military

This week on Crave, Donald and Jasmine attempt to make due in the absence of Eric Franklin, who should be awakening from his NyQuil-induced haze any moment now. The big news of the day is Apple's latest gadgets, which include an iMac attack and the undeniably unique Apple Magic Trackpad. Of course, no Crave podcast would be complete without talk of robots and food...specifically one that makes food (sort of). Also, Japan develops some freaky-smart billboards, the military gets some super-spectacular smart earplugs, and the police find a new non-fatal weapon. Finally, we soothe your eyes with some lovely 3D street art--no funky glasses required.

BEDFORD, Mass.--I have seen the future of military robotics, and it is autonomy.

I've come here to visit the headquarters of iRobot, the company probably best known for its famous Roomba vacuum cleaners. But while it has sold more than 5 million of those cute household devices, it has also developed a reputation as one of the world's leaders in designing battlefield-ready robots capable of things like detecting and extracting explosive devices, search-and-rescue, and much more.

Click here for a full photo gallery on iRoomba, its past and its history.

And though iRobot could probably rest on … Read more

By 2015, the government wants 30 percent of all military vehicles to be unmanned. With advances in AI and lightweight, long-lasting computer systems, this goal isn't as sci-fi as it sounds. We've covered the coming of these automated battle machines before, and now there's a new one being tested by the U.S. Marines.

Meet GUSS, the Ground Unmanned Support Surrogate. It's basically an autonomous off-road golf cart used for troop support. It can carry heavy loads a squad might need or quickly evacuate injured soldiers back to base on its own. It's somewhat similar … Read more

With seemingly every car on the road being designed by the same three people, all of whom live in the same subdivision, it seems the only leap forward in auto design is the leap upward.

Many hearts, then, were sent soaring at the news that the Federal Aviation Administration is giving the Terrafugia Transition a little light leeway in order to allow it to qualify as a light aircraft rather than a heavy machine. And now the Marines seem to be getting in on the flying Ford Focus act.

Logi Aerospace has announced that it has sent a proposal to … Read more

ANNAPOLIS, Md.--With a grin, the plebe candidate approached Station 18, the last one before he'd hand over his freedom.

The good nature wasn't returned. Enjoy that grin, the cadre member's scowl seemed to say. "This is your last chance to smile, big guy."

This was I-Day at the United States Naval Academy: Induction Day. The day that 1,247 brand-new, mostly fresh out of high school wanna-be Navy officers showed up at this august school on the banks of the confluence of Chesapeake Bay and the Severn River. Bright eyed and bushy tailed, as … Read more

Most people go to great lengths to keep others from knowing what's going on inside their pants. But skivvies that relay data about the wearer could benefit some people--say soldiers. Yes, we're talking about tighty whities that talk.

Joseph Wang, a nanoengineering professor at the University of California at San Diego, has come up with underpants that have sensors built into the waistband to sense blood pressure, heart rate, and other biological markers. (As if I haven't written enough about high-tech underwear lately.)

The idea is to let remote doctors keep an eye on a soldier's … Read more

A well-known hacker says he tipped authorities off to a man who confided in him about leaking a video of a U.S. military helicopter gunning down journalists and civilians in Iraq in 2007. Other information allegedly being leaked could compromise U.S. foreign policy and lead to deaths, the hacker said.

"I turned him in to protect lives and to protect information that's essential for the U.S. to be able to effectively carry out foreign policy abroad," Adrian Lamo, once busted for breaking into computer networks of high-profile companies, told CNET in a phone interview … Read more

With Army Gen. Keith Alexander named as its first commander, U.S. Cyber Command has a challenging mission and Alexander a demanding job.

Receiving a promotion to four-star general, Alexander on Friday was officially given the reins of U.S. Cyber Command by Defense Secretary Robert Gates during a ceremony in Fort Meade, Md. That signaled the initial launch of the division, which won't be up to full capability until October 1.

The mission of U.S. Cyber Command, or CyberCom, is to synchronize the Defense Department's various networks and cyberspace operations to better defend them against the … Read more

If you're in the military or working in rough field conditions and need a computer upgrade, you're in luck: Panasonic has just announced the upgraded Toughbook 31, a new successor to its most-rugged Toughbook line.

With a weight and thickness that would be unappealing to anyone but those who need serious environmental armor, the Toughbook 31 comes with either an Intel Core i3 or i5 processor, optional ATI HD 5630 graphics, and up to a claimed 11 hours of battery life.

A 13.3-inch LED-backlit touch-screen display has CircuLumin technology that Panasonic says will enable viewing of the … Read more