Posts tagged Army at Switched

Posts with tag army

'Thought Helmets' Could Enable Voiceless Troop Communication

by Darren Murph, posted Sep 22nd 2008 at 9:27AM

This won't mark the first time the US government has looked into other means for helping soldiers communicate on the battlefield, but it's one of the first instances where vocal cords aren't even necessary. The US Army has recently awarded a $4 million contract to a coalition of scientists, all of which will soon start developing a "thought helmet" to enable voiceless, secure communication between comrades.

In theory, at least, the helmet will boast a litany of sensors that will hopefully "lead to direct mental control of military systems by thought alone." According to Dr. Elmar Schmoozer, the Army neuroscience overseeing the program, the system will be like "radio without a microphone."

Oh, and don't think for a second that they aren't considering civilian applications as well -- passing along jokes on the boss via telekinesis? Yes, please.

[Via Slashdot]

30% of US Army to Be Staffed By Robots In 2020

by Tim Stevens, posted Aug 8th 2008 at 11:09AM

Army Aiming to be One Third Robotic in 12 Years

Sure, the failure of shows like 'Robot Wars' to capture the attention of American television viewership has shown that, surprisingly, most Americans just aren't that interested in militant robots. The U.S. Army, however, has some very different inclinations, announcing plans to have 30-percent of its force staffed by robots by 2020, just 12 years from now. That includes vehicles that drive themselves, robot sentries, and even, eventually, bipedal walking cyber-soldiers who as of now exist only

We've reported on many early versions of these future toys, like a little bat-like spy drone and the SWORDS rovers that were deployed in Iraq and then later removed due to supposed "control issues."There was also the time last year when a robotic cannon went crazy and killed nine, something we hope doesn't become a more common-place occurrence with this initiative. [Source: AndhraNews, via Asylum]

Army Designing Its Own 'World Of Warcraft' For Training

by Peter Mychalcewycz, posted Jul 30th 2008 at 11:01AM

Video games are great at improving critical thinking and hand-eye coordination. Soon, they may also be utilized to mentally and strategically prepare the U.S. Army for combat on a grand scale.

According to DANGER ROOM, a senior Army game-designer wants to create a 'Massive Multiplayer Online Game' (MMOG) for training Army personnel. The game would run on a secure central server in the U.S. with access available to soldiers in various location throughout the world.

Dr. Roger Smith, the game's designer, had this to say: "Potentially an MMOG could be created which adheres to the physical and behavioral reality of the world and provides an 'always on' environment in which to execute training, something like 'World of Warcraft,' but focused on the military training customer."

At this point, the virtual world that Smith envisions is a long way off, but with Army funding behind it, we won't be surprised to see it sooner than even he thinks. [Source: Wired]

US Army Turns to Toy Company to Develop New Weapon

by Donald Melanson, posted Jul 25th 2008 at 8:38AM

We're not quite sure how the pitch session went with this one, but it looks like the US Army was so impressed by toymaker Lund and Company's Hydrogen Fuel Rocket that it decided to recruit the company to build a decidedly more lethal version of it.

The new system, dubbed the Variable Velocity Weapon System, will apparently be able to be switched between lethal and non-lethal modes, and be loaded with rubber bullets, actual bullets, or other projectiles, which are fired by mixing a liquid or gaseous fuel with air in a combustion chamber. What's more, the company says that the technology could be applied to any size weapon from a "handgun to a Howitzer," and it says a demonstration version could be ready in as little as six months, with full production possible within 18 months, pending approval. [Source: New Scientist Tech Via Danger Room]

U.S. Army Developing Tiny, Flying Spy-Bat

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Mar 20th 2008 at 5:10PM

Sure, Batman is cool, but can he scavenge his environment for energy? Can he recharge his batteries with wind, sunlight, or even vibrations? Didn't think so. Can Batman fly silently through the air for an almost indefinite period of time? Of course not -- he can't even fly.

