Showing posts with label Technology. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Technology. Show all posts
XM25 Smart Rifle To Be Game Changer
That blog headline is according to US Military spokesman, Lieutenant Colonel Chris Lehner, program manager for the XM25. The Pentagon has rolled out prototypes of its first-ever programmable "smart" grenade launcher, a shoulder-fired weapon that uses microchipped ammunition to target and kill the enemy, even when the enemy is hidden behind walls or other cover.
The XM25 Counter Defilade Target Engagement System, about the size of a regular rifle, has now been deployed to US units on the battlefields of Afghanistan, where the Army expects it to be a "game-changer" in its counterinsurgency operations.
It fires 25mm air-bursting shells up to (700 metres), well past the range of most rifles used by today's soldiers, and programs them to explode at a precise distance, allowing troops to neutralise insurgents hiding behind walls, rocks or trenches or inside buildings.
The revolutionary advance involves an array of sights, sensors and lasers that reads the distance to the target, assesses elements such as air pressure, temperature, and ballistics and then sends that data to the microchip embedded in the XM25 shell before it is launched.
The Pentagon plans to purchase at least 12,500 of the guns - at a price tag of $US25,000 to $US30,000 each - beginning next year, enough for one in each Infantry squad and Special Forces team....Gary Oldman could soon be selling the US Military his own weapons in the near future!
Words & Info [VIA]
The XM25 Counter Defilade Target Engagement System, about the size of a regular rifle, has now been deployed to US units on the battlefields of Afghanistan, where the Army expects it to be a "game-changer" in its counterinsurgency operations.
It fires 25mm air-bursting shells up to (700 metres), well past the range of most rifles used by today's soldiers, and programs them to explode at a precise distance, allowing troops to neutralise insurgents hiding behind walls, rocks or trenches or inside buildings.
The revolutionary advance involves an array of sights, sensors and lasers that reads the distance to the target, assesses elements such as air pressure, temperature, and ballistics and then sends that data to the microchip embedded in the XM25 shell before it is launched.
The Pentagon plans to purchase at least 12,500 of the guns - at a price tag of $US25,000 to $US30,000 each - beginning next year, enough for one in each Infantry squad and Special Forces team....Gary Oldman could soon be selling the US Military his own weapons in the near future!Words & Info [VIA]
Pillow Universal Remote
This is a nifty design: a universal remote embedded within a pillow! With touch sensitive fabric buttons making this remote a hard one to lose....
[VIA]
[VIA]ASIMO Turns 10!!
The world's most advanced robot has turned 10!To celebrate, Honda is releasing a free app for iPhone and Android called Run With Asimo. Take a walk through Asimo's history and control him too!
Check out the video below which features the robot on a madcap dash through its own history.
[VIA]
Driverless Vans Reach China From Italy
Remember when Google's autonomous car did 1000 miles and everyone was impressed?Back in July, a group of autonomous orange EVs from Vislab left Italy on a trip that would take them through cities like Moscow and wastelands like the Gobi Desert, all thanks to an array of laser scanners, cameras, and of course GPS.
It was a 13,000km journey (8,078 miles) that was made with minimal driver intervention and, thanks to the EV-nature of the vehicles, without stopping once for gasoline - though they were limited to about four hours of travel each day before having to recharge. They arrived in Shanghai on 28th October.
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Skydive From Space Update 3
It is a sad sad day.Red Bull GmbH and Red Bull North America Inc have decided to stop the Red Bull Stratos programme with immediate effect.
Felix Baumgartner had been scheduled to undertake a stratospheric balloon flight to 120,000ft (36.5km) and attempt a freefall jump that would, for the first time, reach supersonic speeds, as well as deliver valuable scientific data.
Despite the fact that many other people over the past 50 years have tried to break Colonel (Ret) Joe Kittinger's altitude record, and that other individuals have sought to work with Red Bull in an attempt to break his record, Daniel Hogan claims to own certain rights to the project and filed a multi-million-dollar lawsuit earlier this year in a Californian court.
That "Mr. Hogan" is apparently one Daniel Hogan, who reportedly pitched Red Bull on a similar skydiving idea in 2004.
Due to the lawsuit, they have decided to stop the project until this case has been resolved.
For a project that has been 3 years in development, this petty claim really pisses me off.
I've been waiting and waiting for this event.
[VIA]
Felix meeting Neil Armstrong in August 2010[VIA]
ESPVisuals iPhone App
It's here!!!!!
ESPVisuals now has its very own RSS reader so you can enjoy all your favourite art, graff, toys and videos whilst on the move, all laid out neatly.
A HUGE thank you to Implode for spending who knows how much time on this.
You fucking rock!!
Check out some screenshots below and then get it HERE
ESPVisuals now has its very own RSS reader so you can enjoy all your favourite art, graff, toys and videos whilst on the move, all laid out neatly.
A HUGE thank you to Implode for spending who knows how much time on this.
You fucking rock!!
Check out some screenshots below and then get it HERE
Skydive From Space Update 2
4 people now have their eyes on this record.
Felix Baumgartner, who with the help of Joe Kittinger, the man who has held the record since 1960, is well on his way to complete this insane challenge. A photo of his gondola which wil take him up to 120,000 Feet is below.
