Military tech

Robots might not be fighting wars by themselves yet, but they're doing their part among the support ranks in the battlefied. As equipment such as pocket-sized spy bots become increasingly common, other types of mobile equipment aren't far behind.

DARPA's "LANdroid" prototype, for instance, is a wireless network router mounted on treads that looks like a tiny tank. Like the ultra-portable spy bots, the palm-sized device is designed to be dropped by Army troops in the field, then autonomously find the best spot to station itself as a network hub, according to OhGizmo.

It's … Read more

Where can you find some primo vintage desert footwear, a discussion of probability algorithms, and a solar-powered robotics operation? Why, it's Crave's slideshow of 2007 DARPA Urban Challenge entrants!

DARPA's 2005 Grand Challenge was a 132-mile Nevada desert race of autonomous vehicles. This year's Challenge is focused on urban operations--navigating a four-way intersection, performing pretty involved street driving moves--all without a human operator. How much time, manpower, equipment, research and programming does it take to teach a car how to drive itself? Read the story.

Seriously though, check out the boots on that dude from the … Read more

The soldier of the future is looking for a little help from Congress in the here and now.

One of the Army's high-tech works in progress is a program called Land Warrior that's designed to loop individual foot soldiers into an electronic battlefield network. Helmets would be fitted out with headphones, microphone and a miniature computer display in an eyepiece. Assault rifles would have a digital video camera along with a laser rangefinder and thermal sight. GPS tech would help soldiers know whether the noise around the corner comes from friend or foe.

The Army this week put … Read more

In dangerous places like Iraq and Afghanistan, robots help to save soldiers' lives and limbs by ferreting out hidden explosives. In return, the soldiers help put the robots back together after a rough day of bomb-sniffing.

One of the main places that fix-up work takes place is the Joint Robotics Repair Facility at Camp Victory in Baghdad. The U.S. Army describes the JRRF as an "all-volunteer workshop" where the goal is quick turnaround--the shop adheres to a four-hour turnaround standard for repairs. If a given robot can't be rebuilt that fast, the soldiers who brought it … Read more

Are you interested in what you'll be driving in the future? Do you need a phone that can get down and dirty? Are the colors on your monitor a tad bit off? If the answers are yes, then we have some photos for you. We look at concept cars, a phone that can withstand the elements, and a tour of a monitor calibration software application.

Photos: Designing the future--Concept car retrospective

Every year at car shows around the world, car makers show off new design ideas. Concept cars represent a transition between current and future models, with only certain … Read more

Thanks to a certain unnamed colleague, Crave often has an inordinate number of posts involving inflatable watercraft. So we feel that apologies are in order for our landlocked readers, especially those in the desert. To show that we're equal-opportunity gadget freaks, today we offer a recreational item that won't be found floating in any backyard pool: a tank. And it's apparently available on Amazon, of all places.

The "JL421 Badonkadonk"--or just "the Donk" to its friends--is an armored land cruiser that can carry up a crew of five (internally or externallly) and … Read more

How can soldiers on the ground see around corners and shoot without exposing their position? The Army's Future Combat Systems (FCS) program envisions a family of high-tech gear including sensors, aerial drones and manned and unmanned ground vehicles, all fully networked and linked to individual soldiers. Click here for a tour of the equipment.

In effort to broaden its thinking about terrorist attacks, the Department of Homeland Security is tapping into the thinking of a group of science fiction authors called Sigma, according to USA Today.

"We need to look everywhere for ideas, and science fiction writers clearly inform the debate," said department spokesman Christopher Kelly.

Science fiction authors are often prone to flights of extreme fancy, but they can be good prognosticators. Indeed, in the novel Footfall, by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle, the government assembles a group of science fiction writers to seek their counsel about an alien invasion. Pournelle … Read more

It's one of the most worn-out cliches of all action movies: the laser beam alarm system. But if they've been around for so long, why they haven't become household staples in today's security-obsessed society?

The latest example comes from Arizona-based company Ionatron and its "Portal Denial System" (sounds so RoboCop). Created for the U.S. government, it fires a stream of "laser-induced plasma" across any entryway, though SCI FI Tech says the operator has the option of making it lethal or "less lethal." Come to think of it, maybe it'… Read more