We are so screwed. [Plastic Pals via Crunchgear]

Granted, this video illustrates Samurai Isao Machii's impressive skill and hand-eye coordination, but until he can slice actual flying bullets instead of BBs, he will be nearly useless in battle (although he is still great for ratings). [Tokyomango via Neatorama]

Samurai guards used to sit in a kneeling position, with one knee up and one knee on the ground. The instability of the position, which required an active rebalancing, along with the slight tinge of pain on the lowered knee cap on the ground, made it ideal for long uneventful shifts. The position kept people awake, which kept them sharp and engaged so they'd be ready when the sonofabitch ninjas finally showed their facemasks. It's like a single replacement for a chair, and coffee.

I find that physiologically it also makes a great alternative to the sitting position, where one's back and gluts and neck are constantly stretched while the hip flexors and abs are constantly compressed but unused. This way, I stretch one leg at a time. The kneeling also keeps my eyes level with the screen of a laptop, and the desk too relatively high to lean on (which causes me to slouch). I don't get too tired, as I can rest my chest against the desk when I need to.

Through the day, I sit on an exercise ball, too, but I never feel better than when I am in the sitting stance. Swordsmen were also able to draw swords from this stance, to address attackers in front and behind them. I just change knees every few emails. Just in case the ninjas show. [Iaido, image from]

*This stance works for me, but I am not an ergonomic expert. Obviously.

UPDATE: Yeah, this shit makes my knees feel like shit. Don't listen to me.

Basically, the future helmets only get busted out during big time Olympic competitions for, unsurprisingly, the aesthetics. They simply display the exact same signal that's been showing up on the scorer's desk for decades using the same type of electrical system, says Giz fan Michael from fencing supply kings fencing.net. A simple open-closed circuit detects a charge from the weapon, and sends a signal to the scorekeeper indicating a hit. The systems for the individual swords (foil, epee, saber, etc) vary slightly in terms of which body parts count, and what constitutes a "hit," but all use the same basic setup. The LEDs on the mask help the referee make quicker scoring calls and allow the duelers to know when a hit has been made instantly. Sort of a shame that they're aren't actually T1000-style heads-up displays or something, but hey, they get an important job done better than in the past.
The system used to require tethers snaking back behind the fencers, but now a cigarette-pack sized transmitter handles the whole thing wirelessly.
So back to the original statement. I want one. What would you do with your fencing future helmet? I'm seeing some crazy hacking potential in those LEDs.

Check out Big Picture for tons more shots. [Big Picture - Thanks, Michael!]

He confirmed that no inappropriate shots were fired, so no one was hurt. But that doesn't mean there weren't any casualties—it might've basically killed the program says Fahey: "Once you've done something that's really bad, it can take 10 or 20 years to try it again." On the upside, it means we have another 10 to 20 years before they rise and go to war with us. [Pop Mechanics, Danger Room]

This is a pretty huge step forward for robotics in warfare. Never before have armed robots been deployed in a war. There are only three of them deployed at the moment, and none of them have fired any rounds yet, but Michael Zecca, the SWORDS program manager, says "that'll be happening soon." Yikes.

In addition to the machine guns, the SWORDS can be loaded up with the optional X-ray kit to check out suspicious packages or to make sure the guy it just apprehended didn't swallow a bomb. That's all well and good, but just keep them over there rather than back home; I've seen the Itchy and Scratchy Land episode of The Simpsons. I know how this party is gonna end. [Danger Room]

After jumping out of bed and stabbing the intruder in the chest, the two of them ran out of the house, into the street, with Damien chasing after him with the sword. Everything ended peacefully when a K-9 officer found the burglar hiding in a palm tree. – Jason Chen

Teen Scares Off Burglar With Samurai Sword [Local10]

The real fun when they strap a fricking broadsword to the thing and create the ultimate Final Fantasy opponent. It's a wonder nobody lost their genitals with this thing. – Jason Chen

WiiBot [USMechatronics via Hackaday via Slashgear]