That reminds me of a self-defense technology from the J.Sawyers Neanderthal Parallax.
It's basically a hat with a laser mounted on top that will instantly shoot down any bullet headed your way.
IBM put in a patent for a suit that would shove you out of the way of a bullet by detecting fast moving incoming projectiles and activating servos built into the suit. It would hurt like hell, I'd imagine, and the patent application looked pretty ridiculous. They withdrew the patent later, and it was acquired by the interwebz. Here's a picture, as an example of "not quite there yet":
Or it could be an elaborate hoax. *shrugs*
Bill Gates finances laser 'fence' that targets mosquitoes (to fight malaria)
wiki:
The Photonic Fence is thought to be best deployed surrounding buildings, such as hospitals and schools, or even whole villages, in an effort to reduce the spread of malaria. According to Nathan Myhrvold, co-founder of Intellectual Ventures, the Photonic Fence can kill up to 50 to 100 mosquitoes a second, at a maximum range of 100 ft. [25] Myhrvold claims that the laser would be able to shoot down billions of mosquitoes a night.
That wouldn't take much to weaponize for the military or corporate buildings IMO.
This is a bit older, but SpaceX wants to make rockets that fit the 1950s & 1960s SciFi model: rockets that land in A COLUMN OF FLAME http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSF81yjVbJE
It should also be noted that Blue Origin's rocket apparently follows the same principle.
Why is this big? Flight-Testing of all portions of an individual conventional-style rocket would be possible, increasing safety and improving future designs. In addition, re-using a rocket means launch costs no longer have to cover all those parts that would have been destroyed during re-entry.
Recent developments in Hobbyist 3D printing:
The Ultimaker 3D printer has reached 40-micron resolution prints, making it about five times as precise as many commercial FDM printers: http://davedurant.wordpress.com/2011/10/12/ultimaker-faq-but-what-about-the-quality-of-prints/
The trade-off is that it takes a VERY long time for a print of this quality to be produced, and the end-user must be very, very careful about properly calibrating their printer. Also: the printer cannot yet lay down support material, limiting how small many free-floating features can be without causing a ruined print job.
Bill Gates finances laser 'fence' that targets mosquitoes (to fight malaria)
wiki:
The Photonic Fence is thought to be best deployed surrounding buildings, such as hospitals and schools, or even whole villages, in an effort to reduce the spread of malaria. According to Nathan Myhrvold, co-founder of Intellectual Ventures, the Photonic Fence can kill up to 50 to 100 mosquitoes a second, at a maximum range of 100 ft. [25] Myhrvold claims that the laser would be able to shoot down billions of mosquitoes a night.
Something about the word "photonic fence" makes me all tingly inside
Bill Gates finances laser 'fence' that targets mosquitoes (to fight malaria)
wiki:
The Photonic Fence is thought to be best deployed surrounding buildings, such as hospitals and schools, or even whole villages, in an effort to reduce the spread of malaria. According to Nathan Myhrvold, co-founder of Intellectual Ventures, the Photonic Fence can kill up to 50 to 100 mosquitoes a second, at a maximum range of 100 ft. [25] Myhrvold claims that the laser would be able to shoot down billions of mosquitoes a night.
Something about the word "photonic fence" makes me all tingly inside
I've dreamed about this since I was a child.
Not because I want to stop malaria or anything. But because I always thought a simple net isn't enough punishment for mosquitoes. A billion lasers that slaughter reams of those bloodsuckers... God yes. The future is here, and it is glorious.
Bill Gates finances laser 'fence' that targets mosquitoes (to fight malaria)
wiki:
The Photonic Fence is thought to be best deployed surrounding buildings, such as hospitals and schools, or even whole villages, in an effort to reduce the spread of malaria. According to Nathan Myhrvold, co-founder of Intellectual Ventures, the Photonic Fence can kill up to 50 to 100 mosquitoes a second, at a maximum range of 100 ft. [25] Myhrvold claims that the laser would be able to shoot down billions of mosquitoes a night.
Something about the word "photonic fence" makes me all tingly inside
I've dreamed about this since I was a child.
