weapons

Taser goes wireless

This could be almost as much fun as a blowgun and curare-laden darts. Except, of course, that the kinder, gentler weaponry from Taser International is intended to have nonlethal results.

Up to now, Taser stun guns have been short-range gadgets that deliver their jolt of electricity through wires linking the gun and the projectile. (Think Ben Stiller and Dustin Hoffman getting zapped in Meet the Fockers.) On Monday, the company plans to introduce its first-ever wireless device in Chicago at the Taser Tactical Conference for members of law enforcement and military organizations,

Taser's new XREP packs its neuromuscular punch … Read more

Political battles over the Airborne Laser

Remember the scene in Independence Day where the alien invaders blow up the White House with some sort of interstellar death ray? We Earthlings are still a long, long way from that sort of weaponry--just how far will depend, as so many things do, on budget battles in Washington.

The Pentagon's premier "directed energy" weapons system is a missile-zapping laser that could someday soon be tooling around in a modified 747, if all goes right for a program valued at $3.8 billion. This week, the Airborne Laser aircraft paid a visit to Andrews Air Force Base … Read more

Photos: The Army's vision for soldier tech

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.

Fighting land mines with darts

There's no easy way to clear a path through a minefield. Options range from tracked vehicles pummeling the ground with whirling flails to individual soldiers gingerly poking the ground and then defusing mines one by one. The Defense Department, cognizant of the need for both speed and safety in beach landings and other operations, is looking at another alternative--masses of small darts raining down on suspect terrain.

The April edition of Popular Science offers a quick look at that laboratory project, which falls under the auspices of the Office of Naval Research. (The ONR isn't just about ships … Read more

Radio telescope technology reveals hot bodies on Earth

A new imaging system promises to pinpoint the location of a weapon concealed on a person without using a metal detector, a pat-down or the slightest dose of radiation, all thanks to some heavenly technology.

The BIS-WDS Prime combines "millimeter wave sensor" technology, video cameras and algorithm software to detect "objects made of metal, plastic, ceramic and composite hidden beneath a subject's clothing" from up to 45 feet away, according to manufacturer Brijot Imaging Systems. The subject doesn't have to stand still or even know he's being scanned.

The technology, which is used … Read more

Not your kid brother's toy gun

Toy guns have come a long way from the days of Nerf. This one, the Airsoft Submachine Gun featured on ThinkGeek, is about as far from those neon-green pistols as they get. It has freaking LASER SIGHT. And an illuminator flashlight built in. And it's so awesome, it comes with protective goggles. Not to mention the fact that it actually looks like a legitimate weapon, rather than something out of "The Jetsons."

If you're one of those types who's so hardcore that you play paintball in tanks, then yeah, maybe you'll like this. Just … Read more

The microwave as a lethal weapon

Microwave ovens have been used to heat corn dogs melt toys. Now, two inventors want to employ them to liquidate an enemy in battle.

In an application with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, two inventors say they have come up with a way to get the magnetrons, the device inside microwave ovens that turns electrical energy into microwaves, to essentially synchronize.

Right now, the largest magnetrons can crank out about 1 megawatt. That's a lot of power, but the device is expensive and delicate. By getting off-the-shelf magnetrons to lock into the same frequency and phase, you … Read more