Aug 09

General Dynamics’ GD300 is the Pip-Boy that runs Android

Posted in: Android, military, Today's Chili, wargadget

Yes, we totally stole this headline from our Spanish colleagues, but they summed it up perfectly — the General Dynamics Itronix GD300 is right out of Fallout 3, well ahead of HP’s model. It’s a full-on wrist- or chest-mounted GPS unit with an unspecified version of Android at the helm, designed to deliver both real-time global positioning (with a SiRFstarIII chip and stubby quad-helix antenna) and connect to tactical radios. The eight-ounce ruggedized plastic package is MIL-STD 810G tested for durability and holds a 600MHz ARM Cortex A8 processor, 256MB of memory, 8GB flash storage and a 3.5-inch, 800 x 480 “glove-friendly” and “sunlight readable” touchscreen display. That’s only about as powerful as your average consumer smartphone, but you’re not going to be painting targets on your Nexus One, we suppose. No word on whether it will pick up post-apocalyptic radio stations as your mission unfolds. We’ve got a close-up photo and press release after the break, and you can find the full brochure at our source link.

Continue reading General Dynamics’ GD300 is the Pip-Boy that runs Android

General Dynamics’ GD300 is the Pip-Boy that runs Android originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 09 Aug 2010 08:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Engadget en Espanol  |  sourceGD300 Rugged Wearable Computer (PDF)  | Email this | Comments

No Comments | Tags:
Aug 04

US Navy working to make drones laser-proof

Posted in: laser, military, Today's Chili, video, wargadget
No, you’re not looking at a still from a purported UFO video. That’s an unmanned drone that the US Navy recently shot down with a prototype laser weapon. While that test was a runaway success, it looks like the Navy is now already going the extra mile — it’s begun work on making its drones laser-proof to guard against such weapons eventually winding up in the wrong hands. That’s still in the earliest stages, but the Navy has already recruited California-based Adsys Controls and Texas-based Nanohmics to work on the project, which will apparently allow drones to both spot laser weapons before they’re fired and deploy countermeasures to avoid being tracked. Head on past the break to see what happens when a drone gets hit by one of the weapons.

Continue reading US Navy working to make drones laser-proof

US Navy working to make drones laser-proof originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 Aug 2010 08:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceDanger Room  | Email this | Comments

No Comments
Aug 02

Charlie Miller and Kim Jong-Il could pwn the Internet with two years, $100 million

Posted in: hack, hacking, Today's Chili, wargadget
Well there’s one thing we can say about Charlie Miller — he sure is an ambitious rascal. When not busy exposing security holes in OS X, our fave security expert (aside from Angelina Jolie in Hackers, of course) has laid out a shocking expose based on the following premise: if Kim Jong-Il had a budget of $100 million and a timeline of two years could North Korea’s de facto leader (and sunglasses model) take down the United States in a cyberwar? It seems that the answer is yes. Using a thousand or so hackers, “ranging from elite computer commandos to basic college trained geeks,” according to AFP, the country could target specific elements of a country’s infrastructure (including smart grids, banks, and communications) and create “beacheads” by compromising systems up to two years before they pulled the trigger. Speaking at DEFCON this weekend, Miller mentioned that such an attack could be carried out by anyone, although North Korea has a few advantages, including the fact that its infrastructure is so low tech that even destroying the entire Internet would leave it pretty much unscathed. That said, we’re not worried in the least bit: if the diminutive despot brings down the entire Internet, how is he ever going to see Twilight: Eclipse?

