Long before Felix Baumgartner completed his crazy 24-mile free fall from the edge of space, the Navy was testing how humans react to pushing their bodies beyond normal limits. In 1948 that meant blasting volunteer pilots in the face with winds of above 305 miles per hour to see if they could handle it. More »
Robots come in many flavors. There’s the subservient kind, the virtual representative, the odd one with an artistic bent, and even robo-cattle. But, typically, they all hit the same roadblock: they can only do what they are programmed to do. Of course, there are those that posses some AI smarts, too, but Georgia Tech wants to take this to the next level, and build a ‘bot that can interact with its environment on the fly. The project hopes to give machines deployed in disaster situations the ability to find objects in their environment for use as tools, such as placing a chair to reach something high, or building bridges from debris. The idea builds on previous work where robots learned to moved objects out of their way, and developing an algorithm that allows them to identify items, and asses its usefulness as a tool. This would be backed up by some programming, to give the droids a basic understanding of rigid body mechanics, and how to construct motion plans. The Office of Navy Research‘s interest comes from potential future applications, working side-by-side with military personnel out on missions, which along with iRobot 110, forms the early foundations for the cyber army of our childhood imaginations.
Georgia Tech receives $900,000 grant from Office of Naval Research to develop ‘MacGyver’ robot originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Oct 2012 10:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Used to be that if you were aboard a sunken submarine, your best hope for rescue was to grow a set of gills—fast. Now, however, the US Navy can reach and extract sailors who are in over their heads with this deep-diving 16-passenger ROV. More »
Each year, the US Navy consumes around $11 billion worth of fuel – which is a whole lot of money when you think about it. Well, scientists over at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) might help ease the burden of forking out so much money just for fuel alone, that they have managed to come across a process which can transform seawater into jet fuel. It sounds more like science fiction than reality, but NRL did release an announcement that detailed the transformation process of changing from gas to liquid, where carbon dioxide will then be extracted from the seawater, resulting in hydrogen gas.
Research assistant Dr. Heather Willauer explains, “The reduction and hydrogenation of C02 to form hydrocarbons is accomplished using a catalyst that is similar to those used for Fischer-Tropsch reduction and hydrogenation of carbon monoxide. By modifying the surface composition of iron catalysts in fixed-bed reactors, NRL has successfully improved C02 conversion efficiencies up to 60 percent.”
Imagine that, an aircraft carrier with a deck full of fighter jets armed to the teeth with a payload that can wipe out a small country, operating without ever having to worry about running out of fuel. One thing though, this does not mean that the end result is any greener than before, but at the very least it eliminates the risks of re-fueling at sea, especially when weather conditions are harsh.
By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Laser machine gun combo appeals to US Navy, Dolphins trained to thwart enemy divers and mines?,
The Naval Warfare Surface Center in Crane, Indiana today revealed a smartphone app that puts the capability of modern smartphones to observe areas in sharp relief and shows the power of malware to tap into those capabilities. The app, PlaceRaider, is capable of running in the background of any smartphone running Android 2.3. While running in the background, it takes photos at random while recording the orientation and location of the phone. Those photos get sent back to a central server, where they can be used to reconstruct a pretty good idea of where the phone has physically been.
By Ubergizmo. Related articles: FTC declines to fine companies who sold 10000s of laptops with spyware preinstalled, Navy planning to equip three of its ships with 4G LTE,
If you aren’t careful, much of the tech you hold near and dear can be used against you. An app called PlaceRaider, for instance, can use your phone to build a full 3D map of your house, all without you suspecting a thing. More »
Driving around in unfamiliar territory, searching for a gas station while your gauge hovers just above E is maddening and stressful. But imagine experiencing that same feeling while manning a giant aircraft carrier through foreign—and sometimes hostile—seas. To make fuel easier to come by, the Navy is working on a way to produce it from ocean water. More »
Look at this badass soldier. In this beautiful picture, 1st. Lt. Drew Parks helps guide a Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jet through the gorgeous, star-speckled night sky of Kuwait as a part of Operation Spartan Shield. Parks is a JTAC, or a joint terminal attack controller, meaning he helps things along in the air—communications, air traffic, gun fire, attack plans, and general support—from the ground. It’s hard work that requires a great deal of focus. And that amazing view makes his post all the more impressive. More »
With all the iPhone 5 hoopla lately, you might not have heard the news—Israel and Iran are fixing for a fight that could wipe both countries off the map. Twenty-six Western allies have already dispatched a flotilla of warships to the region to guard the Strait of Hormuz—among them is the brand new HMS Diamond. This floating missile shield is the Royal Navy’s most capable destroyer ever. More »
Neil Armstrong, America’s greatest and most reluctant hero, is not going to have a grave. He’s going to be buried at sea. More »
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