Not because I want to stop malaria or anything. But because I always thought a simple net isn't enough punishment for mosquitoes. A billion lasers that slaughter reams of those bloodsuckers... God yes. The future is here, and it is glorious.
I'm skeptical because its being done by IV though. Have they ever actually produced anything? I know the majority of their money comes from patent trolling.
Bill Gates finances laser 'fence' that targets mosquitoes (to fight malaria)
wiki:
The Photonic Fence is thought to be best deployed surrounding buildings, such as hospitals and schools, or even whole villages, in an effort to reduce the spread of malaria. According to Nathan Myhrvold, co-founder of Intellectual Ventures, the Photonic Fence can kill up to 50 to 100 mosquitoes a second, at a maximum range of 100 ft. [25] Myhrvold claims that the laser would be able to shoot down billions of mosquitoes a night.
That wouldn't take much to weaponize for the military or corporate buildings IMO.
funny story, I hear it's actually based on the Regan-Era Star Wars missile defense system
Dammit, Now I'm remembering a skit (SNL I think?) I saw a long time ago making fun of the Star Wars defense system where they miniaturized it down to something that sat on your nightstand and killed pests like mosquitos with lasers while you slept, but my google-fu is failing.
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valhalla13013 Dark Shield Perceives the GodsRegistered Userregular
This is a bit older, but SpaceX wants to make rockets that fit the 1950s & 1960s SciFi model: rockets that land in A COLUMN OF FLAME http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSF81yjVbJE
It should also be noted that Blue Origin's rocket apparently follows the same principle.
Why is this big? Flight-Testing of all portions of an individual conventional-style rocket would be possible, increasing safety and improving future designs. In addition, re-using a rocket means launch costs no longer have to cover all those parts that would have been destroyed during re-entry.
I'm not sure how that would work. That rocket booster is pretty tall, and has absolutely no visible control surfaces. I don't see how it could right itself just with aft rocket thrust.
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Just_Bri_ThanksSeething with ragefrom a handbasket.Registered User, ClubPAregular
There's a hidden risk with this though: it would be dangerous to have a simple reactor take whatever sugar it wanted and use it. What if you don't eat for a while? What if you eat less then you expect? Our bodies have complex feedback mechanisms to ensure we don't die of starvation despite having more then enough to eat - prosthetics pulling as much sugar as they want from your blood would be very bad.
You see, there are these devices that measure blood sugar levels, perhaps you have heard of them?
Edit: Oh god, beat so hard.
Just_Bri_Thanks on
...and when you are done with that; take a folding
chair to Creation and then suplex the Void.
This is a bit older, but SpaceX wants to make rockets that fit the 1950s & 1960s SciFi model: rockets that land in A COLUMN OF FLAME http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSF81yjVbJE
It should also be noted that Blue Origin's rocket apparently follows the same principle.
Why is this big? Flight-Testing of all portions of an individual conventional-style rocket would be possible, increasing safety and improving future designs. In addition, re-using a rocket means launch costs no longer have to cover all those parts that would have been destroyed during re-entry.
I'm not sure how that would work. That rocket booster is pretty tall, and has absolutely no visible control surfaces. I don't see how it could right itself just with aft rocket thrust.
You missed thrusters on the upper portion of the first stage firing at 39 seconds, flipping it into a rocket nozzle-first position. They're adding a ton of extra hardware on to handle the necessary maneuvers for a full recovery of all three stages (minus the service module). Fortunately, the increased cost in fuel for the launch and engineering complexity is offset by slicing the price into at least half, assuming you could now fly an individual rocket at least twice.
I both look forward to and dread the first commercial high quality virtual reality rig because I have a feeling if the technology is there then things will end up similar to how the world is in Ready Player One.
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AtomikaLive fast and get fucked or whateverRegistered Userregular
I both look forward to and dread the first commercial high quality virtual reality rig because I have a feeling if the technology is there then things will end up similar to how the world is in Ready Player One.
I believe the old saying is, "a virtual reality indistinguishable from our own, except for limitless possibility, will be mankind's last invention."
I both look forward to and dread the first commercial high quality virtual reality rig because I have a feeling if the technology is there then things will end up similar to how the world is in Ready Player One.
