High-Altitude 'Security Blimps' Coming Soon

quackking writes "The AP is reporting (in New York Newsday) that the Georgia Tech spinoff company TechSphere has sold their concept of immense (300 foot diameter), high altitude spherical surveillance blimps to the honchos at Fort Benning, GA, and production is beginning now! (more here.) These things are as big as a 30-story building. Meanwhile Lockheed-Martin is working on gigantic 500-foot long robot blimps, (and more here.) This would be 25 times the size of the well-known Goodyear blimp. Says Mayor Don Plusquellic, 'For Akron, it's a very emotional thing.'"

Comments

Techology has gone full circle

[StateOfTheUnion]

Weren't surveillance blimps all the rage during WW-I ? . . . Nearly a century later and we've gone full circle . . .

So yeah.

[Anonymous Coward]

References to "1984" have become so common and hackeneyed these days that it's become kind of like the second order version of Godwin's Law or something. I'll agree with this.

But is this a reasonable time to start referencing 1984, now that they've started implementing actual plot devices from 1984 (the surveillance helicopters) in real life??

Re:So yeah.

[Anonymous Coward]

I think you're mistaken in calling the helicopters from 1984 a "plot device", since that is a metaphorical term for the authors tools in moving the plot along, which the security helicopters were really not.

However I agree with your thoughts. 1984 quotes are so rampant now that it's cliche, which sickens me because it's all true as day and in everyones faces.
Guess what? Nothings going to change. The only thing that you will see interrupt this downward spiral of our current civilization is a complete upheaval of the US government. No amount of protesting, terrorism, violence or passiveness is going to alter this countries current course.

I would love nothing more in my entire life and existence to be proven wrong about that...

Americans spying on Americans

[Ars-Fartsica]

The next trend will be finding "coldspots" instead of "hotspots" - places you can go to live freely outside of the benevolent observation of the government.

Re:Bounce wireless off big brother...

[The_Mystic_For_Real]

In the article it says that they will be used by the telecommunications industry. It does not specify what they will be used for but it states that the key ability involved is the ability to remain over one spot. I would imagine they could use it as a temporary transmiter in areas that have lost wireless communications services.

Aerostat, anyone?

[Mononoke]

Sounds just like a larger implementation of the not-too-sucessful Aerostat program they tried along the Southern borders of the US.

For the people

[Kelz]

that weren't required to read it in high school and are wondering what all these double-plus-ungood and 'big brother' comments are, check this out.

There was once a time where everyone on /. would know this.

Re:Shooting down the blimp

[praksys]

Let me guess, you think that blimps are filled with hydrogen just like the Hindenberg? These days they use helium. It doesn't burn. In fact it is so non-flamable that you could use it to put out fires.

As the poster above said they would be above the range of guns. No significant heat signature so man-carried surface to air missles are out. And yes they do have to come down, but they launch straight up so, unlike fixed-wing aircraft, there is no long flight-path to guard.

A high-altitude radar guided surface to air missile would probably do the trick. But really, if therrorists are setting up radar systems and SAM batteries in your back-yard then you have more to worry about than having an unmanned blimp shot down.