An energy powered rifle resembling the ones seen in Star Trek and Star Wars actually exist and are still in development, but they are meant to work almost as if it were a flashbang grenade. Introducing the Personnel Halter and Stimulation Response, a rifle based laser weapon that can disorient and blind someone. This non lethal weapon was designed by a research team in the Laser Division of the Air Force Research Labratory's Directed Energy Directorate at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico. It can be manned by one operator and is capable of two kind of shots: one is a visible wavelength and the other is a mid infared wavelength. Back then, there were devices like PHaSR, but they were either too lethal at close range or not effective for long range. Now Scope Works is attempting to make this weapon combat effective by allowing it to fire a safe amount of energy at a target, without" having to worry about close or long range. As for how it was all paid for, the funding came from Joint Non-Lethal Weapons Directorate and National Institute of Justice: an organization interested in technology for military and civil law enforcement use.
Modern Warfare Terminator Style
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
Monday, October 7, 2013
From laser guided missles to laser guided bullets
Just as we thought having remote controlled sniper rifles, as seen in Shooter, were deadly enough, imagine having laser guided bullets. Yes, you heard me: laser guided bullets. A prototype self aimed bullet has been created by an American weapons-research lab in New Mexico known as Sandia National Laboratories. The rifle will have an old style smooth bore barrel so the bullet can be stabilized by four rear steerable fins which are linked to a computer chip that's connected to an optical sensor on the point of the bullet. Here's how it works: target is marked by a laser, bullet is fired, the chip utilizes its fins to adjust its trajectory while in air. However, research has found that the target must be at least half a mile or more in order for the bullet to be right on target. The farther the bullet travels, the more it has time to adjust itself, and the less "turbulence" is experienced. The amount of money it takes is unknown, but we can assume that production and materials are very expensive. Sandia, which is managed by Lockheed Martin, is attempting to conduct joint projects with other weapon research labs to bring this prototype into the military to be used.
The HULC?
Remember the scene in Elysium where Matt Damon has an
exoskeleton surgically implanted? Painful isn’t it? The HULC (Human Universal
Load Carrier) is a hydraulic powered exoskeleton, which enables a soldier to
carry to carry up to 200 pounds of gear, even when there is very little or no
battery power. All the weight being carried by the person shifts to the ground through powered titanium legs without losing any balance. This suit allows a person to move around any terrain for an extended period of time and allows
you to lift, squat, and crawl. Also, an on board microcomputer ensures that the
exoskeleton moves in time with the body. The best part is instead of having bolts being screwed into your skin, you just put on the exoskeleton. As for the funding, the US Army Natick
Soldier Research Development and Engineering Center (NSRDEC) gave Lockheed
Martin a $1.1M contract to test and evaluate the improved HULC systems. Lately
Lockheed Martin has been developing HULC exoskeletons to be used for medical
and industrial use.
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
Ray Gun A.K.A. Active Denial System
For all you Call of Duty fans, you may be familiar with the
Ray Gun from COD World at War. There
sure is one, but it isn't designed to kill people and is actually known as the Active
Denial System. Instead, the Active Denial System is mounted on a truck and used mostly to dispose of crowds and/or force enemies to surrender. The way this
weapon works is that it shoots an invisible beam that makes the person feel
on fire and sends an unbearable high pitched sound. Defense Contractor Raytheon
developed Silent Guardian, a miniature version of ADS and one was placed in the
LA county jail. It's slightly less devastating, but still sends that heat wave. Yes it can be useful to dispose of a situation in a non-lethal
way, but there are permanent side effects, which are cancer, cornea damage,
birth defects, blistering, and scarring.
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