The Rise of Killing Machines: Pentagon Promises A Human Will Decide Life and Death Decisions of Combat Robots

 http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2239163/Pentagon-issues-promise-head-fears-machine-apocalypse.html A human will always decide when a robot kills you: Pentagon’s ‘reassurance’ over fears of machine apocalypse  Department of Defense policy directive calls for autonomous weapons to be designed so they always need human authorisation to open fire Promise comes after Human Rights Watch report warned that killer robots could be deployed on the […]

A Sliver of Human Brain in a Chip, and Other Organ Simulators

http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2012-07/new-microbrain-and-other-organ-simulators-could-improve-drug-testing By Rebecca Boyle Posted 07.24.2012 at 1:00 pm Microbrain Bioreactor This is an artist’s conception of the microbrain bioreactor. The upper chamber contains the neurons and an artificial capillary that carries blood to the brain, surrounded by the cells that make up the blood-brain barrier. Collectively, all these cells will reproduce the microenvironment found […]

Fighting fires with music: US government scientists use high powered speakers to put out flames

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2175245/Fighting-fires-music-US-government-scientists-use-high-powered-speakers-fires.html By Mark Prigg PUBLISHED: 05:37 EST, 18 July 2012 | UPDATED: 09:20 EST, 18 July 2012 It could give your music collection a whole new lease of life – as firefighting accessories. American government researchers have succeeded in putting out fires using just a pair of speakers. Scroll down for video The DARPA team […]

Pentagon releases results of 13,000-mph test flight over Pacific

http://www.latimes.com/business/money/la-fi-mo-darpa-hypersonic-missile-20120420,0,4564567.story By W.J. HenniganApril 20, 2012, 5:45 p.m An artist’s rendering of the Falcon Hypersonic Technology Vehicle 2. (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency / April 20, 2012) The results are in from last summer’s attempt to test new technology that would provide the Pentagon with a lightning-fast vehicle, capable of delivering a military strike anywhere […]

U.S. troops to have ‘super vision’ as Pentagon orders electric contact lenses that let them ‘see’ through drones flying overhead

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2129261/U-S-troops-super-vision-Pentagon-orders-electric-contact-lenses-pipe-target-information-direct-eyes.html Lenses can let troops see through ‘eyes’ of drones flying above Can ‘layer’ target information over view of world Contact lenses don’t impede fighter’s vision Equivalent to a 240-inch 3D television from 10 feet By Rob Waugh UPDATED: 06:43 EST, 13 April 2012 Google wowed the world this week with its Project Glass computer […]

Robots on the streets of America could soon become a reality, says US Defence Agency

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2128006/Robots-streets-America-soon-reality-say-Defence-Agency.html By Daily Mail Reporter PUBLISHED: 20:10 EST, 10 April 2012 | UPDATED: 20:10 EST, 10 April 2012 The chance of modern day Robocops being called in to help with American crimes is seeming more likely, with US police forces being told they can request battlefield robots produced by the Defence Logistics Agency (DLA) over […]

Pentagon plans for telepathic troops who can read each others’ minds… and they could be in the field within five years

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2127115/Pentagon-plans-telepathic-troops-read-minds–field-years.html#ixzz1rWLQzyOt By Daily Mail Reporter PUBLISHED: 21:02 EST, 8 April 2012 | UPDATED: 21:02 EST, 8 April 2012 The U.S. Army is dedicating millions of research dollars into discovering building helmets to allow soldiers to telepathically communicate with one another on the battlefield. The technology, which seems like something out of a science fiction novel, […]

DARPA Wants Humanoid Robots That Can Drive Tractors, Open Doors and Save the Day

http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2012-04/darpa-wants-humanoid-robots-can-drive-tractors-open-doors-and-save-day PETMAN Bipedal Robot Boston Dynamics DARPA is poised to launch a new Grand Challenge for a humanoid robot, according to robotics insiders — and the result could be a souped-up metal soldier running alongside BigDog, driving an ATV, unlocking doors and clearing a path to safety for its human counterparts. There’s no official agency […]

Video: DARPA’s Cheetah Sets a Land-Speed Record for Running Robots

http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2012-03/video-darpas-cheetah-robot-sets-land-speed-record-robotic-big-cats By Clay Dillow Posted 03.05.2012 at 2:10 pm   DARPA’s Cheetah ‘Bot On the chain. For now. About a year ago we got our first look at DARPA’s Cheetah ‘bot via a concept drawing that looked more like a storyboard frame for a Transformers film than real, live robotics. Today, we get to see […]

Project Avatar: U.S. military researches ways for soldiers to control robot ‘surrogates’ using just their minds

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2102559/Project-Avatar-U-S-military-researches-ways-soldiers-control-robot-surrogates-using-just-minds.html The U.S. military is researching ways for its troops can use their minds to remotely control androids who will take human soldiers’ place on the battlefield. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa), the Pentagon’s hi-tech research arm, has earmarked $7million for research into the project, nicknamed Avatar. The ultimate goal of the project […]