President Obama: We Are Building Iron Man. Maybe.

Remember that scene in the first Iron Man movie where Tony Stark admits that he is Iron Man? Well President Barack Obama had a similar moment when he recently announced the the US Army will be building an Iron Man-like suit of their own.

In his speech (check it out in the video above), President Obama was quoted as saying, “Basically, I’m here to announce that we’re building Iron Man […] Not really. Maybe. It’s classified,” which was then accompanied by laughs. Some might think he’s joking but in reality, he’s not. (more…)

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  • President Obama: We Are Building Iron Man. Maybe. original content from Ubergizmo.

        



    YouTube Service Back To Normal

    YouTube Service Back To Normal How many of you find it extremely difficult to live without access to YouTube? After all, you have a dedicated YouTube app on your smartphone and tablet, while YouTube is on your Favorites list on the Web browser, not only on your desktop, but on your laptop as well. Just in case you so happen to be one of those who were experiencing errors on YouTube, including a slower than normal experience, all things should have returned to normal by now.

    The folks over at YouTube have issued this particular statement recently, “Some people encountered errors, or a slower than normal experience on YouTube today. We worked quickly to address the issue and fixed the problem. We’re sorry for any inconvenience this caused.”

    Previously, YouTube was aware that there were issues surrounding their service as well, where they mentioned, “Some people are encountering errors, or a slower than normal experience on YouTube today. We’re working to fix the problem as soon as possible.” You know what they say – all’s well that ends well. Aren’t you glad that there are no more interruptions or slow downs when it comes to watching videos over YouTube, whether on-the-go or when you are seated in the plush comfort of your home?

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  • YouTube Service Back To Normal original content from Ubergizmo.

        



    Why Is the US Army Investing In 4D Printing?

    Why Is the US Army Investing In 4D Printing?

    A new grant from the U.S. Army Research Office will split $855,000 between three research teams working on so-called "4D printing." By military budget standards, that’s chump change—but it hints at a huge future for a technology that’s been lingering on the horizon for years.

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    The Army’s Insurgent Tracking Software Is Now Being Used to Track Gangs

    The Army's Insurgent Tracking Software Is Now Being Used to Track Gangs

    We all know that social media is the criminal’s worst enemy. But this summer, a group of researchers are collaborating with police to test software that can reliably predict whether a person is part of a gang based on their social networks, building on similar software used to track insurgents in Afghanistan.

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    The US Army Is Blocking Staff Access to the Guardian Website

    The US Army Is Blocking Staff Access to the Guardian Website

    After getting upset about the fact that Guardian has been breaking news and leaking classified documents about the many and varied spying programs of the NSA, the US Army has decided to block access to the news site among its employees.

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    Brains scanned for potential battlefield threats

    Things seem to get better and better for soldiers on the battlefield as more and more technology start to take their rightful place. The Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (DARPA) recently combined soldiers brains to technology successfully, where a massive 120-megapixel camera as well as multiple computers running complex cognitive algorithms, known as a “cybernetic hivemind”, will work in tandem to sort out potential threats on the battlefield in double quick time.

    Basically, a soldier will remain seated in front of a computer monitor while having an EEG strapped to his head. Images streamed from the camera will be sent over to the computer system which is running cognitive visual processing algorithms so that it can detect possible threats such as enemy combatants, sniper nests and IEDs amongst others. Such possible threats will then be shown to a soldier whose brain will have to figure out if those are genuine threats or just a false alarm.

    This particular technology will work based on what is known as the P300 response, which is similar to having a jolt of energy surge through the human brain whenever it picks up something. Our brain will subsequently act on that energy surge by sending out additional waves which will classify the recognition as a threat, harmless, or worth checking out. In the future, DARPA wants to record responses to select images, figure out an algorithm that is accurate enough to be projected onto a future soldier’s eyepiece that has a Head Up Display (HUD) function, where the soldier will then be able to recognize threats in the field instead of sitting in front of a computer all day long. DARPA claims that this technology has an accuracy rate of approximately 91%, and things can only get better from here.

    By Ubergizmo. Related articles: SMSS autonomous vehicle set to drop on Afghanistan, US Army to use Android in the battlefield,

    US Army looks at 4G communication system for wounded soldiers

    Both medics on the battlefield as well as army doctors can be said to be professional colleagues, although it is by no means a stretch of the imagination to figure out who has the more “exciting” operation theater to work in. Medics tend to be thrown into situations where wounded soldiers require urgent and immediate attention where a trained surgeon would come in handy, and said surgeon would be able to better do his job once he has gotten hold on the background of the injury and the subsequent medical details in order to dispense with the proper care. Apart from that, triaging multiple injuries in the field through the decision of who will ride the medevac first could be improved further if doctors at the field hospital have a better idea on what the wounded’s status is. This is why the US Army wants to develop a system which is capable of managing patient data from injury site to recovery, where it will include delivering live audio/video communication for medics in the field.

