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Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

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 severity. It uses Doppler waves to find an internal leak, then turns up the frequency and amplitude on that location to stem it, all in a completely automated fashion able to be managed by any Joe in a hot zone. Okay, so perhaps it’s not as cool as a remote-controlled zombie shark, but this cuff has the potential to save many lives and limbs on the battlefield — assuming it works. DARPA hopes to have a functional prototype ready in 18 months. [Warning: PDF read link]

[Via CNET News]

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Source: Tim Stevens

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Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Unfortunately for you budding energy stars out there, the Pentagon’s latest contest is over, so you’ve no choice here but to grit your teeth and applaud both DuPont and Germany’s Smart Fuel Cell. Out of the 170 teams vying for the $1 million prize, these two managed to impress the most; the winning gizmo was the M-25 portable power system, which is already being sold to the US Army for “limited use in the field.” Contestants were tasked with creating a new wearable power solution to juice up energy-hungry military gear (GPS units, night-vision goggles, head-mounted PMPs, etc.) without weighing soldiers down, and the winning device combined “DuPont’s direct-methanol fuel cell technology with SFC’s fuel cell and battery system.” Yeah, we’re totally expecting a PSP / DS compatible version of this before the holidays.

[Via FuelCellWorks, thanks Adam]

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Source: Darren Murph

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Filed under: Transportation

If you had any urge whatsoever to try to your hand at drug trafficking over water while these “weird” economic times sort themselves out, uh, you may want to reevaluate your options. The ever-so-stealthy Stiletto has come to life after tracking down a remarkably quick drug-running boat near Florida; the bad guys were cruising at 42 knots, but that comic book-esque thing you’re undoubtedly peering at above can reach speeds of up to 60 knots. The double-M-shaped hull enables it to navigate in extraordinarily shallow waters without trouble, and a plethora of sensors and radars give it all the power it needs to track down goons. Oddly enough, it’s having a somewhat difficult time finding a government agency to truly call home, but if it continues to keep the coke out of our seas, we’d say it’ll win over some hearts soon enough.

[Thanks, Laz]

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Source: Darren Murph

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Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Good news, everyone! Remember that Alien-infested, out of control satellite we told you about a few weeks ago? Well, the US government has finally put together a plan to avoid the civilization-decimating disaster that would have resulted from its impact with Earth: they’re gonna blow it up. That’s right — US officials have confirmed that they’re going to use modified SM-3 missiles fired from a cruiser and destroyer off the Northwest coast of Hawaii to take the thing out. The weapons have additional fuel and new software which will allow them to reach the object in orbit, thus blasting it to smithereens. The resulting impact will leave nothing but “space junk,” which will endlessly pollute the galaxy until we’re wiped out by a reverse “Big Bang” or doomsday device. You may now return to your overpriced latté.

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Source: Joshua Topolsky

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Filed under: Household

It’s not like we haven’t heard of a higher power invading one’s home before, but apparently, a proposal set to be considered at month’s end could allow the state of California to “require that residents install remotely monitored temperature controls in their homes next year.” The Programmable Communication Thermostat (PCT) would feature a “non-removable” FM receiver which could be controlled by Big Brother in “times of emergency” to drop load in order for “utilities to meet their supplies [when] the integrity of the grid is being jeopardized.” Of course, we are hearing that adjustments would only be made ±4 degrees, but we aren’t so keen on one thing leading to another, if you catch our drift.

[Via Digg, image courtesy of Drexel, thanks yoshi]

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Source: Darren Murph

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Filed under: Desktops

If you think doing five months of hard time in the slammer for uploading a feature film to the internet is tough, try using Windows for nearly half a year when your heart belongs to Linux. Unfortunately, this heartbreaking scenario is indeed true, as the “ex-administrator of the EliteTorrents BitTorrent tracker” is now being forced to use an operating system in which the US government can install monitoring software on. According to Sk0t, who has served his jail time and is now sitting through five months of home confinement, he believes that the government “should have software that conforms to [him],” especially considering how expensive it would be to replace all of one’s software… sans a job. Of course, his alternative seems to be just living out the sentence without using a PC at all, but c’mon, we all know that ain’t happening.

[Via Slashdot]

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Source: Darren Murph

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Filed under: Wireless

Though it did take a bit longer than the six months Ofcom’s chief technologist, Professor William Webb was hoping for, ultra-wideband has finally been given the green light in the UK. New legislation will mean that “UK users will not need a license to use UWB devices when they hit shelves in the future,” and Ofcom’s Chief Executive Ed Richards was quoted as saying that “where possible, we want to remove restrictions on the use of spectrum to allow the market to develop new and innovative services, such as UWB, for the benefit of consumers.” So there you have it (UK-based) folks, just a few more days (August 13th, to be precise) before UWB usage is fair game on your side of the pond.

[Via The Register]

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Source: Darren Murph

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While the idea of an autonomous flying military bot is far from new, the US Navy has taken a first step toward “developing an unmanned combat aircraft that some advocates say could compete with Lockheed Martin’s F-35 joint strike fighter.” Northrop Grumman was awarded a $636 million contract to design, build, and fly an Unmanned Combat Air System “that would operate from the decks of the Navy’s giant nuclear-powered aircraft carriers,” and if things goes as planned, we could see the gunners join our forces “within 10 to 15 years.” And considering that we’re already deploying land-based mechanical soldiers to fire our weapons, we’d say the full-fledged robotic army is certainly closing in.

[Image courtesy of DefenseTech, thanks Jason]

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Source: Darren Murph

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