The rivals are:
Steve Truglia, a British stuntman.
Cheryl Stearns, a pilot for US Airways who holds 30 skydiving records.
Michael Fournier from France, who has attempted the freefall record 3 times and has been his dream for 20 years. His last attempt was in May 2010, but was cancelled due to a technical fault.
Felix Baumgartner, who with the help of Joe Kittinger, the man who has held the record since 1960, is well on his way to complete this insane challenge. A photo of his gondola which wil take him up to 120,000 Feet is below.
The rivals are:
Steve Truglia, a British stuntman.
Cheryl Stearns, a pilot for US Airways who holds 30 skydiving records.
Michael Fournier from France, who has attempted the freefall record 3 times and has been his dream for 20 years. His last attempt was in May 2010, but was cancelled due to a technical fault.
My money's on Felix.
Check out our previous post on him and his spacesuit HERE.
1. Camera Systems
Three pressurized housings on aluminum arms will contain a total of three HD, three ultra-high-resolution video and two digital still cameras. Four more cameras record outside and three inside. "We basically built a flying television studio," says Jay Nemeth of FlightLine Films.
2. Outer Fairing
The Gemini shape of the capsule is "really a very elegant way of putting a lot of insulation around a lot of the systems," says chief engineer Bill Dodson. R-24 equivalent foam, covered by a fiberglass shell and fireproof paint, helps guard against temperatures as low as minus 100 F.
3. Liquid Oxygen
Redundant liquid-oxygen tanks with independent lines provide 10 hours of O2 for the 3-hour flight, plus pressurize Baumgartner's suit at altitude. N2 flowing from an oversize liquid-nitrogen tank will keep the cabin's oxygen level to below 30 percent, minimizing fire risk.
4. Pressure Sphere
A pressure sphere, molded from fiberglass and epoxy, sits in a chrome-moly steel load frame "like an egg in a bubble-wrap container," says project director Art Thompson. It will be pressurized to 8 psi—equal to 16,000 feet—but is designed to withstand 50. "It's definitely overbuilt."
[VIA]
Cept Update
The Spradio by CEPT is making a comeback...watch this space!
Cept has just released an edition of 10, individually hand painted silk screen prints on 300gsm water colour paper , (Based on his original sketch for the wall piece) all printed signed, painted and numbered by the artist. Entitled, "Again & Again" Edition of 10 56cm x 76cm
Last 2 images from HowAboutNo's FlickrVirgin Galactic Takes First Test Flight
Richard Branson was overjoyed yesterday to announce that his passenger-carrying suborbital "SpaceShipTwo" rocket thrillride craft has left the ground for the first time. However it remained attached to its jet-powered "mothership" for the entire flight; independent operations aren't expected for some time.
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Playstation 4 Concept Design
Tai Chiem has created this stunning PS4 console which features a glass touchscreen panel and a glossy black round compartment to place your disc. PS4 will give the gamer a unique cable-free gaming experience with its Bluetooth 2.0 connectivity. Personally, I am loving the transparent display of the main unit, which can show thumbnails of different parts of the disc; allowing the user to select a section by simply touching the respective thumbnails.
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Whole Popular Science Catalogue On Google Books
This might just be the find of the decade for me and those of you who enjoy checking out retro-futurism. The super-famous "Popular Science" series, which has been running since 1870(!) has been added to Google Books and each issue has been lovingly scanned and put into handy PDF's for all of us to read. Check out the incredible archive HERE. Happy reading!
Clavilux 2000 Audio Visual Generator
Clavilux 2000 - Interactive instrument for generative music visualization from Jonas Heuer.
The Clavilux 2000 is an interactive instrument for generative music visualization, which is able to generate a live visualization of any music played on a digital piano. The setting of the installation consists of three parts: A digital piano with 88 keys and midi output, a computer running a vvvv patch and a vertical projection above the keyboard.
For every note played on the keyboard a new visual element appears in form of a stripe, which follows in its dimensions, position and speed the way the particular key was stroke. Colours give the viewer and listener an impression of the harmonic relations: Each key has it's own color scheme and "wrong" notes stand out in contrasting colors.
Furthermore the piano player can switch between the standard 2d view and an additional 3d view of the visualization while playing.
[VIA]
Sportpong
You can’t get any more old school with video games than the classic Pong game with the paddles and square ball. Sportpong, which was created in Switzerland goes like this. The field is projected on the floor and each player has a reflector on each foot to control the ball. Looks like alot of fun!Augmented Reality Gaming
Forget looking at the world through rose tinted glasses – try these on for size. Video eyewear manufacturer Vuzix has unveiled its Wrap 920AR glasses prototype that features cameras mounted to the lenses that project real world images onto LCD’s inside the glasses, seamlessly mixing real-world and computer generated imagery.The glasses incorporate a camera on each lens that captures video at a resolution of 752x480 at 60fps offering a combined image of 1504x480 which can also be viewed in stereoscopic 3D. The cameras project real-world imagery onto LCD’s inside the glasses that give the effect of watching a 67” display from ten feet away. The images are overlaid with computer generated imagery effectively creating an augmented reality.
Check out the video.
Check out the video.
[VIA]
