and two extra wheels, which help give it the ant-like ability to carry four times its own weight. MacroSwiss also added the ability to navigate back to home base autonomously, similar to some UAVs. Apart from that limited intelligence, the weapon ready robot is still fully controlled by a remote operator—for now. [MacroSwiss via gizmag]

7:19 PM on Sun Mar 23 2008
By Eric Sheline
5,768 views, 16 comments

Latest by Hello_Newman: This is nice tech, but all you have to do is fit the thing with a camera, transmitter, and a Remington 1100 shotgun to do the job. Just aim it for the nutsack and you're ready to go into any more »

military

DARPA Wants Contact Lenses to Turn Real-Life Combat Into Call of Duty 4

The problem with cool strap-on heads-up displays a few lucky soldiers get to use on the battlefield today is that they're bulky affairs that make them look like half-assed cyborgs. Plus, the interface is limited. The Pentagon wants to develop contact lenses that'll put "first-person-shooter-type video game" graphics on top the soldiers' vision. Yes, they want to make real-life combat the realest Halo match ever. More »

5:45 PM on Thu Mar 20 2008
By matt buchanan
8,538 views, 42 comments

military

Army's Miniature Spy-Bat Concept Makes Lucius Fox Drool

Army dudes sat down with scientists at University of Michigan and other schools and asked for a simple frickin' bionic bat with frickin' stereo cameras, miniaturized radar, ultra-sensitive self-guidance, "energy scavenging" recharging capability and a radio to send data back to troops in urban combat zones. Was that too much to ask? Here's how it's working out for them: More »

10:10 AM on Tue Mar 18 2008
By Wilson Rothman
38,906 views, 49 comments

Latest by guyin916: looks like something from star trek. more »

dell

Dell Latitude XFR D630 Will Stop a Tank Shell (Almost)

Dell's first fully ruggedized laptop is the Arnold of notebooks: A massive block of a machine that can withstand a SWAT team assault while blowing up Cyberdyne Systems. The D630 meets Department of Defense MIL-STD 810F standards for operation in extreme temps, moisture and altitude with a solid magnesium chassis, sealed keyboard, SSD and shock protection for its delicates. Dell also says it stomps out Panasonic's ruggedized Toughbooks like girlie men with 23 percent better performance. More »

1:20 PM on Tue Mar 4 2008
By matt buchanan
11,438 views, 53 comments

crusher

DARPA Robot Crusher Truck Earns Its Name

There isn't anyone inside this six-and-half-ton beast, getting off on smashing through crappy 80s cars. No, the Army's latest baby, built by Carnegie Mellon's Robotics Engineering Center, is a robot. The Crusher navigates (and destroys) autonomously and will climb four-foot "steps" as easy as it tears up a hill. Apparently other vehicles in their Future Combat System family will take after this big bad monster truck, officially bringing the Army into the business of wrecking ass. With robots. [Danger Room, Vid via IEEE]

9:00 PM on Thu Feb 21 2008
By matt buchanan
12,846 views, 32 comments

Latest by SomeoneUKno: I, for one, welcome our car-wrecking robot overlords. more »

targeting

J-Tas Surveillance System Has GPS, Thermal Imaging, Hunts Predators

From next year UK armed forces will be using a new "Surveillance System and Range Finder" which will allow soldiers to quickly spot and locate enemy positions up to 3 miles away, and call in the artillery using precisely-derived GPS coordinates. The new all-weather, day-and-night hand-held J-Tas devices are an improvement on older in-service versions which needed a tripod and lack thermal imaging. If you want to see what a view of enemy tanks through the sights might look like, check it out after the jump.

More »

9:48 AM on Thu Feb 21 2008
By Kit Eaton
5,256 views, 19 comments

Latest by n/a: Oh I've played that game before! The third level gets really hard because the tanks start coming so fast. I might have to get my dos emulator up and running to give it another go after all these years. more »

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