Hasta La Gadget!

The US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is looking into developing a rather interesting new unmanned systems project which might usher in an age where undersea motherships could be capable of launching smaller submarines as well as flying vehicles. The whole idea behind this Hydra Project, specially named after the legendary Greek creature that will grow two heads in its place each time you cut one off, is to help the military conduct pop-up surveillance on pirates, terrorists and hijackers.

The Hydra Project might be the ideal method to deliver low cost response to quickly changing situations, especially when it happens on or near the water’s surface. In this day and age, not many of us have an idea on how piracy has evolved, and the US requires a flexible, rapid, and stealthy response which will be able to place sensors in the right place at the shortest time possible. The Hydra Project intends to meet this challenge, where the sensors will be housed beneath a number of hidden shelters within unmanned submarines and aircraft. When required, these unmanned vehicles will be called into action to launch such sensors into place. Sounds like one of those probing droids that we saw in Star Wars, no? It sounds like a good idea theoretically, and here’s hoping it will jive and be realized in the real world. [Press Release]

DARPA Hydra Project Is An Unmanned Vehicle Network original content from Ubergizmo.

Any day is a good when the government’s most futuristic R&D lab starts cavorting around Twitter with Scientology superstars. And this is one of those days.

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Soldiers are extremely tough people, but even then, they are more susceptible to load-related injuries whenever they are on the field compared to us ordinary folk simply for the fact that these brave men and women tend to walk across for long distances with over 100 pounds of additional weight on their backs because of the gear that they need to carry – which further increases the potential for both injury and exhaustion is great. DARPA hopes to reverse that with the Warrior Web suit project, where it will carry the intention of lightening the load.

Exoskeleton research is not something new, but so far no one has yet stumbled upon a practical exoskeleton that can be used on the field, such as the one seen in Elysium. The Warrior Web suit intends to be different, however, where it features a light, flexible and soft suit that can be worn not on the outside, but rather, under a soldier’s standard uniform and gear. It will offer protection to the joints and lower back by augmenting the strength in those areas, and hopefully if implemented, it will be able to result in in fewer injuries, less fatigue, and additional physical endurance. Hopefully the cost would not be too detrimental in the long run though.

DARPA Warrior Web Suit Project original content from Ubergizmo.

Sure, we hear about DARPA’s robots all the time, but they’re not the only things keeping the agency busy. Take CBMEN, for example — a DARPA project that’s goal is to create a private ad-hoc data network for the military, and it’s recently completed initial field testing. CBMEN, or Content-Based Mobile Edge Networking, allows soldiers to share images and other info without a traditional mobile internet connection. Each device loaded with the CBMEN software will automatically blast data to other hardware within reach via WiFi, cellular and radio frequencies — no intermediate infrastructure required. Early trials of the tech using Android smartphones and Army Rifleman Radios were deemed successful. We don’t know if CBMEN will ever be available to civilians, but seeing as DARPA mentioned its potential use in disaster response operations, it’s not entirely impossible. Before anyone else can test drive the nebulous network, though, it first has to ace the second phase of field testing that aims to make it more efficient and secure.

Filed under: Cellphones, Networking, Internet

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Source: DARPA (1), (2)

Not content on landing several rovers on the surface of Mars, NASA’s JPL team’s been working on more earthly projects. RoboSimian is an ape-like robot designed for search-and-rescue missions that’s expected to compete in the DARPA Robotics Challenge. It features four multi-jointed limbs with unique hands and no defined front or back — allowing it to always face the right way. Thanks to its primate-like movement and posture, the robot will be able to navigate over difficult terrain, climb ladders and even drive vehicles (one of the DRC’s requirements). While the project itself isn’t new, JPL recently published an interesting video that shows RoboSimian gripping tools, lifting its own weight and balancing delicate objects. This means, of course, that robot monkeys will soon join spiders, cats and dogs in your dystopian nightmares. Video after the break.

Filed under: Robots

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Source: JPL