Day: October 28, 2012

"U.S. Navy tests their version of drones as remote-controlled boat fires missiles for the first time"…For the first time…yeah right buddy!

The U.S. Navy has fired missiles from a remote-controlled boat for the very first time in tests which took place on Wednesday just off the Maryland coast.

If successful, the system could be introduced as the navy’s equivalent of the unmanned drone planes already used by the Air Force.

Over three days of testing, six anti-armor Spike missiles were fired from the moving inflatable hulled watercraft at a floating target two miles away.

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Remote-controlled boat: Over three days of tests six Spike missiles were fired from the craftRemote-controlled boat: Over three days of tests six Spike missiles were fired from the craft

Direct hit: The Spike missile successfully hits it target some two miles awayDirect hit: The Spike missile successfully hits it target some two miles away

Both the control of the boat and the firing of the missiles was handled remotely by Navy personnel on shore at the nearby Patuxent River base.

The tests are a ‘significant step forward in weaponizing surface unmanned combat capability,’ Mark Moses, the Navy’s program manager for the armed drone boat project, told Wired.com.

The U.S. military already uses armed robotic planes – drones – and the navy has already experimented with robotic submarines for spying and mine clearance, this is the first system developed for navy vessels to launch attacks.

The navy describes the system, which mounts unto boats, as a ‘Precision Engagement Module’. It consists of a dual-pod missile launcher and an Mk-49 mounting system, both made by Rafael and fully automated.

The navy sees a number of potential uses for the remote-controlled systems including harbor security, defensive operations against fast attack craft and swam scenarios.

However it will probably be most effective against target ships which try and hide among commercial vessels for example on congested waterways.

The Precision Engagement Module consists of a dual-pod missile launcher and an Mk-49 mounting systemThe Precision Engagement Module consists of a dual-pod missile launcher and an Mk-49 mounting system

Rocket launcher: The U.S. Navy believes that the remote-controlled boats could help harbor security and defensive operations against fast attach craftRocket launcher: The U.S. Navy believes that the remote-controlled boats could help harbor security and defensive operations against fast attack craft

To the untrained eye it may look like the missile missed, but the Navy say that is a trick of the camera angle and they actually hit the targetTo the untrained eye it may look like the missile missed, but the Navy say that is a trick of the camera angle and they actually hit the target

Another use could be to prevent pirates or Iranian sailors from maneuvering their small, fast boats between targets that Navy Destroyers can’t risk hitting.

Over three days’ worth of tests this week, the Navy shot off the long-range version variant of the Spike, a 30-pound missile with an effective range of about two and a half miles.

The video shows six of the remote firings which may look like near misses to the untrained eyes, but the Navy say that is a trick of the camera angle and they actually hit their targets.

The Navy expects to carry out many more tests before deciding if it wants to purchase a fleet of remote-controlled, missile-packing boats.

 

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"Scientists can tell what you're dreaming: Scans can decipher sleeping thoughts for first time"…How long before the NSA will enter your dreams?

  • Japanese researchers analysed the dreams of three men over several days
  • The volunteers’ dreams were mostly mundane, with the most common themes including cars, women and computers
  • The study found that activity in certain areas of the brain is the same whether a person is awake or asleep

Japanese scientists have found a way to decipher dreams for the very first time.

Their report shows that patterns of activity in certain visual parts of the brain are the same whether we are awake or dreaming.

Researchers from ATR Computational Neuroscience Laboratories in Kyoto, Japan, scanned three male volunteers’ brains in an exhausting test over several days to examine how activity could be related to their dreams.

Japanese scientists have found a way to tell what people dream about by carrying out research on three menJapanese scientists have found a way to tell what people dream about by carrying out research on three men

 

Researchers scanned the volunteers' brains as they slept to monitor activity over several daysResearchers scanned the volunteers’ brains as they slept to monitor activity over several days

The volunteers were woken up every time they began to nod off and dream. Each time, the men were asked what they had dreamed about before they fell back to sleep.

The process was repeated until an enormous 200 reports had been collated from each man.

The results showed that most of the dreams were about mundane, everyday life.

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