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US army will have laser guns within five years
Weaponised LASERs mounted on US army vehicles could be available withing five years.
The army has commissioned airplane giant Boeing to build the optics necessary to focus light energy sufficiently to destroy enemy equipment. Weaponised LASERs mounted on US army vehicles could be available withing five years. ... more -
Climate Debate: Quantum Cascade Lasers Give Rise to New Data
In light of recent IPCC reports, I thought it might be interesting to find out more about the methods used to generate their data.
Lucky for me, my old college pal, Troy Ribaudo, PhD candidate of Applied Physics at UMASS Lowell, just happens to be working on some of the newest methods of atmospheric gas detection using quantum cascade lasers.
Have a listen to the dense yet delightful interview. In light of recent IPCC reports, I thought it might be interesting to find out more about the methods used to generate their data. ... more -
Army Moves Ahead With Mobile Laser Cannon
The Army is moving head with plans to mount a laser cannon on a massive, 35-ton-plus truck.
The service just handed Boeing a $36 million contract to "continue developing a truck-mounted, high-energy laser weapon system that will destroy rockets, artillery shells and mortar rounds," according to a company statement.
Low power demonstrations are scheduled for 2010, with battlefield-strength laser tests to follow in 2013.
About a year ago, the Army asked Boeing and Northrop Grumman to work up preliminary designs for the HEL beam control system -- and promised to choose a winning model by 2009. So the program appears to be on track. And it's one of a number of energy weapon projects that have been picking up steam, after deacdes of unfulfilled promise. Relatively easy-to-deploy electric lasers have just about worked their way up to weapons-grade. Boeing recently test-fired the real-life ray gun on its Advanced Tactical Laser -- a blaster-equipped gunship. Raytheon has worked up a prototype of its Phalanx mortar-shooter, already deployed in Iraq, that uses fiber lasers, instead of traditional ammo, to knock down targets. Even the eternally-delayed Airborne Laser -- a modified 747, designed to zap ballistic missiles -- may finally get a long-awaited flight test. The Army is moving head with plans to mount a laser cannon on a massive, 35-ton-plus truck. ... more -
Laser Airship
Boeing has test fired an airborne laser gun that can fire with pinpoint accuracy. Welcome to the future, where chemical lasers will take out entire convoys in 26 seconds. Scary stuff: “The laser is silent and invisible, and can strike at long range in darkness.” Boeing has test fired an airborne laser gun that can fire with pinpoint accuracy. Welcome to the future, where chemical lasers will ta... more
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US boasts of laser weapon's 'plausible deniability'
An airborne laser weapon dubbed the "long-range blowtorch" has the added benefit that the US could convincingly deny any involvement with the destruction it causes, say senior officials of the US Air Force (USAF).
The Advanced Tactical Laser (ATL) is to be mounted on a Hercules military transport plane. Boeing announced the first test firing of the laser, from a plane on the ground, earlier this summer.
Cynthia Kaiser, chief engineer of the US Air Force Research Laboratory's Directed Energy Directorate, used the phrase "plausible deniability" to describe the weapon's benefits in a briefing (powerpoint format) on laser weapons to the New Mexico Optics Industry Association in June.
Plausibly deniable
John Corley, director of USAF's Capabilities Integration Directorate, used the same phrase to describe the weapon's benefits at an Air Armament Symposium in Florida in October 2007.
As the term suggests, "plausible deniability" is used to describe situations where those responsible for an event could plausibly claim to have had no involvement in it.
Corley and Kaiser did not respond to requests from New Scientist to expand on their comments. But John Pike, analyst with defence think-tank Global Security, based in Virginia, says the implications are clear.
"The target would never know what hit them," says Pike. "Further, there would be no munition fragments that could be used to identify the source of the strike."
Silent strike
A laser beam is silent and invisible. An ATL can deliver the heat of a blowtorch with a range of 20 kilometres, depending on conditions. That range is great enough that the aircraft carrying it might not be seen, especially at night.
With no previous examples for comparison, it may be difficult to discern whether damage to a vehicle or person was the result of a laser strike.
The 5.5-tonne ATL combines chlorine and hydrogen peroxide molecules to release energy, which is used in turn to stimulate iodine into releasing intense infra-red light.
The US uses Hercules aircraft for accurate cannon strikes on moving vehicles. The ATL is touted as bringing a new level of accuracy to such attacks, for example being able to pinpoint a vehicle's tyres to disable it safely.
A second, larger version of the laser is also nearing initial testing. The much larger Airborne Laser is intended for missile defence and will be carried by a Boeing 747. An airborne laser weapon dubbed the "long-range blowtorch" has the added benefit that the US could convincingly deny any inv... more -
Bebo beams social networking to space
If space engineers, astronauts and rocket scientists are having trouble contacting life on other planets, maybe Bebo can do it? The social networking site and the TV company responsible for quality TV like Wife Swap has joined farces... er... forces with the world's expert in interstellar radio communication, Dr Alexander Zaitsev, to send 500 messages from users into space in a digital time capsule.
