navy

SAN DIEGO--I have seen the future of military command centers, and it is small rooms with glass walls and video screens with built-in artificial intelligence.

That's probably a gross oversimplification, but those are certainly some of the elements on display at the Navy's Command Center of the Future, a prototype project currently under way at the Space and Naval Warfare (SPAWAR) Systems Center Pacific here.

For those not familiar with SPAWAR, it is a Navy laboratory tasked with "creating an unfair advantage for our war fighters," according to Jim Fallin, the facility's director of communications, … Read more

Who has the most perfect balls in the world? Metrologists. No, seriously. They do. You should see the pictures. This is serious science, people, so quit your childish snickering. In actual news for the day, Apple misses its chance to make iTunes the world's music software (again) by blocking Pre syncing with its latest iTunes update, and Apple actually called Microsoft to demand that it take down its Laptop Hunters ads. Wow. Talk about balls.

In what it says is a "first of its kind" initiative, the U.S. Navy plans to launch sometime this spring an unmanned aerial vehicle for a 24-hour endurance flight carrying a 5-pound payload and powered entirely by a hydrogen-powered fuel cell.

Called the Ion Tiger, the UAV can travel farther and carry heavier loads than earlier battery-powered designs, according to the Office of Naval Research. It also boasts "stealthy characteristics" such as reduced noise, low heat signature, and zero emissions (PDF).

"This will really be a demonstration for a fuel cell system in … Read more

Ahoy, GPS-stranded motorist. Stop banging the dashboard, and consider this timely reincarnation of dead reckoning to help you find your way out of "GPS-denied environments," or at least alert others to where you can be found.

Seer Technology is offering a miniature, self-contained, electronic navigation unit called NaviSeer that mixes GPS and DR in a complex gumbo of hardware and proprietary algorithms to deliver user location in real time.

It does this by blending the output from three gyros, three accelerometers (one at each axis,) a magnetometer, and a baro altimeter, and then running it through a Kalman filter.

The result: coordinates accurate to within less than a yard, according to Seer. And no, it "does not require sensors to be worn on the legs or feet."… Read more

I am not sure whom the French military is attacking these days. (I am told that relations with British tourists are much improved.)

But this morning, I happened upon peculiar information while accidentally scanning the French publication Liberation.

Apparently, in the past two weeks, some French fighter planes were grounded because the military had failed to take sufficient action (even though Microsoft had sent advance warning) to prevent the spread of a Windows-transmitted virus that some call Conficker, and the Liberation journalist, Jean-Dominique Merchet, calls Conflicker.

Mr. Merchet quotes a publication that has somehow escaped my attention--Intelligence Online.

This … Read more

Bucking the open-source trend, the British Royal Navy has developed a modified version of Microsoft Windows XP and has begun installing it on its fleet of nuclear submarines.

The new Submarine Command System Next Generation (SMCS NG) employs standard multifunction consoles with double LCD screens, linked with "commercial grade" cables and software to internal Ethernet local area networks (LANs) aboard each sub.

Ever thrifty, the spit-and-baling-wire Brits went with Windows in part because it was cheaper to maintain. The use of commercial off-the-shelf technology is expected to save the U.K. taxpayers up to $32 million over the … Read more

Whether it's tacking your 10 meter off Tahiti or slipping over the gunwale of a super tanker in the Gulf of Aden, this stylish line of footwear is sure to keep you high and dry.

The OTB line of boots and topsiders uses footwear technology developed for high-performance boat shoes worn by U.S. Navy SEALs, according to OTB Footwear, of Scituate, Mass. OTB stands for "over the beach," navy parlance for sandy delivery.

The company says it designs products for "specific adventures" rather than fashion. The shoes are made from "water friendly synthetics&… Read more

The Army is investing $50 million into video combat training games and gaming systems over the next five years, in a move to prepare soldiers for battle.

Soldiers, via the video games, will face ambushes and roadside bomb attacks while traveling in convoys, along with a host of other situations that mimic battle under a number of conditions and terrain, according to a report in Stars and Stripes.

The Army's Peo-Stri and gaming unit will monitor the industry, seeking out commercial games and systems it can use for low-cost training, the report noted.

Darwars Ambush is one of the … Read more

Ocean Power Technologies announced Thursday that it will be installing a water-power buoy system to tie into Hawaii's Oahu Island power grid.

The New Jersey-based company makes ocean buoys that harness the energy of ocean waves to generate electricity that is then sent back to shore via underwater cable.

Through a partnership with the U.S. Navy, Ocean Power has been developing technology that could supplement electricity needs for the military in Hawaii .

"We are pleased to be a part of the Navy's effort to develop and commercialize new technologies to reduce the Navy's dependence on … Read more