Military tech

We've seen different flying robots in recent months, but none is as easy to kick around as this orb under development by Japan's Ministry of Defense.

It's remarkable not only for its spherical frame, which allows it to bump into walls and perform rolling landings without damaging itself (as seen in the TV Tokyo vid below), but also for the fact that it cost only $1,000 to create.

Developed by the ministry's Technical Research and Development Institute, the machine is also unusual in that military robots are almost culturally taboo in Japan. The sphere, however, is designed to carry a camera, not weapons.

It's also one of the only flying spherical robots in the world, according to the ministry. Apart from that Death Star torture droid.

With a top speed of about 40 mph, the remote-controlled machine flies on a single propeller and eight wings. It can navigate through windows, inside buildings, and even in narrow spaces. … Read more

Panasonic is creating a 10-inch Android tablet under the Toughbook brand, due out in the fourth quarter of 2011. Panasonic's aim is to create a tablet for commercial and government use that is both secure and durable. Pricing has yet to be announced.

The exact specs detailed in Panasonic's press release are a little hazy, but we know the screen will be a 10.1-inch XGA multitouch panel and that GPS will come standard. An embedded 3G/4G modem is optional. Hopefully Panasonic will take a cue from Toshiba and offer a swappable battery, as well.

The niche … Read more

Here's a linguistic can of worms for you: a U.S. intelligence agency is training computers to analyze metaphors used in foreigners' conversations to determine if they are a threat to national security.

The Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA), a spy version of DARPA under the director of National Intelligence, is working on something called The Metaphor Program. It's no 1960s quiz show.

The program is meant to "exploit the fact that metaphors are pervasive in everyday talk and reveal the underlying beliefs and worldviews of members of a culture."

Researchers will apparently identify and define metaphors from English, Farsi, Spanish, and Russian texts and compile them into a database. But computers will do most of the work. … Read more

Remember that little robot that scoots along the corridors of the Death Star? These Georgia Tech machines remind me of that little guy. But they're designed to help people on Earth by mapping out building interiors.

The rolling droids are being developed by Georgia Institute of Technology, the University of Pennsylvania, and the California Institute of Technology/Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). Equipped with two cameras and laser scanners, they can autonomously explore hallways in an unfamiliar building, detecting doors and windows, and create a map for users such as soldiers or firefighters.

The project is part of the Micro Autonomous Systems and Technology (MAST) program and is being sponsored by the Army Research Laboratory. The program is aimed at developing palm-size machines that can hover in place, enter buildings, and perform other insect-like stunts while gathering data and relaying it to human controllers.

The Georgia Tech robots in the vid below roll on treads and measure about a foot square, but researchers plan to shrink them. "Fully autonomous and collaborative, these tiny robots could swarm by the scores into hazardous situations," Georgia Tech said in a release.

Creepy? Definitely. The only thing worse than swarming robots are baby robots. But I digress. … Read more

Panasonic's new Toughbook looks a lot like its old Toughbook. That is to say, it's bulky, is rated for MIL-STD-810G tests including drops up to 30 inches on its sides or 12 inches on the corners, and has a magnesium-alloy case, a shock-mounted hard drive, and spill-resistant keyboard.

The differences, however, are many: the new Toughbook 53 has lost over a pound of weight, dropping to a reasonable 5.6 pounds and downsizing its screen from 15.6 inches to 14 inches. The track pad has gotten larger, and added multitouch. 4G LTE service is now offered--a first … Read more

Northrop Grumman has unveiled a long-endurance unmanned spy plane which, in addition to surveillance gear, can carry pilots, potentially allowing it to fly in civil airspace.

The Firebird performed its first flight in February 2010. It can fly up to 30,000 feet and has an endurance of up to 40 hours in unmanned mode. It has a payload of 1,240 pounds and a wingspan of 65 feet.

It has high-def video, electro-optical and infrared sensors as well as synthetic aperture radar (SAR) and ground moving target indicator (GMTI) systems. There are two weapons points on the wings.

Northrop's Scaled Composites designed the aircraft, which has an interface like a memory stick in that it can be plugged into a PC without the need of additional software.

Firebird will be demoed May 23 - June 3, 2011 at Empire Challenge 2011, held by U.S. Joint Forces Command in Arizona. If you can't make it, there's a promo video here. … Read more

Piracy off the shores of Africa continues to be a serious problem, costing the shipping industry billions of dollars. Could robots help in the battle against pirates?

ReconRobotics has teamed up with Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Pacific to develop a concept robot that would be able to climb hulls and perform reconnaissance missions on ships seized by pirates.

The micro-robot would be based on Recon's Throwbot platform, a rolling surveillance robot that can be tossed through a window, down a staircase, or into hazardous situations. It's used by military and law enforcement and can survive throws … Read more

With everything from night vision goggles to GPS enhancing the effectiveness of the military, the modern soldier is a walking technological marvel. Now, continuous Internet access may be within reach of the average GI even in the most remote parts of the world, thanks to the KnightHawk 3G.

Essentially a mobile telecommunication network base station, the device is described as a "ruggedized, highly mobile tactical base station" that can acquire 3G signals in places with "limited or no cellular connectivity."

Weighing a hefty 44 pounds, it probably won't get lugged around but will likely be installed in vehicles for communication on the battlefield. The KnightHawk 3G works as a WCDMA network and offers 14.4Mbps download and 5.76Mbps upload speeds. It also supports 60 voice calls and 14 HSDPA connections simultaneously.

While the point of an Internet network on the field is to allow communication between soldiers, we're sure some grunts will be looking forward to a bit of recreational use of Twitter and Facebook as well.

(Source: Crave Asia via Engadget) … Read more