Tag: WAR

As the U.S. continues to slog its way through the war in Afghanistan, military strategists have been forced to come up with new and inventive ways to combat large groups of insurgents -- including, apparently, a weapon that convinces targets that they're on fire. The 'pain ray' weapon, known as the Active Denial System, uses millimeter waves to heat the top layer of an individual's skin in ...

Share As unmanned drone attacks play an increasingly integral role in America's war on terrorism, controversy surrounding the legality of the operations has gained steam. In response to the public outcry, the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform held a hearing on Wednesday, during which legal experts voiced their opinions on, and displeasure with, the mysterious drone program. ...

Here's the thing about heavy metal. There comes a time in some young men's lives when we they realize they suck at football, don't know anything about cars, are not "intelligent" in the conventional sense and are less than admired by the ladies. At that point, possibly as a function of biology, their hair grows longer, their lips turn to sneers, and their ear drums demand thunderous bass lines, ...

Sometimes, as we report and thus publicize certain technological advancements, we tech writers feel like a reptile farmer who will one day be gobbled up by his prize gator. Thanks to Tokyo University's Intelligent Systems Informatics Lab (ISI) and its new robotic reporter, we've stumbled upon yet another one of those advancements. According to Singularity Hub, the mechano-journalist is able to ...

We'll bypass both the criticisms and the flag waving for now, and establish one simple fact about the Iraq war: we found and captured Saddam Hussein. It's a success that is often lost in the sea of critiques (deserved and otherwise) and overshadowed by our failure to do the same with Osama Bin Laden. What makes this success particularly interesting, however, is how the military utilized what were, ...

During World War II, British operatives constructed a massive computer designed to intercept and decipher incredibly complex, coded German messages. The machine, known as the Colossus, successfully interpreted strategic encryptions and was instrumental in the success of Allied forces. After the war, the heroic machine was destroyed so that enemies could not duplicate the amazing technological ...

Seemingly every other professional uses an iPhone at work, so why not a soldier? Raytheon, a military contractor, hopes to bring Apple's do-all device to the battlefield soon. According to The New York Times, Raytheon announced Wednesday the "One Force Tracker," which is an application that shows a person's position on a real-time map and provides secure communication between users. This live ...

Look, we've long been prepared for the proliferation of zombies. It's a good thing, too, because our own government is ready to turn hordes of soldiers into the undead. But first, they have to figure out how to make it work with pigs. According to ABC News, a recent medical breakthrough funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), which involves putting the body in a state of ...

Now that Facebook has effectively taken over the world, Mark Zuckerberg & Co. have put on their stewardship caps and decided to try and make it a better place, too. With the launch of a new hub called Peace on Facebook, the social networking site hopes to provide a space for dialogue and conflict resolution, and, ultimately, end all human conflict. Forever. According to the site, the ...

With music becoming increasingly accessible, it's now possible to accompany every moment of life with a personalized soundtrack. Not only have iPods and MP3 players pervaded everyday existence, but they've also, not surprisingly, become just as crucial to those most extreme, intense moments -- moments most of us never experience, but which, for soldiers in combat, are the norm. Such is the ...

Although the tools of war have evolved at an astonishing rate over the course of the modern age, the classic man with a gun hasn't changed much since the 1700s. Now that we've finished building bigger and bigger guns, however, we've turned our research muscle back towards doing our best to improve that basic unit of battle: the infantry man. The Land Warrior system is currently getting its ...

The groundwork for robotic morality was laid by science fiction writer Isaac Asimov, who created the 'Three Laws of Robotics.' Taking these ideas to war, Georgia Institute of Technology professor Ron Arkin has tried to establish ethical mores for bots on the battlefield. Arkin, who used an advanced simulation system called MissionLab to create scenarios based on real-life, tested artificial ...

Currently all battlefield robots have humans at the controls -- be they 100 yards away, or across the globe. But military machines are becoming more advanced and soon could be making decisions on when to fire and where to bomb, without human input. In anticipation of that day, Professor Ronald Arkin, a professor of computer science at Georgia Tech, is developing software to govern the behavior ...

The situation in Gaza, as you probably know, is an utter disaster. The conflict between the Israeli military and Hamas has left thousands dead, homeless, or clinging to life. What you may not know is that cell phones -- the ubiquitous, seemingly harmless devices -- are being utilized by both sides to inflict psychological damage on the opposition. Threatening text messages (e.g. announcing ...

If we had our way, all our military tax dollars would go to DARPA. Whether it be nano planes, robot arms, or high-resolution sniper scopes, it always has something interesting cooking, and today's defense-minded gadget is no different. It's called a DBAC device, for Deep Bleeder Acoustic Coagulation; basically a portable ultrasound wrap that can identify wounds ("bleeders") and reduce their ...