Charlie Miller and Kim Jong-Il could pwn the Internet with two years, $100 million originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 02 Aug 2010 11:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceAFP, Venture Beat  | Email this | Comments

No Comments | Tags: ,
Jul 28

Carnegie Mellon’s robot snakes converge into creepy hand-like wargadget

Posted in: Today's Chili, wargadget
President Eisenhower, in his famous farewell speech in 1961, warned against the acquisition of unwarranted influence by the “military industrial complex.” If he had given those remarks some sixty years later, he might have worked academia into the phrase — especially if he knew about the snakes! Certainly one of the more viscerally unnerving wargadgets we’ve encountered over the last few years, the creepy-crawly automatons of the Carnegie Mellon Robotics Institute are a big hit at the U.S. Army Research Laboratory, where three of ’em have been arrayed onto a circular base to form the Robotic Tentacle Manipulator, a hand that could be used for opening doors or handling IEDs, possibly while mounted on the iRobot Warrior. The “opening a door” problem, as it is called, has perplexed the field of robotics for quite some time now — and it might one day be solved using technology like this. Until then, it looks like doorknobs are still the terrorist’s best friend.

Carnegie Mellon’s robot snakes converge into creepy hand-like wargadget originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 28 Jul 2010 11:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink CNET  |  sourceUS Army  | Email this | Comments

No Comments | Tags:
Jul 21

UK defense firm pumps data through solid submarine walls

Posted in: military, patent, patent application, PatentApplication, patents, Today's Chili, wargadget, Wireless

Wireless power may still be on the drawing board, but wireless data is here today, and a UK defense contractor has figured out a way to pipe the latter through several inches of steel. Using a pair of piezoelectric transducers on either side of a watertight submarine compartment, BAE’s “Through Hull Data Link” sends and receives an acoustic wave capable of 15MHz data rates, enough to transmit video by essentially hammering ever-so-slightly on the walls. BAE impressed submarine commanders by streaming Das Boot right through their three-inch hulls, and while metadrama is obviously the killer app here, the company claims it will also save millions by replacing the worrisome wiring that’s physically routed via holes in a submarine’s frame. See the company’s full US patent application at our more coverage link.

UK defense firm pumps data through solid submarine walls originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 21 Jul 2010 22:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink BBC  |  sourceBAE Systems  | Email this | Comments

No Comments | Tags: ,
Jul 18

Raytheon’s pain gun finally gets deployed in Afghanistan

Posted in: ads, military, Today's Chili, wargadget

It’s been six long years since we first got wind of the Pentagon’s Active Denial System, and four since it was slated to control riots in Iraq, but though we’ve seen reporters zapped by the device once or twice, it seems the Air Force-approved pain gun is only now entering service in Afghanistan. The BBC reports the device — which generates a targeted burning sensation in humans — is now deployed with US troops, though a military spokesman is assuring publications that it “has not been used operationally,” and that the armed forces have yet to decide whether to actually use it. Wired reports the unit was plagued by technical and safety issues for years, not to mention political concerns, but as to that last we have to imagine even a semi-damaging heat ray beats the pants off lead-based alternatives.

Raytheon’s pain gun finally gets deployed in Afghanistan originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 18 Jul 2010 08:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceBBC  | Email this | Comments

No Comments | Tags:
Jul 13

GPS parachutes delivering blood to front lines in the coming years

Posted in: gps, military, safety, Today's Chili, us, usa, wargadget

GPS-guided parachutes are nothing new — in fact, we’re guessing that a few are being dropped somewhere in this wide world right now — but a new deal between the Armed Services Blood Program and US Joint Forces Command will allow these devices to start saving even more lives in 2011. As the story goes, a cadre of air-dropped ‘chutes will be sent to the front lines of the battlefield in order to deliver vital blood to medics. For those unaware, blood loss is a major cause of death in war, and by skipping over the lengthy process that’s currently in place for delivery, the powers that be feel that more soldiers can be saved. Reportedly, the JPADS system “is a family of guided parachutes that can carry payloads ranging from about 150 to 60,000 pounds,” and at a predetermined altitude, a “parafoil deploys and a GPS-device steers supplies to an exact target.” The new system, however, will rely on ultralight versions of the aforesaid JPADS in order to sneak into locations that were previously thought impossible to penetrate. ‘Course, all of this will be a moot point once the robot armies rise to power and start pulverizing each other with scrap metal, but hey…

