Filed under: Wearables

We find it hard to believe that we won’t see one of these being used somewhere in the upcoming 007 film, but even if not, you can definitely put one to use in your everyday life — if you can get ahold of one of the ten being made, that is. Srulirecht’s DÆmdur is a Kevlar-based handkerchief which can keep your schnoz squeaky clean and (in theory, at least) keep your chest free from bullets. Granted, even the manufacturer makes clear that it takes no responsibility for “schmucks and wooden-heads who feel compelled to test the endurance or resistance of the textile in any way,” but it sure beats those cotton ones you buy ten to a pack.

[Via OhGizmo]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Unfortunately for you budding energy stars out there, the Pentagon’s latest contest is over, so you’ve no choice here but to grit your teeth and applaud both DuPont and Germany’s Smart Fuel Cell. Out of the 170 teams vying for the $1 million prize, these two managed to impress the most; the winning gizmo was the M-25 portable power system, which is already being sold to the US Army for “limited use in the field.” Contestants were tasked with creating a new wearable power solution to juice up energy-hungry military gear (GPS units, night-vision goggles, head-mounted PMPs, etc.) without weighing soldiers down, and the winning device combined “DuPont’s direct-methanol fuel cell technology with SFC’s fuel cell and battery system.” Yeah, we’re totally expecting a PSP / DS compatible version of this before the holidays.

[Via FuelCellWorks, thanks Adam]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Wearables

This won’t mark the first time the US government has looked into other means for helping soldiers communicate on the battlefield, but it’s one of the first instances where vocal cords aren’t even necessary. The US Army has recently awarded a $4 million contract to a coalition of scientists, all of which will soon start developing a “thought helmet” to enable voiceless, secure communication between comrades. In theory, at least, the helmet will boast a litany of sensors that will hopefully “lead to direct mental control of military systems by thought alone.” According to Dr. Elmar Schmoozer, the Army neuroscience overseeing the program, the system will be like “radio without a microphone.” Oh, and don’t think for a second that they aren’t considering civilian applications as well — passing along jokes on the boss via telekinesis? Yes, please.

[Via Slashdot]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Transportation

We’re beginning to think the US government is playing tricks with our head. Let’s see, in late 2004, a Boeing anti-missile airborne laser achieved first light; in October of 2006, a laser-equipped 747-400F was deemed ready for testing; in January of 2007, an MD-10 with Northrop Grumman’s Guardian anti-missile system took off; now, we’re back to the testing stage? Something doesn’t add up. Whatever the case, we’re being fed information that leads us to think that the US Air Force’s Airborne Laser has moved on to some “other” stage of testing. More specifically, engineers are making sure its “sequencing and control” functions are operating normally. Unsurprisingly, we’re left in the dark as to when this thing will see action (again?), but consider our interest piqued for a reason The Man didn’t intend.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Robots

Get ready, battlefields, as yet another iRobot is gearing up to take you all by storm. Announced today, the aforementioned outfit has received an award under DARPA’s LANdroids program which will enable it to “develop a new portable communications relay robot that is small, inexpensive, intelligent and robust.” The resulting creature will reportedly be used in “dense urban environments to rapidly deploy and maintain a vital communications infrastructure,” and better still, they’ll be tough enough to be thrown into position and intelligent enough to “autonomously detect and avoid obstacles while navigating.” Unfortunately, it seems the conclusion of said project is still a few years out, but we can already envision soldiers getting antsy to never be forced to utter “can you hear me now?” again.

[Via InformationWeek]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Israel is reportedly developing a sophisticated piece of software meant to help troops make quick decisions during battle and, under the right conditions, autonomously manipulate the nation’s defense systems. First reported in Defense News (subscription required), the unnamed system would primarily be used for tactical decisions during periods of heavy bombardment, although in a worst-case scenario, the complex algorithm would supposedly be capable of taking over total military control. Yes, we know what you’re thinking, but don’t worry: Israeli officials have already sworn up and down that “there’s no way we’re letting this thing go Terminator on us — no freakin’ way.”

[Via Danger Room]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

We realize tasers have been getting an awful lot of attention lately after that Gator down south got a bit too feisty at a John Kerry Q&A session, but we’re trying hard to believe that this story is from a parallel universe and not our own. Apparently, some women in America are gathering around hors d’oeuvres and bottled water to hear taser plugs, which is quite a leap from the oh-so-innocent Tupperware parties of yesteryear. As expected, paranoid gals are snapping up the pink versions like they’re going out of style, but considering that stun gun-proof garb is just around the corner, you should probably save your cash and just stick with the BlackBerry.

[Via TechDigest]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

In a scenario that could have been ripped straight from the pages of Chuck, Honeywell is apparently hoping to monitor analysts’ brains in order to more hastily break down intelligence data. The project, which is being supported by DARPA, seeks to key in on electrical activity in the brain in order to flag images as potentially interesting / useful before the human can actually determine what’s what. Head mounted sensors would be used to “detect brain signals associated with the recognition of targets analysts are looking for,” and the goal would be to increase productivity and help military / intelligence agencies analyze imagery more effectively. Of course, we’ve no idea how the system will differentiate between a legitimate signal and one triggered by the rumbling of one’s belly, but we’re sure Honeywell is all over it. [Warning: read link requires subscription]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!