Okay, so when it comes to tasks like taking out bad guys, Batman still has the edge on "The Bat," a new flying contraption being developed at the Center for Objective Microelectronics and Biomimetic Advanced Technology (COM-BAT) at the University of Michigan (U-M). Still, this six-inch spy-plane has plenty of tricks up its sleeve. The Bat, in addition to scavenging for power, will also come equipped with a bevy of sensors. Stereoscopic cameras and microphones will allow for detailed reconnaissance, while other sensors will detect radiation and airborne poisons.

Currently, the Bat is just a concept, but the U.S. Army has awarded a five year $10 million grant to the College of Engineering at U-M to bring this vision to life. This highly portable and persistent surveillance vehicle will extend soldiers senses and provide a tactical advantage to those in urban environments, where traditional spy-planes are ineffective.

From Engadget

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Skills Learned in Video Game Help Man Treat Car Accident Victims

by Will Safer, posted Jan 18th 2008 at 3:22PM

While we suggest getting real first aid and CPR training, a story out of Nebraska caught our eye.

An avid player whose favorite game, 'America's Army,' has a whole first aid and triage-learning sequence, actually put his in-game skills to use at the scene of a real-life car accident late last year.

Coming upon a flipped over SUV, one Paxton Galvanek correctly assessed the injured driver, began treatment of a bad hand wound and went on to evaluate other injuries while his wife dialed 911.

America's Army has specific sequences that deal with what to do when treating uncontrolled bleeding, dressing a wound, elevating a wounded limb above the heart, and prioritizing treatment based on the severity of injuries. Galvanek followed these guidelines and apparently did a bang-up job.

According to the game's Web site, the Army created "the America's Army game to provide civilians with insights on Soldiering from the barracks to the battlefields."

We recommend a weekend furlough in Omaha for Galvanek as reward for his good deed.

Interestingly, an actual U.S. Army soldier, with actual medic training, arrived on the scene shortly after Galvanek began treatment, and took over treatment until paramedics arrived. With that, Galvanek was on his way.

From Kotaku.com.

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'Phraselator' Helps LAPD Break Language Barrier

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Jan 16th 2008 at 3:10PM

The Phraselator. The name sounds like a joke, something out of a cheesy Sci-Fi movie from the 50's. But despite its kitschy sounding name, the Phraselator has found a home amongst military and law enforcement personnel.

The Phraselator is a rugged over-sized PDA with a speaker and a hefty amount of storage for audio. Multi-lingual officers translate and record standard issue police commands, the Miranda rights, and questions in roughly 224 different languages. The device has been found particularly useful in Los Angeles which has a very large immigrant population.

The Phraselator was originally developed with backing from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) for use in Afghanistan and Iraq by American soldiers for communicating with locals. The $2,500 device is not a two-way translation system, and is certainly not a perfect communications solution, but having useful phrases pre-translated in a voice searchable device has proven immensely useful. Las Vegas Police are preparing to roll out four of the devices, Florida is using it in correctional facilities, and the Los Angeles Police Department is considering purchasing more.

From Los Angeles Times

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Army Creates Office Dedicated to Video Games

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Dec 13th 2007 at 2:33PM

The military loves its video games. Whether it is at the forefront of simulator technology, modding off-the-shelf games like 'Doom', or creating its own first-person shooter from the ground up like 'America's Army', the United States Army is no stranger to game development as a way to train and recruit soldiers.

No branch of the military has embraced the world of video games as much as the Army is about to. The Army has just created the Training and Doctrine Command's Project Office for Gaming (or TPO Gaming), an office dedicated completely to building and deploying video games.

TPO Gaming is specifically looking into developing a toolkit that will allow soldiers to build their own training scenarios. But sadly, like many other US Military projects that can take a while, don't expect to see this toolkit until around 2015.

From Slashdot and Wired

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Nintendo Wii Rehabilitates Injured Soldiers, Stroke Victims

by Ryan Rayhill, posted Oct 3rd 2007 at 5:07PM

Since its release late last year, the motion-sensitive Nintendo Wii has become a runaway success for many reasons, including famously keeping the aging and elderly active with a variety of sports titles.

