Tag Archives: soldiers

Defense Mobile to offer Sprint-based cellular service to soldiers and veterans

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Defense Mobile to offer Sprintbased cellular service to soldiers and veterans

While the US military can devote many resources to putting smartphones on the battlefield, it can't do the same for soldiers' private lives. A new carrier, Defense Mobile, wants to fill that void: it just announced a deal to use Sprint's CDMA and LTE networks for cellular service devoted to active-duty forces, reserves and veterans. The provider will offer plans at enlisted rank budgets, ranging from $20 for the basics to $60 for a family plan. It won't skimp on the handset selection, though -- the company already promises the Galaxy S 4, HTC One and iPhone 5. Defense Mobile hopes to go live in 2014, and it should arrive with both apps and branding tailored to each military branch.

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Via: GigaOM

Source: Defense Mobile

DARPA flaunts HD heat vision camera small enough to carry into battle

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DARPA thermal camera

Thermal imaging cameras are highly useful tools for military and law enforcement types, letting them see humans inside buildings or land a helicopter in the fog. High-definition models are too heavy for servicemen to tote, however, so DARPA and a private partner have built a 1,280 x 720 LIWR (long-wave infrared) imager with pixels a mere five microns in diameter. That's smaller than infrared light's wavelength, allowing for a slighter device without giving up any resolution or sensitivity while costing much less, to boot. Researchers say that three functional prototypes have performed as well as much larger models, allowing them to see through a simulated dust storm, among other tests. If DARPA ever lets such goodies fall into civvy hands, count us in -- you can never have too much security.

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Via: Gizmag

Source: DARPA

Astronaut and Soldier Smartphone Stands

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astronaut phone holder Astronaut and Soldier Smartphone Stands
Blast off or blast some bad guys with Astronaut and Soldier Smartphone Stands (JP). I love how the astronaut looks like he’s talking on his own cell phone. The soldier is on his phone as well. Maybe he’s calling the astronaut, “hey spaceman, whatchu doing?”. “Nothing, just floating around”.
soldier phone holder Astronaut and Soldier Smartphone Stands
I’m sensing a communication theme here. Also a holding large boxes on your back theme. Mark my words, in the future real astronauts will in fact talk on tiny smartphones while hauling massive iPhones on their backs. It will happen.

Astronaut and Soldier Smartphone Stands

Boston Dynamics shows a quieter, more thoroughbred AlphaDog to DARPA and the Marines (video)

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Boston Dynamics shows a quieter, more thoroughbred AlphaDog to DARPA and the Marines video

When we last saw Boston Dynamics' AlphaDog (aka LS3), it was strutting through outdoor trials with the subtlety of a nuclear missile: for all that noise, it might as well have been holding a "shoot here please" sign broadcasting American soldiers' positions to everyone in the forest. Several months later, the company is showing both DARPA and the Marine Corps a refined version of its load-carrying robot that has clearly been through a few rounds of obedience school. While we still wouldn't call the four-legged hauler stealthy, it's quiet enough to avoid the role of bullet magnet and lets nearby troops chat at reasonable volumes. And yes, there's new tricks as well. AlphaDog can speed up its travel over difficult surfaces and move at up to a 5MPH jog, all while it's following a human squad. DARPA and the Marines recently began testing and improving the robot over a two-year period that should culminate in an Advanced Warfighting Experiment with the Marines to test viability under stress. If AlphaDog passes that bar, there's a good chance many on-foot soldiers will have a mechanical companion -- and quite a weight lifted off of their shoulders.

Continue reading Boston Dynamics shows a quieter, more thoroughbred AlphaDog to DARPA and the Marines (video)

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Boston Dynamics shows a quieter, more thoroughbred AlphaDog to DARPA and the Marines (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 11 Sep 2012 14:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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US soldiers to wear blast sensors in Afghanistan, collect shock data

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US soldiers to wear blast sensors in Afghanistan, collect shock data

Starting next month, around one thousand frontline personnel in Afghanistan will begin testing the Soldier Body Unit, a sensor kit for recording the effects of explosions on the human body. While that's not the most pleasant of subjects, the blast sensors have been rushed out to collect as much data as possible before soldiers head home in 2014. The US Army's Rapid Equipping Force and the Georgia Tech Research Institute, which developed the sensors, hope to gather info on concussions and traumatic brain injuries to improve aftercare. This will also be used at source to stop super-soldiers heading back out after a concussion and increasing the probability of an even worse injury. Further sensors will be carried on military vehicles, to help measure the effects of IED blasts on passengers. Adding two pounds in extra equipment probably won't make the Soldier Body Unit too popular, but it's thought the kit could weigh in at half a pound once it's been refined.

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US soldiers to wear blast sensors in Afghanistan, collect shock data originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 Jul 2012 07:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BAE Systems’ NAVSOP does positioning without GPS, makes sure the only jammin’ going on is yours

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BAE Systems' NAVSOP can do positioning without GPS, makes sure the only jammin' going on is your own

Just in case GPS and GLONASS didn't make for enough of an acronym soup, BAE Systems wants to add one more to the navigation broth. NAVSOP (Navigation via Signals of Opportunity) uses some of the basic concepts we know from cell tower triangulation and WiFi location-finding to lock down a position, but goes much further to geolocate from nearly anything that pushes out a signal, such as nearby radios and TVs. It doesn't even need to know what kind of signal it's looking at, and it can get its position in places there's no GPS to work from, whether it's in an urban canyon or the natural kind. BAE is most excited about the prospects of ending GPS jamming against soldiers and UAVs, once and for all: not only is the new technology mostly impervious to attempts to block its signal, it can use the jamming attempt itself to get the position fix. Thankfully, the company's roots in defense aren't precluding use for civilians, so there's a chance that future smartphones might never have to use guesswork to get their bearings -- provided that governments around the world sign off on the idea, that is.

BAE Systems' NAVSOP does positioning without GPS, makes sure the only jammin' going on is yours originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 30 Jun 2012 10:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Military hunting smartphone safety to hold off enemy bugs, spooks

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military-smartphone-safety-malware-protection

Ah, smartphones -- the delightful little slates carry our contacts, our content -- even our cash, and they still fit right in our pockets. No surprise then, that a lost or stolen phone can be a minor disaster -- or a major security risk (just ask the President). Now that soldiers are packing them to send GPS coordinates or situational images in the field -- on top of using them at home -- DARPA has enlisted security company Invincea to fortify the devices. Its first effort, encrypting OS files and filling the memory of a lost phone with worthless data, has already been deployed to 3,000 troops in Afghanistan. Its next target is to cloister apps into virtual rooms within the OS, locking off access to sensitive parts of the phone like its GPS or contact lists. That would keep any nasty bits of malware from potentially gaining root privileges so soldiers can fight, and Facebook, without compromise.

Military hunting smartphone safety to hold off enemy bugs, spooks originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 24 Jun 2012 04:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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