I believe the old saying is, "a virtual reality indistinguishable from our own, except for limitless possibility, will be mankind's last invention."
And that's probably true.
Currently this like, all that occupies my thoughts. Because I should be writing my thesis, but instead I'm reading about 1080p HMDs.
I loved that quad-rotor swarm. It still isn't very useful, but it has a lot of potential. It is also really neat to watch visually and the sound they make is badass.
I loved that quad-rotor swarm. It still isn't very useful, but it has a lot of potential. It is also really neat to watch visually and the sound they make is badass.
They freak me out. The sound is too insect-like, and watching them fly in uncanny formation makes me want to panic and scream.
Though I liked watching them from above. It was like a video game, and like in a video game I felt an overwhelming need to shoot them down.
I both look forward to and dread the first commercial high quality virtual reality rig because I have a feeling if the technology is there then things will end up similar to how the world is in Ready Player One.
I believe the old saying is, "a virtual reality indistinguishable from our own, except for limitless possibility, will be mankind's last invention."
And that's probably true.
Currently this like, all that occupies my thoughts. Because I should be writing my thesis, but instead I'm reading about 1080p HMDs.
I guess the bigger problem is that I'd have a lot of trouble caring about the end of the world, which unless laws were quickly put into place, would happen fairly quickly.
Like, if the internet were a real, live place, I don't see how I wouldn't constantly be living out a Star Wars fantasy that somehow was X-Rated.
There would have to be specialized baby factories in place just to ensure the survival of our species.
I both look forward to and dread the first commercial high quality virtual reality rig because I have a feeling if the technology is there then things will end up similar to how the world is in Ready Player One.
I believe the old saying is, "a virtual reality indistinguishable from our own, except for limitless possibility, will be mankind's last invention."
And that's probably true.
The Dreamstate civilization. Like the Singularity, but only in our minds. We will achive the godlike power of the Singularity, be able to create vast universes indistinguisable from the real thing and lord over them like gods.
And yes thinking about it leads to the "what if our world is a simulation man and we just VR figures in a computer" idea made by stoners everywhere.
The sky was full of stars, every star an exploding ship. One of ours.
I loved that quad-rotor swarm. It still isn't very useful, but it has a lot of potential. It is also really neat to watch visually and the sound they make is badass.
It would be incredibly useful for a phased array radar / radio intercept / and telescope deployable sensor package that would be expendable and degrade gracefully as it takes casualties. Don't know how well they'd handle a breeze or being all-weather, but they seemed to employ swarm correction techniques when one of them would get nudged off course.
I loved that quad-rotor swarm. It still isn't very useful, but it has a lot of potential. It is also really neat to watch visually and the sound they make is badass.
They freak me out. The sound is too insect-like, and watching them fly in uncanny formation makes me want to panic and scream.
Though I liked watching them from above. It was like a video game, and like in a video game I felt an overwhelming need to shoot them down.
The military application is to replace the traditional hand grenade with one that has a seeking mode that will fly X meters the direction you throw it and explode on the first man sized heat signature it finds
A dozen of those flying around would be the most pants shittingly terrifying sound imaginable. They could even re-position themselves so they are each exactly the optimum kill distance away from each other, it would be like a $5,000,000 smart cluster bomb that people can carry with them
I both look forward to and dread the first commercial high quality virtual reality rig because I have a feeling if the technology is there then things will end up similar to how the world is in Ready Player One.
I believe the old saying is, "a virtual reality indistinguishable from our own, except for limitless possibility, will be mankind's last invention."
And that's probably true.
The Dreamstate civilization. Like the Singularity, but only in our minds. We will achive the godlike power of the Singularity, be able to create vast universes indistinguisable from the real thing and lord over them like gods.
And yes thinking about it leads to the "what if our world is a simulation man and we just VR figures in a computer" idea made by stoners everywhere.
Ehhh I think quite a significant portion of the population would want to stick around in meatspace, and another significant portion would use their time in vrspace to invent better vr machines and robots for use in meatspace
That drone swarm is cheating a bit in its current state - the navigation is managed by cameras in the room keeping track of the swarm and sending commands. So it can't work outside of that room as of yet. Humanity is safe for another year or two!
