army posts

Creepy Two-Legged Robot Walks Like a Human

by Caleb Johnson (RSS feed) — Oct 28th 2009 at 9:06AM

It's not going to win any foot races, but a new robot being developed for the U.S. Army still has a leg (or two) up on its competition. The "Petman" prototype is a bipedal robot that simulates human walking (video after the break) more realistically than any other robot we've seen. According to Wired, the robot, which is being developed by Boston Dynamics, will be used to test how protective clothing responds during chemical warfare. It walks with a heel-to-toe motion at 3.2 mph and can maintain balance if pushed or bumped. Plus, the robot simulates human environmental and physiological factors -- like temperature, humidity, and "sweating" -- to provide even more realistic testing conditions.

There's a slew of walking robots out there, but "Petman" stands out in the crowd. It's hard to pinpoint what's most amazing -- the 'bot's balance or the walking motion. Just as long as the Army is really using "Petman" to test clothing, and creating a plethora of robot super soldiers. [From: Wired]

Tags: army, bostondynamics, clothing, engineering, military, robot, testing, top, walking

U.S. Soldiers Blind Each Other With Lasers, Blame Lack of Training

by Chad Mumm (RSS feed) — Mar 30th 2009 at 11:12AM

What did your mom tell you about pointing lasers in other people's eyes? Apparently, U.S. troops in Iraq have recently suffered a rash of laser "friendly fire" incidents; since November, one unit has experienced 12 such incidents, resulting in the injuries of 14 soldiers. Of the 14, one soldier was permanently blinded in one eye and three more were forced to undergo medical evacuation, according to a report by Sgt. Crystal Reidy of the 3rd Expeditionary Sustainment Command (ESC). Capt. Russell Harris, an ESC troop commander from Denison, Texas, chalks up the incidents to a lack of training with the devices, writes Sgt. Reidy.

Although they might conjure up images of 'Star Wars,' lasers have found use in military convoys as a means of deterring non-authorized vehicles. These green laser "dazzlers" are meant to be non-lethal and non-damaging to the eyes, but, according to Wired's Danger Room report, some troops have instead been issued much more powerful lasers, intended only for weapon aiming and designating targets. Since these models are apparently still being used as dazzlers, and since many soldiers may think the devices are harmless, it's not entirely surprising that there have been so many incidents.

Sgt. Chris Horvath, a victim of one of these incidents, told Sgt. Reidy, "We are all U.S. Soldiers, you would never point your rifle at another Soldier, don't point your laser." We couldn't agree more, Sergeant, but we can't help thinking that reminds us of something we've heard before... [From: Gouverneur Times, Via: Wired]

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Tags: army, expire-images:2010-3-29, laser, military, military tech, MilitaryTech

Video Games

Xbox Prepared 18-Year-Old Soldier to Fly Drones

by Lee Bains (RSS feed) — Feb 10th 2009 at 7:02AM

All that time spent gaming may not be time spent poorly after all, according to Joystiq's story of one young man.

Last Friday, while being interviewed by Democracy Now! about his new book, 'Wired for War,' author P.W. Singer related the story of one young man who has found success in the military, thanks to the hours he'd logged in front of computer monitors and TV screens.

According to Singer, the unidentified 18-year-old enlisted man was deemed unsuitable for his chosen job as a helicopter mechanic by the Army due to his academic failures in high school. Instead, the young man settled for the role of piloting drone planes, which are small, robotic planes, particularly useful in counter-insurgent attacks, that can be controlled from half a world away. Having been an avid player of Xbox games in civilian life, the young man found drone piloting to be second nature.

"He was naturally trained up," Singer explained. "And he turned out to be so good that they brought him back from Iraq and made him an instructor in the training academy, even though he's an enlisted man and ... 19." [From: Democracy Now! via Joystiq]

Relevant Links:

Tags: army, drone, military, military tech, MilitaryTech, top, video games, VideoGames

Computers

New Zealander Buys MP3 Player, Finds Classified US Army Files

by Tim Stevens (RSS feed) — Jan 26th 2009 at 5:02PM

While used and refurb'd electronics have a long history of delivering more than the purchaser bargained for, like assembly-line photos, MI6 documents, or the phone number to Sarah Palin's hair stylist, New Zealand man Chris Ogle's surprise find is a little more troubling. He picked up the above unidentified MP3 player at a thrift shop in Oklahoma for $18 used. On it were 60 files, many of which appear to be US Army property of a confidential nature, including one that lists soldier names, SSNs, and phone numbers, and another doc that appears to be a mission plan.

Sadly, the Government is choosing to ignore this little security breach, but we think it should step up and make Mr. Ogle an offer. He's likely to let the thing go cheap thanks to a second unfortunate discovery: it doesn't even play music any more. [Via The Sydney Morning Herald]

Tags: army, chris ogle, ChrisOgle, classified, military, mp3, mp3 player, Mp3Player, new zealand, NewZealand, us army, UsArmy

iPod

New iPod touch Application Improves Your Sniper Rifle Accuracy

by Thomas Ricker (RSS feed) — Jan 21st 2009 at 9:01AM

We're trying... we're trying real hard to cling to our pacifist ways. But damn if the fusion of this US Army M110 Sniper Rifle and mounted iPod touch running the BulletFlight external ballistics calculator (available via the App Store) doesn't make us want to kill. Tap in the variables such as weather conditions, ammunition type, distance to target, and wind speed before exhaling and gently squeezing back on your second amendment right. God bless America.

[Via The Firearm Blog]

Read -- M110 sniper rifle with iPod touch mount
Read -- BulletFlight App [warning: iTunes link]

Tags: army, bulletflight, cult of mac, CultOfMac, gun, ipod touch, IpodTouch, kac, knights armament, KnightsArmament, m110, rifle, sniper, top, weapon

Audio/Video, Computers, Video Games

Virtual Reality Used as Pain Treatment in Army Study

by Lee Bains (RSS feed) — Dec 5th 2008 at 5:58PM

US Army researchers are currently assessing the merits of virtual reality games as treatment for burn victims, MetaFilter gleaned from the Chronicle.

In keeping with the study, severely burned veterans play a virtual reality game entitled 'Snow World' while their wounds are being cleaned. Set in an arctic landscape, the game offers the patients a first-person perspective as they maneuver icy crevasses and pelt penguins with snowballs, striving to create the illusion of cold temperatures in the soldiers.

Apparently, the tactic is working. Patients have reported that, while they are playing the game, ordinarily painful wound treatments can be up to twice as bearable. As shown in the ScienCentral video above, MRI scans have reached a similar conclusion: playing the game reduces pain signals in the brain.

With this good news, we're thinking about a story we posted just a little while ago. Could it be that, if virtual reality gaming can reduce physical pain, television viewing could reduce emotional pain? If so, depressed folks who watch lots of TV could be unconsciously treating themselves. [From: The Chronicle via MetaFilter]

Tags: army, gaming, health, medicine, military, science, treatment, virtual reality, VirtualReality

Audio/Video

Army Web Site Implements Web Cams for Recruiting

by Lee Bains (RSS feed) — Nov 14th 2008 at 7:02AM

Earlier this week, on Veteran's Day, the U.S. Army's Web site debuted its newest addition: Web interviews with soldiers on active duty in Iraq, the New York Times reports.

This section of the site, called Straight From Iraq, allows visitors to ask questions of soldiers serving in Iraq, who, in turn, respond with YouTube-style video messages. As they have with their forays into robotics and 'World of Warcraft,' Army recruiters hope that this tech-savvy feature will make the Army more appealing to 17-to-24 year olds.

Claiming that these videos chronicle "Real Soldiers, Real Stories," the Army -- it would seem -- is struggling to appear transparent at a time when many folks here in the U.S. feel they have been misled by government and military officials over the course of the Iraq War. [From: New York Times]

Tags: army, iraq, military, web, webcam

Computers, Video Games

US Army Using 'World of Warcraft' to Create Virtual Soldiers?

by Tim Stevens (RSS feed) — Nov 7th 2008 at 10:51AM

U.S. Army Wants Virtual Soldiers in World of Warcraft

We've covered some crazy things from the U.S. Army, including telepathic thought-helmets and pledges to be one-fifth robot by 2020. Interesting stuff, for sure, but perhaps a little too far-out for most. While the Army will speak about a number of similarly wacky initiatives in its upcoming Science Conference, one idea will strike fear into the hearts of gamers everywhere: a plan to deploy virtual soldiers (to test advances in artificial intelligence) into the battlefields of 'World of Warcraft' and 'EVE Online.'

The games are two of the most popular massively multiplayer online games currently on the market, filled with people who spend hours and hours (days... weeks...) of their free time, plus hundreds of dollars, to battle against each other. Understandably, the game's fans tend to take it all quite seriously. The Army hopes to use this environment as a testing ground for its virtual soldiers, who will work to infiltrate the games and attempt to deceive the human gamers.

"Why?" you might ask, and we'd have to say in response: "Good question." This particular branch of the armed forces has already shown a penchant for video games, even 'World of Warcraft' in particular, so perhaps these games will form some sort of virtual battlefield of the future. [From: io9]

Tags: army, eve online, EveOnline, massively multiplayer online, MassivelyMultiplayerOnline, mmo, mmorpg, u.s. army, U.s.Army, video games, VideoGames, virtual soldier, VirtualSoldier, weird, world of warcraft, WorldOfWarcraft, WoW

Audio/Video, Computers

'Thought Helmets' Could Enable Voiceless Troop Communication

by Darren Murph (RSS feed) — 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]

Tags: army, bci, brain, defense, government, helmet, military, mind, mind control, MindControl, security, sensor, sensors, thought, thought control, ThoughtControl, us, usa, war

Computers

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

by Tim Stevens (RSS feed) — 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]

Tags: army, robot, robotics, u.s. army, U.s.Army, warfare, weird

Video Games

Army Designing Its Own 'World Of Warcraft' For Training

by Peter Mychalcewycz (RSS feed) — 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]

Tags: armed forces, ArmedForces, army, mmog, world of warcraft, WorldOfWarcraft

Summer Fun

US Army Turns to Toy Company to Develop New Weapon

by Donald Melanson (RSS feed) — 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]

Tags: army, hydrogen, hydrogen fuel rocket, HydrogenFuelRocket, toys, us army, UsArmy, variable velocity weapon system, VariableVelocityWeaponSystem, weapon

Audio/Video, Cameras, Green Tech

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

by Terrence O'Brien (RSS feed) — 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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Tags: army, bat, COM-BAT, military, reconnaissance, spy, surveillance, university of michigan, UniversityOfMichigan

Video Games

Skills Learned in Video Game Help Man Treat Car Accident Victims

by Will Safer (RSS feed) — 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.

Audio/Video, Computers

'Phraselator' Helps LAPD Break Language Barrier

by Terrence O'Brien (RSS feed) — 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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Tags: army, language, phraselator, police, translate

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'Black Friday' Deals to Watch For

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Black Friday' Deals to Watch For

Traditionalists might balk, but the holiday shopping season is already underway. Skeptical? Head to your local department store and you'll be inundated by Christmas trees and ornaments. Bargain hunters, though, know that the real deals are more than a month away.

Black Friday, traditionally, is when retailers truly slash prices. Early birds can save hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars off of their holiday bills. Switched.com checked with a few elves, who gave a sneak peek at what you can expect deal-wise this year.

Blu-ray Players and Movies: Blu-ray is shaping up to be the biggest door buster of this year's Black Friday. de Grandpre expects at least one retailer will offer a Blu-ray player for just $49. Look for bargains on Blu-ray films as well, with last year's hit titles (such as "Iron Man") to fall as low as $5.

Laptops: With the proliferation of Netbooks this year, it's never been easier to find affordable portable computing, but Dan de Grandpre, CEO of DealNews.com says it will get even cheaper on Black Friday. Look for well-equipped Netbooks to sell for $199 – and basic 15" laptops to go for as little as $249.

HDTVs (Pretty big): The holidays are typically the best time to buy a new TV – and Black Friday is the time to do it. If you're looking for a normal sized set, you're in luck. Piper Jaffrey analyst Mitch Kaiser says he expects to see 32-inch LCD sets for as low as $299. GottaDeal.com is estimating 37-inch plasma and LCD sets will fall to $399 or less.

HDTVs (Really big): Need something bigger? How about a 46-47 inch LCD set for $599 – a 25 percent savings? Or a 52-inch LCD for $999? Dealnews says you can expect both. Plasma deals will be a little harder to come by, but a 50-inch set should run roughly $899.

HD Camcorders: You've wanted to shoot your child's school play in HD for a while, but haven't been able to spring for the pricey camcorder. This might be the year. Low-end, flash-based 720p models could drop as low as $60 (though you won't be able to zoom with those). Expect a high quality 1080p HD camcorder for $349.

GPS: While navigation systems have dramatically expanded their reach this year – even making it onto the iPhone – there's still a market for car-based systems. Dealnews predicts you'll be able to find a no-name entry-level system for $49, while a Garmin or Tom-Tom brand will be as low as $69.

Digital Picture Frames: Showcasing your digital pictures consistently gets cheaper. This year, skip the 7-inch screens and focus on the 8- or 9-inch ones, which should be available on Black Friday for as little as $30.

Monitors: Computer monitors might not be the sexiest of gifts, but they're usually welcomed with open arms – and they'll be cheap this year. Name brand 22-inch LCD models may go for as low as $99, while 24-inch models will drop below $150.

Memory: Don't know anyone who needs a monitor? External hard drives are always popular, since they're an easy way to back-up data. Dealnews expects a 1TB drive to fall as low as $49 this year. Gottadeal is looking for 8GB flash drives to hit $15.

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