    It will definitely need to fall back upon a range of devices as well as 4G cellular networking in order to send vitals to communicate with the doctor, with everything being said recorded for further review. Have you ever wondered whether a similar system could be transposed for use in everyday, civilian life, where ambulances and clinics can “talk” to one another while en route? Hopefully the US Army will get everything figured out, and the sooner, the better.

    By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Brains scanned for potential battlefield threats, Sprint hits 1 million 4G LTE devices sold,

    DARPA threat detection technology uses a camera to see targets, software and soldier brains to identify them

    DARPA threat detection technology uses a camera to see targets, software and soldier brains to identify them

    DARPA aids our military in myriad ways, from designing one shot, one kill weapons to creating robotic pack mules to carry soldiers’ gear. It’s also been building tools for soldiers to better survey their environment and identify threats, and its latest such tool is called the Cognitive Technology Threat Warning System (CT2WS). CT2WS is comprised of a 120-megapixel electro-optical video camera with a 120-degree field of view feeding a laptop running cognitive visual processing algorithms. Those algorithms identify potential targets in the video feed, which are shown to a soldier wearing an EEG cap that monitors brain signals. You see, the human brain is particularly good at perceiving threats, and CT2WS looks for the particular brain wave that occurs when we see one. The human component drastically improves the accuracy with which the system can identify enemies from afar. How accurate? Testing in desert, tropical and open terrain showed that without a solider/EEG filter, the system had 810 false alarms out of 2,304 threat events in an hour. Incorporating the filter resulted in only five false alarms per hour, plus it was able to identify 91 percent of the potential targets successfully. Not good enough, you say? Add commercial radar into the mix and the army becomes omniscient — the system then identified 100 percent of the test targets.

    Continue reading DARPA threat detection technology uses a camera to see targets, software and soldier brains to identify them

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    DARPA threat detection technology uses a camera to see targets, software and soldier brains to identify them originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 Sep 2012 13:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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    Superior armor being researched for the US Army

    Every single day, there are members of the US Army around the world who get in the line of fire while fulfilling their duty for the country, and needless to say, some of these encounters result in serious injury or even death. The US Army intends to cut down on the mortality rate by handing over $90 million to Johns Hopkins University so that a team of researchers at Rutgers University, the University of Delaware and the California Institute of Technology, accompanying private companies and the military, will work on a new kind of protective armor which has the final goal of reducing body armor weight by 30% while ensuring it is 50% more efficient.

    At the end of the day, the ‘perfect’ body armor would be a careful balance of ratio between weight, mobility and protection. Of course, there are some projects in the past that relied on spider silk to create a “bulletproof skin”, but if you are talking about protection from an Improvised Explosive Device (IED), then it is safe to assume that nothing at this point in time will be able to protect a soldier as even a tank can be done in by an IED. Of course, Captain America’s fictional vibranium shield does seem to be able to handle anything thrown at it, so until that day arrives, we will just have to keep our fingers crossed that the “superior armor” the US Army is looking for will be conjured up in labs, soon.

    By Ubergizmo. Related articles: CTA Digital milks partnership with US Army, Argus drone with 1.8-gigapixel camera ,

    US Army’s LEMV spy blimp spotted hovering over New Jersey, may take up cargo duties (video)

    US Army's LEMV spy blimp spotted hovering over New Jersey, may take up cargo duties video

    The US Army’s not-so-secret Long Endurance Multi-Intelligence Vehicle (LEMV) spy blimp is better at staying hidden than we thought… if unintentionally. Although it was due to fly the friendly skies of Lakehurst, New Jersey in mid-June, Northrop Grumman’s usually unmanned surveillance was only just caught floating over the Jersey Shore as part of a maiden flight on August 8th. The conspicuous, delayed test run proved that the LEMV could take off, steer and land smoothly, and started a series of exercises that should culminate in combat trials over Afghanistan at the start of 2013. Northrop’s KC Brown Jr. tells Wired that there’s a possible (if purely coincidental) consolation for missing another deadline — the airship could be used in a pinch for carrying as much as seven tons of supplies without getting into harm’s way, albeit at a fairly glacial 30MPH. The successful first flight won’t be much consolation to Mav6, whose Blue Devil 2 was scuttled at the last minute after technical issues; it’s nonetheless a relief for US troops, who may get weeks at a time of constant intelligence on enemy movements. Catch a short snippet of the early LEMV journey after the break.

    Continue reading US Army’s LEMV spy blimp spotted hovering over New Jersey, may take up cargo duties (video)

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    US Army’s LEMV spy blimp spotted hovering over New Jersey, may take up cargo duties (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Aug 2012 06:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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