That's right. A digital time capsule.
My question: PC computers can't read Mac files. How on earth (or, how in space) are they so sure that extra-terrestrial societies aren't going to experience the same problem? If space engineers, astronauts and rocket scientists are having trouble contacting life on other planets, maybe Bebo can do it? The so... more -
Radiohead's Lasers
Director James Frost takes a novel approach on the filming of Radiohead's new music video, "House Of Cards," lasers! This is the complete behind the scenes look at the making of the amazing video. Director James Frost takes a novel approach on the filming of Radiohead's new music video, "House Of Cards," lasers! Th... more
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American Airlines testing anti-missile technology
The first passenger plane equipped with a system to repel shoulder-fired missiles successfully completed its flight, a British defense and aerospace company announced.
The JetEye infrared missile-defense system was tested on an American Airlines flight that took off July 11, according to a statement from BAE Systems. The plane flew from New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport to Los Angeles International Airport in California, the company said.
The JetEye system works by detecting the heat-seeking missiles and then firing a laser, which diverts the missile. American Airlines refused to make the system mandatory on all trips but agreed to cooperate with the tests.
The flight represents the final phase of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Counter-Man-Portable Air Defense System program, designed to test the suitability of missile-protection equipment for commercial aircraft.
Previously, the technology was successfully evaluated on an American Airlines test aircraft and an ABX Air Inc. cargo aircraft.
The missile-protection equipment will be installed on two more American Airlines 767-200 aircraft for daily cross-country flights through March. Engineers will evaluate the system's maintainability and reliability, as well as its suitability for the airline industry. No missiles will be fired at these flights.
"BAE Systems worked closely with DHS and the airline industry to develop an effective response to potential terrorist threats," said Burt Keirstead, JetEye program director for BAE Systems in Nashua, New Hampshire.
Homeland Security officials said in January that there is no specific threat of these weapons being fired at planes.
However, Taliban forces successfully used shoulder-fired missiles against Soviet helicopters in Afghanistan. Terrorists tried in 2002 to shoot down an Israeli passenger jet in Kenya with them.
Insurgents hit a cargo plane in Baghdad the following year, but the plane landed safely.
Experts say that about 500,000 to 700,000 shoulder-fired missile weapons have been produced worldwide, and some have been purchased in Middle Eastern and Central Asian arms markets for as little as $5,000.
Since 2003, Congress has pressured Homeland Security to adapt military anti-MANPADS technology to commercial aviation.
BAE Systems, based in Farnborough, England, works with American Airlines Maintenance and Engineering Services, which provided the test aircraft and engineering services for the development of JetEye.
DHS awarded BAE Systems a $29 million contract in January for this final evaluation phase of the program, which calls for the planes to log about 7,000 flight hours.
Northrop Grumman, a defense company with its own system to protect planes from portable missiles, urged the Defense Department in March to install its system on commercial flights that take soldiers and equipment to war zones.
Jack Pledger, a Northrop Grumman executive, said in March that 27 terrorist groups are believed to possess shoulder-fired weapons, that aircraft are vulnerable to the missiles within 25 miles of airports and that one missile incident could have catastrophic effects on the U.S. economy.
In March, the Northrop system concluded a 14-month test during which anti-missile systems were installed on 11 FedEx cargo planes that flew 4,500 flights. The first passenger plane equipped with a system to repel shoulder-fired missiles successfully completed its flight, a British defense... more -
Radiohead -- incredible video for “House of Cards”
Not only is this my favorite song off this album, but now the folks at Blip Boutique have created a stunning video for the sublime track.
In keeping with Radiohead's commitment to not create any "traditional" music videos for tracks off of In Rainbows, this gem uses "real time 3D recording instead of cameras, utilizing highly technical structured light and Lidar laser-enhanced scanners to model Thom Yorke," resulting in a vid that is surreal and, i think, pretty effing awesome. Not only is this my favorite song off this album, but now the folks at Blip Boutique have created a stunning video for the sublime tra... more -
Ravers lose sight at laser show
Since the Aquamarine Open Air Festival in Kirzhach, dozens of partygoers have been checking into Moscow's hospital complaining of eye and vision problems.
"They all have retinal burns, scarring is visible on them," Kommersant newspaper quotes one health official as saying.
"Loss of vision in individual cases is as high as 80% and regaining it is already impossible," the opthalmologist said.
Heavy rains meant organisers were forced to erect massive tents for the all-night dance party, and lasers that normally illuminate upwards into the sky were instead shone into the ravers' eyes.
"I immediately had a spot like when you stare into the sun," raver Dmitry told Kommersant.
"After three days I decided to go to the hospital. They examined me, asked if I had been at Open Air, and then put me straight in the hospital. I didn't even get to go home and get my stuff," he said.
Industry website www.laserfx.com said focused laser light can cause eye damage almost instantly.
The owner of a Moscow laser rental company said the accidental blindings were due to "illiteracy on the part of technicians".
"It was partly the rain, but also partly the size of the laser," said Valentin Vasiliev.
