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Boeing’s portable drone-destroying laser uses an Xbox controller

Drones are playing an ever-expanding role in modern warfare, so it’s no surprise companies like Boeing are developing news ways to shoot them out of the sky. Its last laser was the High Energy Laser Mobile Demonstrator (HEL MD) — a huge weapon mounted to the top of a truck — and now it’s touting something more portable. The Compact Laser Weapons System fits in four suitcase-sized boxes and can be mounted onto a tripod. It looks like a giant camera and, like the HEL MD, uses an Xbox 360 controller for targeting. As soon as you’re in range though, the system can automatically take over and track the UAV, making sure you get a clean shot. Wired reports that, in one of Boeing’s demos, it only took two seconds at full power to set a drone aflame.

It’s not the most powerful weapon in the defense contractor’s arsenal though. The idea is that an operator would use it to quickly burn a small, targeted spot on the UAV. In theory, this would be enough to deter the drone’s pilot, or maybe cause it to crash without damaging all of its internal parts. (You could then track it down and potentially find out who was flying it in the first place.) Another upside is its potentially unlimited magazine. Unlike missile systems, which have a finite amount of ammunition, a laser can be used as long as there’s a suitable power source. It can be hooked up to a standard 220 volt outlet, a generator or a battery pack. The latter sounds perfect for a laser like this, although Boeing’s solutions reportedly have enough charge for just a few shots right now. If you’re still intrigued like we are though, check out the video below to see it all in action.

[Image Credit: Boeing]

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Via: Wired, The Verge

Source: Boeing

Tags: boeing, defence, drone, laser, quadcopter, UAV, UnmannedAerialVehicle

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DARPA wants to launch and land Gremlins on moving planes

DARPA wants to transform airplanes into drone carriers. Last year, the agency invited technical ideas and business expertise to help create a reusable airborne system. Today, it announced the launch of the Gremlins program that’s designed to make that air-recoverable unmanned system a reality. According to Dan Patt, program manager at DARPA, the "goal is to conduct a compelling proof-of-concept flight demonstration that could employ intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) and other modular, non-kinetic payloads in a robust, responsive and affordable manner."

Bots that could be deployed and recovered mid-air are expected to boost the military’s operational flexibility and drive mission costs lower. As per the DARPA statement, the program aspires to launch gremlins or swarm bots from large aircraft such as bombers or transports after some modest modifications. When those planes are out of range, the bots will be launched from smaller, more accessible fixed-wing platforms. After completing their mission, the gremlins will be retrieved by a C-130 transport aircraft and brought home, where they will be prepped for their next mission within the next 24 hours.

[Image credit: DARPA]

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Via: Washington Post

Source: DARPA

Tags: aircrafts, Bots, C-130, DARPA, drones, gremlins, Military, Swarm-bots, UAV, wargadget

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Google is working to make 4K video less of a data hog

Ultra HD 4K video is still in its infancy, but there’s no doubt the format will become increasingly popular in the next year or two. Huge players like YouTube and Netflix already support it, but delivering such high bandwidth video content remains a challenge. Google’s trying to do its part to solve that problem by developing a more efficient video compression codec called VP10. The new codec has been in the works for nearly a year, but the company gave some details about how effective it can be over the VP9 format it’ll eventually replace. In an interview with CNET, Google product manager James Bankoski said that VP9 uses half the bandwidth needed to deliver the same quality video as the popular H.264 format — and with VP10, the company is trying to cut it in half again.

Reduced bandwidth usage isn’t the only thing VP10 has going for it — it should also provide shaper images, better color, and a better dynamic range between lights and dark. But despite some strong technical credentials and the backing of Google, widespread adoption of VP10 is hardly a foregone conclusion. H.264 is still the dominant video compression standard, and its successor (HEVC / H.265) will likely see widespread support.

Still, this is a battle that isn’t yet won, and the dominance of YouTube means that VP10 will have a fighting chance against HEVC. The fact that VP10 is open source is another point in its favor; the licensing for HEVC could add red tape and costs for developers and devices makers. It’ll be a while before this conflict comes to a head, however: Google said it hopes to hit its performance targets for VP10 by the end of next year.

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Source: CNET

Tags: 4k, google, h264, h265, hdpostcross, hevc, vp10, vp9, youtube

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Bluetooth alternative sends signals through the human body

A team of researchers from the University of California, San Diego announced Tuesday that they had developed a proof-of-concept wireless transmission system that is both more efficient and more secure than Bluetooth. It works by sending data signals through your body’s natural magnetic field instead of over the air and could lead to a new class of ultra-low power wearables.

Bluetooth is the current king of short range wireless communication but it has a number of shortcomings. While BT works efficiently when there is a clear air path between the two devices, it requires a significant power boost to push the signal through obstacles like the human body, known as "path loss". UCSD’s system doesn’t suffer from that problem because it uses the human body itself as a transmission medium to send magnetic signals between devices. In the prototype, PVC-wrapped wires coiled around the user’s extremities generate magnetic fields that transmit signal between the various body parts.

It operates in essentially the same fashion as an MRI or wireless medical implant, albeit at a far lower energy level. In fact, the research team estimates that the path loss associated with this technique is roughly 10 million times lower than Bluetooth. That should translate into significant energy savings and longer battery lives.

"A problem with wearable devices like smart watches is that they have short operating times because they are limited to using small batteries. With this magnetic field human body communication system, we hope to significantly reduce power consumption as well as how frequently users need to recharge their devices," UCSD Ph.D student and lead author Jiwoong Park said in a statement.

Additionally, this system offers increased security over existing wireless standards. Bluetooth signals emanate omni-directionally from their source up to 30 feet. Anybody within that perimeter can, theoretically, pick up that signal and intercept the data. But because this system’s signal travels through the body, an eavesdropper would need to be all up in your grill, if not in direct physical contact, to intercept it. The team recently presented their findings at the 37th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society in Milan, Italy.

[Image Credit: UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering]

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Tags: bluetooth, MagneticFields, Milan, UCSD

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