Crave

On July 25, 2000, an Air France Concorde ran over a piece of titanium debris while taking off from Charles de Gaulle International Airport. Minutes later 113 people perished in a ball of fire.

Most airports rely on visual inspections to keep runways clear of foreign objects and prevent what happened in France, but Heathrow International Airport, the world's busiest, has now installed a permanent dual radar system called the Tarsier, which scans 3,658 meters of runway in search of junk 24 hours a day.

(Credit: QinetiQ)

The Tarsier uses networked high-frequency, high-resolution radar and integrated digital signal processing to pinpoint anything from a pigeon to a cellophane sandwich wrapper (PDF).

Foreign object damage, or "FOD," is responsible for $60 million worth of damage a year, an average of $15,000 per aircraft for each major airline in the U.S. alone, according to the FAA (PDF).

FOD can be caused by wildlife, stray tools, pieces of rubber, or any other imaginable debris strewn across a runway. A rock sucked into a jet engine can "shred turbine blades in a matter of seconds," the FAA says.

The system allows automated runway inspections around the clock, rain or shine, and with no disruption to airport traffic, according to the manufacturer, QinetiQ. It can be further enhanced with cameras that allow remote visual confirmation of debris.

The smallest item detected to date is a 10-millimeter metal fitting in an area the size of 30 football fields, the company says. Once an object is found, Tarsier reports its latitude and longitude to within 3 meters via GPS.

The system has also been tested in Dubai, Amsterdam, Vancouver, and Sydney, according to QinetiQ. The U.S. Air Force has used the equipment as well.

"I believe that this system will become the international standard in the next 5 to 10 years and other airports will follow suit," said Brett Patterson of the Vancouver International Airport Authority.

(Credit: QinetiQ)

The Transportation Security Administration has purchased a dozen cameras that use millimeter wave technology and sophisticated algorithms to screen crowds of rapidly moving travelers for weapons from up to 20 meters away.

The SPO threat detection system made by QinetiQ measures waves "naturally emitted by the human body," exposing "cold" objects such as metal, plastic, or ceramics concealed under clothing. A red light on the system's display alerts the operator if you're packing, so there's no need to rely on interpreting images on a screen. It also means no one is ogling your naked body, which was one of the objections when similar technology was deployed at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport last October.

(Credit: TSA)

This imaging technology is safe; the "passive" millimeter wave system generates no emissions itself, but creates an image from reflected body energy, according to the company. Still, if you're nostalgic for the vintage, step-through experience, you can always try this personal fold-up portable metal detector by CI Tech.

The Talon, locked and loaded.

(Credit: Qinetiq)

Does the right to bear arms also apply to robots?

That's no longer a question for idle speculation. And the answer appears to be a quiet but distinct yes.

These aren't autonomous robots, of course (so begone, you Terminator nightmares, at least for now). They're standard-issue remote-controlled machines like Foster-Miller's low-to-the-ground Talon, which has been put to good use in dangerous places for less-aggressive duties such as finding and neutralizing roadside bombs. That means a human operator well versed in the rules of engagement would make the actual decision on whether to shoot.

But their use as a weapons platform is only just beginning, so we've yet to see how well they perform and under what circumstances, and it could soon enough become more widespread. For instance, Foster-Miller parent Qinetiq this week is showing off a weaponized Talon at the DSEi (Defence Systems and Equipment International Exhibition) event in London. Military units can equip the so-called SWORDS (Special Weapons Observation Reconnaissance Direct-action System) variant with an M240 or M249 machine gun, a Barrett .50-caliber rifle, a 40mm grenade launcher or an M202 antitank rocket system, Qinetiq says.

A trio of M249-equipped Talons is already on deployment with the U.S. Army's 3rd Infantry Division in Iraq. (That compares with hundreds of bomb-disposal Talons.) In-country since April, they were formally approved for combat use in June, according to National Defense, which first reported on the use last month. Some 80 more could eventually be on the way, if funding comes through, the magazine reported.

The Talon is driven by joystick from a briefcase-size control unit.

(Credit: Sgt. Lorie Jewell/U.S. Army)

Qinetiq says the weaponized systems are being evaluated by "other nations" as well.

The Defense Department had hoped to have the gun-toting Talons in Iraq a couple years ago, according to an Army News Service story from December 2004. That account also said that in testing, the system could hit a bull's-eye from 2,000 meters, though it was understandably less accurate when on the move. At that time, each unit had cost about $230,000 to produce, and estimates were that the figure would drop 20 percent to 30 percent when the robots went into production.

Not long before that article appeared, Time magazine had designated the weaponized device as one of the "coolest inventions" of 2004.

The 200-pound robot can move at up to 5.5 miles per hour, and its battery has a 4-hour run time.

This is not your father's remote-controlled boat.

Qinetiq's Sentry is a unmanned surveillance and reconnaissance craft that the company says "boasts an advanced stealth design" and can hit speeds of up to 50 knots. Only now it's just a little less stealthy as it gets its first public demonstration at DSEi, the Defence Systems and Equipment International Exhibition, taking place this week in London.

Qinetiq's remote-controlled Sentry looks a little like a stealth fighter plane--on purpose.

(Credit: Qinetiq)

We're not exactly sure how Qinetiq will perform the demonstration. The Sentry is much bigger than a rubber ducky, or dinghy even. It's 11.5 feet from stem to stern and has a beam (its widest part, for you landlubbers) of just over 4 feet, and certainly would need some running room. When it gets running, the company says, it can go for about 6 hours.

Whatever the demo actually entails, it's certainly worth a closer look. The Sentry's operator uses a PC-based console for remote control, including non-line-of-sight operations of up to 16 miles. It can also operate autonomously. The vehicle carries microwave data-link communications gear, a camera for day or night use, and a lighting rig that meets maritime navigation standards, according to the company.

Qinetiq says the Sentry combines its own research findings with "tried and tested commercial Jet Ski design"--we're assuming the company actually uses that brand of aquatic machinery and isn't, unlike many of us, rather too casual in using the brand name to describe generic gear that Jet Ski would prefer we call a "personal watercraft."

Missions for the Sentry, which stands just a little more than 3 feet above the waterline, could eventually include harbor patrol, battlefield recon and damage assessment.

But will it ever gain the sort of historical fame that now attends to PT-109 and John Kerry's Swift Boat? Only time will tell.

Qinetiq's solar-powered Zephyr takes flight.

(Credit: Qinetiq)

It looks like a giant version of the $2 styrofoam airplane toys you buy at the hobby shop, put together in two minutes, and render utterly useless after just a pair of overzealous throws. But this bird can soar.

So says its maker, the British defense contractor Qinetiq, which is crowing about the 54-hour flight turned in by its Zephyr High Altitude Long Endurance flyer. That's a record and then some for an unmanned aircraft, the company says, though it acknowledges the official word will still have to be delivered by the Federation Aeronautique Internationale.

And did we mention that it's solar-powered? High endurance and green-tech cred--not bad at all for a contraption with all the design flair of a Q-tip lashed to a couple of broken rulers.

The two-day test flight (and a second, shorter flight) of the UAV were the first time all the particular components--solar arrays, lithium-sulphur batteries, a "bespoke autopilot" and more--had flown together, Qinetiq says. The U.K.'s Ministry of Defence ponied up the funds for the New Mexico trials.

For more details and more pictures, see "Photos: Solar-powered UAV flies and flies."