darpa on Technabob...
DARPA Suppresses Fire with Magic Wand
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There are lots of ways to put out a fire, but most of them require some way to actually spray or douse the flames with the suppressant. This can cause problems in small or obstructed spaces. It’s this limitation that got DARPA (the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) thinking about… |
January 22nd, 2012
iOptik Dual-Focus Contact Lenses Could Revolutionize Head-Mounted Displays
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These new high-tech contact lenses were developed by the Innovega Technology Manufacturing Lab, and they permit users to focus simultaneously on objects that are close up and far away, which could dramatically improve the ability to use tiny portable displays while still interacting with your real-world surroundings.… |
January 18th, 2012
Darpa FastRunner Robot: Who’s the Fastest of Them All?
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Did you ever think that people would make a robot inspired by an ostrich? Well DARPA has those kinds of people and they think that their ‘bot will beat all others in terms of speed and stability, thanks to some high-tech wizardry.… |
November 28th, 2011
DARPA’s Phoenix Assimilates Other Satellites
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DARPA has had some wild ideas, but any time I hear something from the agency that seems really improbable, I don’t discount them completely. Those cats at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency have a way of making the improbable into reality. One of their latest projects is a satellite… |
October 22nd, 2011
Boston Dynamics BigDog Robot: Will it Eat PIGORASS for Lunch?
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A reader pointed out that the PIGORASS four-legged robot I mentioned yesterday was somewhat flimsy (I don’t agree) compared to this more sturdy offering from Boston Dynamics. They call it the BigDog and it will most probably eat your real dog for lunch (it can be weaponized).… |
September 7th, 2011
DARPA-Commissioned Robotic Hummingbird Takes to the Air
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When I think about DARPA building robots, I envision something along the line of the Terminator or Johnny 5. That isn’t what DARPA has in mind though (at least in this project) as one of its projects has hit the prototype operation phase.… |
February 18th, 2011
Darpa Gives New Meaning to “Brown Out” With Poop Reactor Idea
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I went to college and know firsthand that methane will burn. I once knew a dude that burnt the hairs off his scrotum after a particularly noxious one was lit and flared up unexpectedly. Apparently, DARPA and the U.S. military are looking at a new use for poo. That is,… |
April 2nd, 2010
Darpa Wants Killer Robots That Help Build Themselves. Great. Just Great.
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DARPA‘s Self-Explanation Learning Framework (SELF) program “seeks to construct systems that can participate in their own construction.” Imagine a robot helping build itself. Who or what runs DARPA these days? Are there still humans in there? Things are moving too fast folks. Let’s look at the matchup for a sec:… |
June 13th, 2009
