technabob » army

1/4 scale RC tank: is this still a toy?

lambert v. — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 15:45:21 +0000

I had my fair share of toy weapons as a kid: laser rifles that spark and pop when you pull the trigger, swords of all shapes and sizes, a slingshot. Apparently kids these days have much higher standards. Mark – 1 Tanks recently unleashed a 1/4 scale of the Germans’ WW II beast, the King Tiger Tank. This…man-toy is 6′ long, 8′ if you count the gun, and 38″ wide. It’s powered by 2 500W 24 V motors and it weighs all of 551 lbs. (250 kg). The PS3 is still heavier but hey. We’re talking about a remote-controlled tank. I mean look at it!

Apparently kids these days also look like grown men. But seriously: look at that thing. I almost wept when I realized that the guy was behind the tank, and not on the tank. Where else will you see an RC vehicle that can literally trample a child?

I’m pretty sure that the tank’s gun isn’t functional, but still. Still. Imagine your kid showing up at their school Christmas party on this. He’ll immediately be everyone’s best friend. Or at least every bully’s best friend.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Of course something this cool and obscenely large also has a humongous price: the King Tiger is worth £6,600 ($9, 713). If that’s too much for you, Mark-1 is also selling a 1/6 scale King Tiger, base price £2900 ($4,267). If that’s still too much for you then you’re a bad parent. Because giant tanks are the key to stronger parent-child relationships.

[Mark-1 via Tech Digest]

vestal grenade watch: somebody pulled the pin!

technabob — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 11:35:04 +0000

Maybe it’s just me, but I think it’s a bad idea to strap a live hand grenade to your wrist (or any part of your person, for that matter). I’d especially be wary of one that’s making a subtle ticking noise. But that’s exactly what the guys at Vestal would have you do, thanks to their over-the-top Grenade wristwatches.

The Grenade watch looks like an explosive device, but when you flip the lever, it opens to reveal a clock movement. While they won’t actually withstand an explosion, they should hold up pretty well thanks to their Stainless Steel case construction, durable mineral glass crystal and water-resistance to 3ATM.

They’re available in Army Green or Matte Black finishes and come with either a skinny canvas or wide leather and canvas wristband. I managed to find all four styles over on WatchWear.com starting around $125 each.

Just don’t blame me when you get stopped trying to go through airport security with one of these strapped to your wrist.

us army remote vehicles using xbox 360 controller?

technabob — Tue, 05 Jun 2007 11:01:27 +0000

Most video game enthusiasts will tell you that the Xbox 360’s joystick is one of the best designed gaming controllers of all time. Now it appears to have gotten the “thumbs up” from the U.S. Army.

From the looks of these photos taken in article over at ZDNet, at least some of the Army’s remote SUGVs (Small Unmanned Ground Vehicles) are controlled by what sure looks like an Xbox 360 controller to me.

The unmanned ground vehicles are part of the Army’s Future Combat Systems initiative, providing individual troops with improved accessibility to dangerous locations.

The fact that the Army would at least prototype these systems using the 360’s controller makes perfect sense to me, given the familiarity of the design to its likely users.

[via Xbox-Scene]