tech e blog

The U.S. Navy has developed an electromagnetic weapon that "launches and accelerates conductive projectiles along pairs of metal rails using the effects of a strong magnetic field; it can accelerate a seven pound projectile to a speed of 5,600 miles per hour." Continue reading for a video.

Navy officials said that the range of a railgun is up to 20 times greater than that of conventional weapon systems. A projectile could reach a target 290 miles away in less than six minutes and impact it with incredible force.

Yes, Sandia researchers have created "a dart-like, self-guided bullet for small-caliber, smooth-bore firearms that could hit laser-designated targets at distances of more than a mile (about 2,000 meters)." Continue reading for a video demonstration -- "The first bit of footage shows the plastic sabots, which protect the delicate steering fins, drop off after the bullet emerges from the firearm's barrel. The second portion of the footage shows the bullet curving slightly into its designated target."

Their bullet works much like a precision guided aerial bomb might function. An optical sensor in the nose of the bullet detects a laser beam painted on a target and sends that information to a guidance and control system also packed on board. An eight-bit CPU commands electromagnetic actuators to adjust tiny fins that deploy from the round immediately after it exits the muzzle. From there, the on-board electronics aerodynamically guide the bullet home to its target, allowing the shooter to adjust a round's trajectory in flight to correct on a long shot or to stay with a moving target.

Somehow, Seth Kettleman ended up with the canopy from McDonnell Douglas and General Dynamics top secret A-12 Avenger II fighter jet. That piece is now on eBay and currently being offered for $620,238. Click here for more pictures. Continue reading for a video.

The canopy has now been verified as authentic. The canopy must have a hundred or so individual serial numbers and manufacturing data marked on it. These numbers and individual pieces have been verified as authentic parts from the program.

The US government's Rapatronic camera -- an ultra-high-speed camera that sat seven miles from the blast site -- "captured images at high speed - including this image of an 100-ft ball of fire, one ten-millionth of a second after detonation." In related news, continue reading to see a few incredible nuclear explosion videos.

Damn Interesting wrote, 'These single-use cameras were able to snap a photo one ten-millionth of a second after detonation from about seven miles away, with an exposure time of as little as ten nanoseconds.'

We have seen the future of battlefield robots, and it's PETMAN. This robot, developed by Boston Dynamics, "can run, juke, twist and turn, and even bang out some push-ups -- it's designed to move just like a human soldier, but not so that it can fight wars." Video after the break.

The robot, which Boston Dynamics will deliver to the military sometime next year, is designed to be a 50th percentile male (or an average North American man): it's nearly six feet tall, weighs 180 pounds, and is able to simulate sweating, respiring and changes in body temperature.

Action photography is probably the most challenging genre to capture, as a Digital Single Lens Reflex camera (DSLR), with high shutter speeds, is required. However, spending a few days with the US Navy should offer plenty of action. Click here to see more. Continue reading to see the Australian Navy's rendition of The Lonely Island song "I'm On a Boat" -- language is not work safe.

[Sources 1 | 2]

Located in Tianjin, China, the Kiev aircraft carrier has been transformed into a luxurious hotel. While "the headroom may be a little lacking and natural daylight in short supply in the Presidential Suites but the decor could certainly by described as luxurious and no doubt the service will be impeccable." Video after the break. Click here for more pictures.

[via Gizmag]

On August 11th, DARPA launched the hypersonic HTV-2 on a test flight, but unfortunately, it was traveling at mach 20 when its automated systems kicked in and put the vehicle into the Pacific Ocean. Continue reading for the video.

By the time that happened, three minutes into HTV-2's independent flight, it was somewhere well on its way to Hawaii. It started at Vandenberg AFB in California.

Weighing 10-tons and measuring 20.4-feet long, this 1:1 scale Russian tank replica by Hao JinXi of China features "long guns, heavy machine guns, ammunition and the cockpit." It took him and a few friends 7-months as well as $125,000USD to complete. Videos after the break.

[via M.I.C. Gadget]

DARPA's Falcon HTV-2 is a next-generation hypersonic aircraft capable of traveling "at 20 times the speed of sound - or 13,000mph; it is part of research effort by DARPA to one day make long-duration hypersonic flight a reality." Click here for more pictures. Continue reading for a video.

The mission might lead to new records, super weapons and eventually, cross-country and global travel at colossal speeds. Flying between New York City and Los Angeles might one day be less than 12 minutes.