Given the video-game console's unorthodox penchant for promoting physical activity instead of discouraging it, it seems only natural that physical therapists have begun putting the system to use to help patients achieve better balance and motor skills. As Minneapolis/St. Paul CBS affiliate WCCO reports, therapists at the Sister Kenny Rehabilitation Institute at Abbott Northwestern Hospital are seeing great results among stroke patients who play 'Wii Tennis.' In addition to actually exercising the patient back to health, the therapists note that the Wii makes the process of rehabilitation more fun. According to WCCO, the U.S. Army has also also hopped aboard the Wii Train, testing the system out on injured soldiers in Landstuhl, Germany to help them regain their strength.

With Nintendo's upcoming 'Wii Fit', which includes a pressure-sensitive balance board that can be used for everything from push-ups to yoga to aerobics on the way early next year, we expect that more practical uses for the Wii's unique controls are on the way.

From Engadget

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Army Deploys Armed Robots in Iraq

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Aug 3rd 2007 at 5:35PM

The U.S. government is continuing its march towards an all-robot army. The Predator drones, featured heavily in the Afghani campaign, strapped with missiles was just the beginning. The next step are the Special Weapons Observation Remote reconnaissance Direct action Systems, or "SWORDS" robots.

SWORDS are modified bomb disposal robots mounted with M249 light machine guns. The robots were originally declared combat-ready in 2004, but the bomb-disposal robots had this tendency to occasionally spin out of control. Annoying when defusing a bomb, possibly tragic when firing a machine gun.

New safety measures were put in place to prevent the robots from losing control or accidentally firing, and unlocking the weapon is a three-step process of both software and physical safeties.

There are currently three SWORDS roaming Iraq, though the Army will not reveal where. They have yet to fire their weapons, but once they do the SWORDS program manager expects the Army to order more.

As these technological advancements remove more soldiers from harm's way it becomes important to ask: Is removing the human element from war ultimately a good thing? Will removing soldiers from the battlefield make war even less civilized? What will deter countries from fighting if all they stand to lose is some very expensive pieces of technology?

From Engadget and Wired

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U.S. Military Goes YouTube

by Terrence O'Brien, posted May 14th 2007 at 1:09PM

It's no secret that the American public has grown increasingly weary of the war in Iraq. The latest Pew Research polls show that a majority of Americans think invading Iraq was the wrong decision and want to bring the troops home. The international community is now so skeptical of U.S. intentions in Iraq that protests break out if Condoleezza Rice even ties her shoe in another country.

In an attempt to win over hearts and minds, the U.S. military has launched its own YouTube channel. The videos include footage of an an air strike (seen above), arrests of insurgents and distribution of gifts to Iraqi children, among others. Certainly not all of the clips posted on the military's new Multinational Iraqi Force (MNIF) channel are recruiting commercials, but video posts will have to follow some ground rules. Expect to see no "profanity, sexual content, overly graphic, disturbing or offensive material, or footage that mocks Coalition Forces, Iraqi Security Forces or the citizens of Iraq."

The military is hoping to increase its presence on the Internet, one place where it's consistently been outpaced by Al Qaeda and other terrorist and extremist groups that use it for organizing and spreading propaganda. The government also sees this as a way to circumvent traditional media outlets, which it accuses of swaying public opinion against the war by showing only overly negative coverage.

Currently, all 26 videos hosted on the MNIF Channel have been shot by cameramen embedded with the army, but soldiers and marines have been invited to submit their own videos for inclusion. Unfortunately, it seems the military isn't aware of its very own, brand new policy blocking soldier access to YouTube, along with MySpace and 11 other sites.

From The BBC and Slashdot

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Troops Barred From MySpace and YouTube

Army Cracks Down on Soldier Blogs

iPod Stops a Bullet

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'Thought Helmets' Could Enable Voiceless Troop Communication

30% of US Army to Be Staffed By Robots In 2020

Army Designing Its Own 'World Of Warcraft' For Training

US Army Turns to Toy Company to Develop New Weapon

U.S. Army Developing Tiny, Flying Spy-Bat

Skills Learned in Video Game Help Man Treat Car Accident Victims

'Phraselator' Helps LAPD Break Language Barrier

Army Creates Office Dedicated to Video Games

Nintendo Wii Rehabilitates Injured Soldiers, Stroke Victims

Army Deploys Armed Robots in Iraq

U.S. Military Goes YouTube

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