The Brits, long fans of surveillance technology, are trying out a new laser-based gadget which can detect snipers as they lie in wait, ready to deploy a surreptitious slug into a passing dignitary or soldier.
The ELLIPSE works thus: A tripod mounted laser sweeps the area, constantly moving and monitoring any reflections. If the light bounces back, as it would from a telescopic sight, a computer works out whether it is really a gun-sight or just a particularly shiny milk bottle left on an urban doorstep. If several units are used and hooked up to GPS, the position can be fixed and the target taken out.
According to the esteemed British rag, the Daily Mail, the ELLIPSE’s maker, QinetiQ, plans to sell its tech to the London Olympic Games organizers to protect visiting VIPs (although presumably it will be switched off in the shooting competitions).
We see only one problem. In the movie Leon: The Professional (the Best Movie Ever Made), Leon tells Matilda, his "cleaning" apprentice, that the cap comes off the sights only at the last moment. We guess the ELLIPSE would still spot it, but would it be too late?
The ‘cat’s eyes’ laser that can help British troops pinpoint a sniper before he pulls the trigger [Daily Mail]
Photo: Dunechaser/Flickr
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