"Somebody set up an extremely powerful laser for such a small space," he added.
Mr Vasiliev said his company did not provide the Aquamarine lasers. Since the Aquamarine Open Air Festival in Kirzhach, dozens of partygoers have been checking into Moscow's hospital complaining of... more -
3-D microscope shows incredible images of a cell
sciencentral.com reports on a 3-D microscope that lets us see amazing images of the interior of biological cells.
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Vulcan laser cooks at a cool 10 million Celsius
Scientists have used the world's most powerful laser to heat matter to hotter than the surface of the Sun!
Named the Vulcan laser, like something from Star Trek, but much hotter, it uses some fancy energy concentration techniques that are equivalent to the world's electricity production x100, then focusses all that into an area only a few thousandths of a metre.
Scientists can only replicate the effect for a fraction of a second, with the developing processes possibly being linked to future developments in a nuclear fusion reactor. Scientists have used the world's most powerful laser to heat matter to hotter than the surface of the Sun! ... more -
Replacing Wire With Laser, Sun Tries to Speed Up Data
If the Sun researchers’ idea can be proved technically feasible and manufactured commercially, it would be possible to create more-compact machines that are a thousand times faster than today’s computers, the company said. Each chip would be able to communicate directly with every other chip in the array via a beam of laser light that could carry tens billions of bits of data a second.
The Sun researchers refer to their new system as a “macrochip.” They said that the technology would make it possible for computer architects to completely rethink the organization of circuitry on a computer.
“It’s like the difference between having someone next door and having to get on an airplane to fly across the country,” said Alan Huang, an optical networking designer at the Terabit Corporation in Menlo Park, Calif. “This would be a way of breaking Moore’s Law.” If the Sun researchers’ idea can be proved technically feasible and manufactured commercially, it would be possible to create more-com... more -
Laser Graffiti!
Draw on bigass buildings-- from Make Magazine.
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New Conspiracy: Bhutto Assasinated With Laser Weapon
I don't believe this is true, but I haven't seen Bhutto's body and I am not in a position to confirm or deny the existence of Pakistani owned high power laser weapons. So anything is possible really.
"Controversy surrounding the assassination intensified yesterday amid reports that crucial records had been removed from the Rawalpindi General Hospital where Bhutto was taken, and claims she was killed using laser-beam technology.
The Nation on its front page said the gunfire and bomb blasts at Bhutto's election rally "were a decoy to hide the real shooters" and claimed laser technology similar to that used by American forces in Iraq had been used.
The newspaper cited unnamed sources and said the technology was unlikely to have been available to the al-Qa'ida and Taliban jihadi leader Baitullah Mahsood, whom the Government has said orchestrated the opposition leader's death.
The report came as a doctor at the Rawalpindi General Hospital disclosed that "the Government took all the medical records after Benazir Bhutto's time of death was read out", adding that he and others had been warned not to talk publicly about the case.
There was also speculation about the whereabouts of some of Bhutto's key security personnel as she was attacked, with newspapers highlighting claims that some of her detail were nowhere in sight. " I don't believe this is true, but I haven't seen Bhutto's body and I am not in a position to confirm or deny the existe... more -
Positronium Superlaser Is Almost Complete!
Dr. Evil's plan for World domination is well underway...
Supposedly when Antimatter touches its oppositely charged counterpart Matter, both are annihilated in a burst of gamma radiation.
That doesn't sound healthy, but if you can stabilize the matter-antimatter mix into a substance called positronium then you can cause a big, 'frikkin' laser...
Muh-ha-ha-ha! Dr. Evil's plan for World domination is well underway... ... more -
Fashion by Hussein Chalayan, Engineering by Moritz Waldemeyer
"Hit me with those laser beeeeeeeeams."
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Laser Rock Revival
Anyone who has grown up in Seattle has gone to see a laser show during a middle school date. In this pod we will visit Seattle's Laser Dome to meet "Laser Ivan" who will teach us how to perform a laser show, and catch up with Seattle band The Divorce to discuss their experience playing laser-enhanced concerts in the dome.
Produced by Propadata Films
http://www.propadatafilms.com Anyone who has grown up in Seattle has gone to see a laser show during a middle school date. In this pod we will visit Seattle's ... more -
Laser Turntable
Audio enthusiasts still argue over whether the durability and clarity of CD are superior to the sweet but sometimes scratchy sound of vinyl. Now there's the ELP Laser Turntable series, which takes the best of both worlds and comes up with a third way. Instead of a needle dropping down on your stacks of wax, four lasers read the reflections of your records' grooves, while a fifth tracks each record's warp to keep the reading beams' height constant. The result is more accurate sound reproduction than a traditional stylus produces, with all the warmth that purists crave, minus the wear and tear on the record. Dropping $13,999 gets you the LT-2XRC model, which plays 45-rpm, 78-rpm, and any-size 33-rpm records. Audio enthusiasts still argue over whether the durability and clarity of CD are superior to the sweet but sometimes scratchy sound of ... more
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