Tag Archives: Army

X-Ray Goggles

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I assume driving tanks is difficult, mostly because the vehicle is less “windows” and more “opaque metal”. When the bullets are flying it’s probably not a good idea to stick your head out and try to see where you’re going. The Norwegian army has elected to solve this problem with virtual reality. In this video, we see Norwegian soldiers navigating city blocks using the virtual reality technology known as Oculus Rift. Using civilian technology and design, the tank operator can “see” through the sides of his vehicle with a 185 degree range of motion. This application is much more cost effective than the army’s current option, comparing $10,000 cameras to $2,000 cameras, and the Oculus Rift’s fairly modest price of $350 to the army’s $35,000 current VR headset.

What Sparks Our FIre: Creating applications for technolgy that may save lives in the future.

What other uses can you think of for VR headsets?

Creative Dissipation

Have you ever needed to hide your body heat from others in order to avoid detection?

infrared-vision

If you answered yes, you’re either in a Predator movie or you’re an elite soldier. If it’s the first, we hear mud works. For the rest of you, the Army has got something for you that isn’t a convenient plot device.

In a world where the enemy can be looking for you with everything from binoculars to infrared night vision predator drones, it pays to be hard to see.  A revolutionary suit developed by Raven Aerostar breaks up the heat waves emanating from a body, effectively rendering it invisible to infrared detection devices.

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The body heat of soldiers did not become a giveaway until very recently. In general, most insurgents couldn’t afford the kind of tech that lets you see in the dark the way the US Army does. However, with recent advances there’s now an app for that, and any guy with a cheap thermal sensor can pick out the enemy from thousands of yards away. This suit, called the Nemesis turkey suit, negates that advantage, keeping soldiers hidden and saving lives. The suits are available through Raven Aerostar or the U.S. General Services Administration, and are currently being tested for military service.

What Sparks Our Fire: Something that actually hides heat signatures that isn’t made up for a movie.

Do you think this is a relevant line of research and development?