That drone swarm is cheating a bit in its current state - the navigation is managed by cameras in the room keeping track of the swarm and sending commands. So it can't work outside of that room as of yet. Humanity is safe for another year or two!
Yeah, but like I said, the effectiveness of those as weapons - it wouldn't take DARPA long to turn those into the stuff of nightmares
Add in an appropriately powerful camera to a larger drone at altitude and now you have a surveillance device that could also be used as a mobile staging area and command unit. Or just have them link up to a predator-like drone at even higher altitudes. Granted, these are the military applications. Getting things to the appropriate level with regard to autonomy would allow for amazing applications in search and rescue operations.
Imagine an earthquake, hurricane, or other natural disaster and you toss out a few hundred of these things to find people within a vast area.
That drone swarm is cheating a bit in its current state - the navigation is managed by cameras in the room keeping track of the swarm and sending commands. So it can't work outside of that room as of yet. Humanity is safe for another year or two!
There are plenty of people working on cognitive/self-healing airborne networks, so the math to do it autonomously has already been worked out. Just a matter of implementation.
Imagine a large globalhawk style drone, it spots a dozen hostiles below.
releases the swarm
Why do that when you could have a swarm of GlobalHawks with Stingers? :P
Because the GlobalHawk can't turn more than 5 degrees without its wings ripping off, so it'd be less of a 'swarm' and more of a 'cluster going in a straight line'.
Pretty much what I was thinking. Depending on the ability to recharge the smaller units at a larger unit ( small, prop driven, generator ) you could have something with an insane loiter time in an area. Add in the proper optics and you could continue searches well after dark.
The surveillance potential of those quads is incredible, but put a little semtex or some other high-yield explosive on them and suddenly that high-pitched buzzing is the sound of nightmares. It comes out of nowhere, lands on your shoulder, and takes off part of your head.
Ugh, honestly, I hesitate to think of the political ramifications if we start popping heads in other countries. You think people are pissed about missile attacks? Imagine how they are going to feel when the attacks become much more "intimate". Not to mention the psychological factor involved with the things coming for you. At least with the current drone strikes the attack is a bit more unforeseen. And yes, I am aware I am putting a cherry on top of a turd with regard to finding a positive in drone strikes.
Now imagine cheap, disposable mass-produced drones as a weapon of terror. Slap a small explosive on it and have it go for heat signatures and movement.
Hey man, I tried going the peaceful route with the search and rescue application. Actually, now that I think about it these things would be awesome for exploration of other planets.
Hey man, I tried going the peaceful route with the search and rescue application. Actually, now that I think about it these things would be awesome for exploration of other planets.
Search and rescue WOULD be pretty sweet. Guh, I can't imagine trying to implementing path-finding through trees.
Posts
Or it could be an elaborate hoax. *shrugs*
funny story, I hear it's actually based on the Regan-Era Star Wars missile defense system
It should also be noted that Blue Origin's rocket apparently follows the same principle.
Why is this big? Flight-Testing of all portions of an individual conventional-style rocket would be possible, increasing safety and improving future designs. In addition, re-using a rocket means launch costs no longer have to cover all those parts that would have been destroyed during re-entry.
Recent developments in Hobbyist 3D printing:
The Ultimaker 3D printer has reached 40-micron resolution prints, making it about five times as precise as many commercial FDM printers:
http://davedurant.wordpress.com/2011/10/12/ultimaker-faq-but-what-about-the-quality-of-prints/
The trade-off is that it takes a VERY long time for a print of this quality to be produced, and the end-user must be very, very careful about properly calibrating their printer. Also: the printer cannot yet lay down support material, limiting how small many free-floating features can be without causing a ruined print job.
The cheapest DIY 3D printer thus far is the Printrbot going for the low, low price of $499.
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/printrbot/printrbot-your-first-3d-printer
Print quality and calibration requirements should be on-par to that of a RepRap.
As predicted, GamesWorkshop has placed DMCA takedown requests for several Warhammer 40K models on Thingiverse:
http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:5183
What one of the tank models looked like printed:
http://www.makerbot.com/blog/tag/warhammer/
I've dreamed about this since I was a child.