GPS parachutes delivering blood to front lines in the coming years originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 13 Jul 2010 16:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink DailyTech  |  sourceMilitary Blood, Marine Corps Times  | Email this | Comments

No Comments
Jul 13

Boeing Phantom Eye unmanned spy plane stays aloft four days, sort of bums us out

Posted in: Today's Chili, Transportation, wargadget
Sometimes, in the seat of our despair (which almost always corresponds with a viewing of The Real Housewives of New Jersey), we reflect on the sorry state of the world and note that the one thing we don’t have to doubt is that history is marching us towards a mechanized slaughter that will make World War I look like Burning Man (the rave, not the actual burning people). Sure, it never occurred to anyone to maybe figure out how to cap an undersea oil well, but at least we are making headway in our development of autonomous, long range aircraft (you know, for shooting people and eavesdropping and whatnot). Our latest example of a world gone mad comes courtesy of Boeing, and it’s called Phantom Eye. The unmanned aircraft system looks something like a bowling pin with wings and can spend up to four days at 65,000 feet. Also featured on the craft is a hydrogen propulsion system that promises great fuel economy, and whose only byproduct is water. At the unveiling ceremony in St. Louis, Boeing Phantom Works president Darryl Davis noted that the “capabilities inherent” in its design “will offer game-changing opportunities for our military, civil and commercial customers.” Awesome! Look for the device later this summer, when it begins a series of ground and taxi tests in preparation for its first flight early next year.

Continue reading Boeing Phantom Eye unmanned spy plane stays aloft four days, sort of bums us out

Boeing Phantom Eye unmanned spy plane stays aloft four days, sort of bums us out originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 13 Jul 2010 13:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Popular Science  |   | Email this | Comments

No Comments
Jul 12

Lockheed Martin, Navy team up to deploy communications buoys for submarines

Posted in: networking, Today's Chili, wargadget

Lockheed Martin has announced that it’s completed a critical design review for a system that enables submarine communication while below periscope depth. Part of the US Navy’s Communications at Speed and Depth Program, buoys are launched by the sub, which can then connect nearby to military networks or satellites. The 40-inch long buoys can either be launched from the sub itself, shuttling data back and forth via miles-long cables, or dropped from aircraft. If the latter, communications is established using an acoustic messaging system similar to SONAR. Now that the review is complete, the team will begin producing hardware with an eye toward delivering engineering design models early next year. PR after the break.

Continue reading Lockheed Martin, Navy team up to deploy communications buoys for submarines

Lockheed Martin, Navy team up to deploy communications buoys for submarines originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 12 Jul 2010 19:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink TechNews Daily  |   | Email this | Comments

No Comments | Tags: ,
Jul 11

Marines field autonomous support vehicles based on winning robot design (video)

Posted in: car, military, Today's Chili, video, wargadget

Since their third-place finish in the 2007 DARPA Urban Challenge, TORC Technology’s had quite a climb — the company founded by Virginia Tech graduates has since provided IED-scouting Humvee kits to the US Military, and a vehicle for the blind uses the drive-by-wire platform that they designed. Now, the Marines are testing a TORC kit called the Ground Unmanned Support Surrogate (GUSS), which autonomously navigate off-road terrain. Designed to accompany ground troops, the four prototypes only move at 5 MPH, but carry up to 1800 pounds, and can automatically follow troops (or other GUSS) at a distance while shouldering their loads. A one pound transmitter — the WaySight — can show the GUSS where to go, or optionally enable direct control for soldiers who prefer things the old-fashioned way. Personally, we love the smell of autonomy in the morning, don’t you? See it in action after the break.

Continue reading Marines field autonomous support vehicles based on winning robot design (video)

Marines field autonomous support vehicles based on winning robot design (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 11 Jul 2010 03:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink DVICE  |  sourceVirginia Tech, TORC Technology  | Email this | Comments

No Comments | Tags: