Posts tagged Darpa at Switched

Posts with tag darpa

Camera Drones to Monitor Future Battlefields?

by Thomas Ricker, posted Aug 12th 2008 at 1:10PM

As the military industrial complex surges forward, so do advances in technology for the public sector. At least that's how the cold-war wisdom goes. Case in point: QinetiQ is developing a lens-less, mirror-less, battlefield imaging system with some help from ~~your~~ DARPA's deep pockets.

The LACOSTE project (Large Area Coverage Optical Search while Track and Engage) aims to set aloft high-altitude (about 20km) drones and air-ships fitted with a special, thousand-strong microscopic sensor array (a "first of their kind," according to QinetiQ), a "mask," and image processor to decode the scene and extract an image of the quickly changing conditions on the battlefield or, you guessed it, city streets.

The resulting lightweight and highly-durable system should feature a "super resolution" mode with the ability to "detect and simultaneously track large numbers of moving vehicles in dense urban areas with a high degree of accuracy, 24-hours a day."

And here you thought CCTV was intrusive.

[Via BBC]

Northrop Grumman Developing Threat-Sensing Binoculars

by Donald Melanson, posted Jun 11th 2008 at 7:03AM

DARPA has been talking up the idea of threat-sensing binoculars for some time now, but it looks like it's now putting up a good chunk of cash to make 'em a reality, with Northrop Grumman yesterday announcing that it's snagged a $6.7 million contract to further develop its Human-aided Optical Recognition/Notification of Elusive Threats (or HORNET) system. That'll use electro-encephalogram electrodes placed on soldiers' scalps to monitor their neural responses to the presence or absence of potential threats. This helps to train the system's algorithms and ultimately alerts soldiers to threats before their minds are actually able to process the information (in theory, at least).

Of course, there's no indication as to when such a system might actually be put to use, and DARPA itself is still leaving itself a bit of wiggle room, with it only committing to the first 12-month phase of the project at the moment. [Source: PrimeNewswire via Danger Room]

Robotic Sentries to Descend on British Town In Contest

by Tim Stevens, posted May 1st 2008 at 11:13AM

In the U.S. we have DARPA, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, which hosts regular challenges for things like cars that can race around cities sans drivers. The closest U.K. equivalent is the Ministry of Defense Grand Challenge, which tasks teams of engineers to come up with solutions to provide enhanced intelligence to troops on the ground. Competitors for that challenge are set to invade a sleepy British village next month with autonomous flying robots and other cool bits of tech.

Competitors will be tasked with having their automated sentries automatically survey the terrain to "detect, identify, monitor and report the position of a wide range of threats" according to the challenge Web site. Teams will be scored based on the number of threats identified, but will have points detracted if they need to resort to manual control of their devices. Six teams have signed up to compete. Some teams are relying exclusively on aerial bots, while others will use a combination of ground-based rovers and flying sentries to find threats. It sounds like it should be a fun show, and we can't wait for the consumer toy versions to be released. [Source: News.com]

Unmanned Spy Plane To Stay Aloft for Five Years

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Mar 6th 2008 at 2:25PM

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) will award contracts to design and build an unmanned spy plane they've dreamed up that will stay aloft for for an amazing five years. The pseudo satellite will circle the globe for years at between 60,000 and 90,000 feet, gathering photos, communications, and generally watching everything you do.

The craft will have to answer a number of design challenges, not the least of which is how to keep this thing powered for such a long period of time. The sub-orbital satellite will also have to carry a 1000-pound payload in extremely high winds (and become airborne in the first place).

DARPA would like to have the craft built ASAP, but you know how these things work, the government will be lucky to have non-functional scale model by the year 2020.

From Gizmo Watch

Related links:

U.S. Air Force Blocks Access to Blogs

by Will Safer, posted Feb 28th 2008 at 11:17AM

Chances are, if you're in the U.S. Air Force, you're not going to be reading this today. That's because Switched is a blog (short for Web log) and the Air Force has decided that most blogs are bad -- or at least not legitimate sources of news.

Air Force logo You may think that's an oversimplification of the matter, but tell that to the Air Force, which, according to Wired, has just started automatically blocking access to almost all sites with the word blog in the Web address or on the Web site itself. Access is blocked for all active personnel who get online at work or on duty.

The new rule does allow for access to "an established, reputable media outlet," like the New York Times, and, presumably, even the blogs on the New York Times site.

The Air Force Network Operations Center, under the service's new "Cyber Command," typically will block all sites first, and then review which ones should be permitted to make their way through to Air Force personnel.

The concern is that leaked information will wend its way through blogs and into the wrong hands (although major news outlets are cited as being the primary source of sensitive information being leaked). YouTube and MySpace are banned because -- according to the Air Force -- they take up too much bandwidth.

As for the harm a blog can actually cause, one retired Air Force officer remarks that it's not necessarily what the blog itself may state but instead it's the good intentions of an airman who posts a comment or correction. In doing so, he or she may reveal more than intended -- and put good information into the hands of bad people.

Oddly enough, some Web sites that are considered recommended reading for airmen by the Air Force itself have been blocked because they are characterized as blogs.

But perhaps the Air Force only has itself to blame for blogs. After all, didn't the military invent the Internet?

From Wired.

Related links:

GM's New Hydrogen-Powered Car Unveiled

by Alon Avdi, posted Jan 9th 2008 at 2:53PM

General Motors Chairman and CEO Rich Wagoner used his keynote address at this year's CES in Las Vegas to outline his company's vision of the future of car technology. The presentation was the first ever by an automobile manufacturer at CES. The most significant item Wagoner touched upon was GM's answer to environmental concerns and the need for alternative sources of energy to power automobiles in the coming years. The answer, Wagoner declared, could be found in the 5th generation fuel cell concept vehicle that rolled out onto the stage with him, a sleek SUV called the Cadillac Provoq.

The Provoq, an impressive looking silver specimen, relies on EFlex technology, using GM's latest generation of hydrogen fuel cells and an Advanced Lithium Ion Battery to power it. The result is a vehicle that can achieve top speeds of 100 miles per hour, go from 0 to 60 mph in 8.5 seconds, get 300 miles per tank of hydrogen and produces no emissions. In addition, the car comes complete with a solar panel on the roof to power accessories and a front grill with louvers that optimize the vehicle's aerodynamics.

EFlex technology – that is, electronically driven cars that have flexible power-deriving capabilities, will function by charging from an electronic source, combining that with a small ethanol or diesel engine, or a hydrogen fuel cell. EFlex allows vehicles to drive up to 40 miles with a single charge from an electronic source. Since most commuters only drive within that range on a daily basis, the zero emission product is astounding. Should the car owner need to travel further, the engine generator uses the other flexible sources of power to allow the car to run at a ridiculous 150 miles per gallon!

Until such cars are available, Wagoner pointed to the FlexFuel models that run on up to 85% ethanol, whose production GM will increase to 50% of all of its cars by 2012. The country will need to have more E85 fuel pumps, however, if the ethanol-based system is to be effective nationwide. Over the next four years, GM also plans to introduce 16 new hybrid models.

Wagoner dished out another hint of the future when he discussed the potential for cars to drive themselves. He shared that GM recently won the DARPA competition, a challenge in which the Chevy Tahoe "Boss" navigated on its own a 60 mile course that simulated urban conditions in under six hours.

OnStar, GM's telematics system, also had its share of developments. The 8th generation of OnStar will soon provide vital information to rescuers following a collision, such as what part of the car was hit and how hard, as well as whether it rolled over. Furthermore, OnStar will also feature Turn By Turn Navigation, a new directions service. Another service coming includes a partnership with MapQuest to add a "send to OnStar" function. Perhaps the most important OnStar upgrade, however, was the "stolen vehicle slowdown" feature, which will gradually decrease power to suspected stolen vehicles upon a request by law enforcement. GM also plans on introducing OnStar in China this year.

Finally, Mr. Wagoner introduced V2V technology that will allow cars to communicate with each other in order to avoid collisions. Using transponders and GPS technology, one car will alert another behind it to a sudden stop, allowing the second car to automatically begin slowing down even if the driver is unaware of the situation.

Gallery: The Cadillac Provoq

Related Links:

Two-Hour New York-Tokyo Flights Coming Soon?

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Dec 17th 2007 at 3:40PM

Two Hour Flights From New York to Tokyo Coming Soon?

Chances are you've never heard of a scramjet, and if you have, we can almost guarantee you've never seen one in action (unless you happen to work for NASA or DARPA). The concept of scramjets has been around for a while -- President Reagan even announced a major scramjet project, the National Aerospace Plane, in his 1986 State of the Union address. Reagan envisioned the scramjet replacing the space shuttle, military bombers and commercial aircraft. The program never got off the ground and was canceled by President Clinton in 1994.

Recent advances, however, have moved the scramjet from the lab to field tests. While researchers have been testing scramjets for a couple years, the most recent tests have been extremely favorable.

Scramjets work by sucking air to a chamber that narrows until the air is so condensed it ignites. Just before ignition, standard jet fuel is injected into the chamber. The lack of moving parts and modern construction materials mean that scramjets can withstand much more heat and force than a standard turbine-powered jet engine. Standard jet turbines would melt around Mach 3, but theoretically scramjets should be viable up to Mach 15, or around 10,000 miles per hour. That means that a two-hour flight from New York to Tokyo is theoretically possible.

Of course, the interest in scramjets isn't just about transportation. The military foresees scramjet-powered intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of hitting targets around the globe before an enemy would even have a chance to respond. And, of course, America isn't the only one racing for the prize. The governments of China, Australia, and others are in hot pursuit of the first practical scramjet engine.

From Slashdot and Popular Science

Related links:

The Defense Department's New Robot Dogs

by Tim Stevens, posted Sep 27th 2007 at 9:14AM

It's been said that a dog is a man's best friend. It's also been said that one day robots will take over the world and put us all to work doing their bidding. So, it's with conflicted feelings that we report on a new robot dog, one that has the potential to be a little more useful than Sony's dearly departed (and frequently copied) Aibo. This new robo-mutt, called LittleDog, has been developed at American robotics company Boston Dynamics for the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Agency (DARPA). The hope is that it will someday become a battle-ready companion for soldiers at war.

The dogs, which at this point look something like a boom-box with legs, have been delivered to various top robotics universities around the country, including MIT, Stanford, and Carnegie Mellon, for them to develop the best software to control the bots. Each month the universities will send in their latest versions of the software they develop for DARPA scientists to put through its paces, tasking the robot pooches with scampering over obstacles and the like, as shown in the above test video that demonstrates current submissions from Carnegie Mellon and USC.

What exactly the military will do with these dogs remains to be seen, but scouting and recon along with possible supply delivery seem perfectly reasonable. Games of fetch, however, are probably out of the question ... at least until someone grafts a head onto these suckers.

From New Scientist Tech

Related Links:

Military Robots That Do Surgeons' Work

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Aug 9th 2007 at 4:11PM

DARPAtech, the research arm of the Pentagon, is showing off a wide range of ground breaking tech at its annual conference. First up is the Trauma Pod, a self contained, portable, robo-surgeon. The big news about the Trauma Pod is that it will be ready for deployment in 2009.

Researchers were also showing off a Breathalyzer that can supposedly detect a broad range of diseases, including breast cancer. Menssana Research, the maker of the Breath Collecting Apparatus, claims the device is as accurate as a mammogram.

Also on display are three new battle field ready robots, including the four-legged, sensor-equipped, Little Dog (for handling uneven terrain); the idiot proof, helicopter-like Micro Air Vehicle; and the larger, completely autonomous Organic Air Vehicle, which can land in an area, perform surveillance, then return again to base all by itself.

From Slashdot

Related Links:

Seen@PAX08 LAN room: Waldo and a lonely MacBook Rock Band Weekly: PAX pack with Jonathan Coulton, MC Frontalot and Darkest of the Hillside Thickets You choose Battlefield Bad Company Conquest maps	10 Awesome BlackBerry apps Googleholic for August 29, 2008 3 Mobile Web Apps that keep old Pocket PCs relevant
Rumor: Apple and AT&T working on tethering deal My favorite iPod touch apps: Mike R.'s picks Meet Spore's creator at Regent St. Apple Store	Closing Bell: Dow, NASDAQ and S&P down on inflation and oil worries Is infrastructure investment good for the U.S. economy? Broadcom (BRCM): Behind the iPhone display, and more
PAX 08: Microsoft Xbox campus tour PAX 08: Halo 3's Assembly officially revealed PAX 08: Witness a Bungie and The Behemoth booth construction	Empty the 401k: Riddler-winning Ferrambo up for sale VIDEO: Viper ACR and Corvette ZR1 battle on the 'Ring BMW helping disabled vets get back behind the wheel
Shipping screw up causes slight S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Clear Sky US delay Penny Arcade: E For All organizers "don't know what they're doing" Portal 50 percent off this weekend on Steam	Vikings' Bryant McKinnie Suspended 4 Games, Tarvaris Jackson Will Get Off to a Rough Start Oh, Adrian Arrington, Your Rookie Season Has Ended Much Too Soon And You Thought You Knew Mario Manningham

Camera Drones to Monitor Future Battlefields?

Northrop Grumman Developing Threat-Sensing Binoculars

Robotic Sentries to Descend on British Town In Contest

Unmanned Spy Plane To Stay Aloft for Five Years

U.S. Air Force Blocks Access to Blogs

GM's New Hydrogen-Powered Car Unveiled

Gallery: The Cadillac Provoq

Two-Hour New York-Tokyo Flights Coming Soon?

The Defense Department's New Robot Dogs

Military Robots That Do Surgeons' Work

Breaking news Feed

Featured stories Feed

AOL Tech Network

Resources

Categories

cnet reviews

downloads

Features

Hot Topics

Latest Reviews from CNET.com

Top Product Reviews