Not because I want to stop malaria or anything. But because I always thought a simple net isn't enough punishment for mosquitoes. A billion lasers that slaughter reams of those bloodsuckers... God yes. The future is here, and it is glorious.
Would you look at that, it looks like downloading a car won't be possible without DMCA hassles.
Dammit, Now I'm remembering a skit (SNL I think?) I saw a long time ago making fun of the Star Wars defense system where they miniaturized it down to something that sat on your nightstand and killed pests like mosquitos with lasers while you slept, but my google-fu is failing.
I'm not sure how that would work. That rocket booster is pretty tall, and has absolutely no visible control surfaces. I don't see how it could right itself just with aft rocket thrust.
You see, there are these devices that measure blood sugar levels, perhaps you have heard of them?
Edit: Oh god, beat so hard.
chair to Creation and then suplex the Void.
You missed thrusters on the upper portion of the first stage firing at 39 seconds, flipping it into a rocket nozzle-first position. They're adding a ton of extra hardware on to handle the necessary maneuvers for a full recovery of all three stages (minus the service module). Fortunately, the increased cost in fuel for the launch and engineering complexity is offset by slicing the price into at least half, assuming you could now fly an individual rocket at least twice.
EDIT:
For a more dramatic version of flight with no control surfaces:
I believe the old saying is, "a virtual reality indistinguishable from our own, except for limitless possibility, will be mankind's last invention."
And that's probably true.
Not going to lie, was pretty erect.
Currently this like, all that occupies my thoughts. Because I should be writing my thesis, but instead I'm reading about 1080p HMDs.
They freak me out. The sound is too insect-like, and watching them fly in uncanny formation makes me want to panic and scream.
Though I liked watching them from above. It was like a video game, and like in a video game I felt an overwhelming need to shoot them down.
Countdown to Manhacks.
I guess the bigger problem is that I'd have a lot of trouble caring about the end of the world, which unless laws were quickly put into place, would happen fairly quickly.
Like, if the internet were a real, live place, I don't see how I wouldn't constantly be living out a Star Wars fantasy that somehow was X-Rated.
There would have to be specialized baby factories in place just to ensure the survival of our species.
The Dreamstate civilization. Like the Singularity, but only in our minds. We will achive the godlike power of the Singularity, be able to create vast universes indistinguisable from the real thing and lord over them like gods.
And yes thinking about it leads to the "what if our world is a simulation man and we just VR figures in a computer" idea made by stoners everywhere.
It would be incredibly useful for a phased array radar / radio intercept / and telescope deployable sensor package that would be expendable and degrade gracefully as it takes casualties. Don't know how well they'd handle a breeze or being all-weather, but they seemed to employ swarm correction techniques when one of them would get nudged off course.
The military application is to replace the traditional hand grenade with one that has a seeking mode that will fly X meters the direction you throw it and explode on the first man sized heat signature it finds
A dozen of those flying around would be the most pants shittingly terrifying sound imaginable. They could even re-position themselves so they are each exactly the optimum kill distance away from each other, it would be like a $5,000,000 smart cluster bomb that people can carry with them
Ehhh I think quite a significant portion of the population would want to stick around in meatspace, and another significant portion would use their time in vrspace to invent better vr machines and robots for use in meatspace
Yeah, but like I said, the effectiveness of those as weapons - it wouldn't take DARPA long to turn those into the stuff of nightmares
Imagine an earthquake, hurricane, or other natural disaster and you toss out a few hundred of these things to find people within a vast area.
releases the swarm
There are plenty of people working on cognitive/self-healing airborne networks, so the math to do it autonomously has already been worked out. Just a matter of implementation.
Why do that when you could have a swarm of GlobalHawks with Stingers? :P
Because the GlobalHawk can't turn more than 5 degrees without its wings ripping off, so it'd be less of a 'swarm' and more of a 'cluster going in a straight line'.
PSN: ShogunGunshow
Origin: ShogunGunshow
The only solution is your own drones who target other drones, swarms of drones can suicide bomb it out and whoever has drones left afterwards wins
Search and rescue WOULD be pretty sweet. Guh, I can't imagine trying to implementing path-finding through trees.