Posted by
CowboyNeal
on from the jumping-the-gun dept.
giampy writes "New Scientist reports the creation of a 'smart bullet' that can be fired at a target and then transmit back informations via wireless connection. The range is 70m. The project is funded by Lockeed Martin and its official goal is the detection of hidden TNT."
158 comments
Yes, this is a good idea
by
Anonymous Coward
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· Score: 3, Funny
Because we can't tell if our bullets have hit TNT without some sort of tracking system.
The big explosion only tells us that there may have been TNT in the path of the bullet.
I gotta get that Lesko book and figure out how to get my fair share of government pork.
Smart Bullets, Tom Toles, and Spider-Man
by
The+I+Shing
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· Score: 5, Interesting
The headline about "Smart Bullets" reminds me of a Tom Toles book entitled At least our bombs are getting smarter, a cartoon preview of the 1990s. The cover art is humorous... a daft (and probably tragically typical) American student can't figure out how to spell "budget," while the man-sized smart bomb sitting at the desk behind him is working out some kind of complex mathematical equation. In the corner of the cartoon, as in all Toles cartoons, there's a tiny punch-line. In this case, someone, probably the teacher, assures the smart bomb that "There'll always be a job for a chap like you." Dear God, it's more true today than it was fourteen years ago.
As far as smart bullets go, it sounds like the little spider transmitters Spider-Man uses to track the henchmen of his enemies, whom he inevitably follows right back to the bad guy's lair just in time to get clobbered by $villain. I wonder if there's an average number of years between the time a technology is introduced in comic books and the time it becomes a reality. Looks to me like it hovers around thirty.
-- You are in error. No-one is screaming. Thank you for your cooperation.
Re:Smart Bullets, Tom Toles, and Spider-Man
by
Saeger
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· Score: 3, Interesting
the teacher, assures the smart bomb that "There'll always be a job for a chap like you." Dear God, it's more true today than it was fourteen years ago.
Dear Logic, why should that be so surprising? It should be expected that our technology will continue to get smarter, and faster, than your average "daft" person because of the differences in the rate of evolution.
Soon enough we won't even have to send any "daft" grunts with smart bullets onto the battlefield; we'll send bots who won't question orders instead.
--
-- Power to the Peaceful
Re:Smart Bullets, Tom Toles, and Spider-Man
by
kfg
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· Score: 1
. ..it sounds like the little spider transmitters Spider-Man uses to track the henchmen of his enemies. ..
Except for the sticky projectile bit tiny little tracking bugs are pretty old hat though.
You'll find the plans for one at Radio Shack in a Forrest Mims III book published in the 80s. I used them in the 90s to track R/C cars. The basic design can be traced back to the 1920s (medical researchers put them in capsules, had subjects swallow them, and then traced the path they followed through the body).
The Spidey tracker was real, doable technology in the 60s. It just took someone to do it.
I'm still waiting for my Doc Oc arms and Goblin Flyers though.
i thought TNT is extremely stable, and requires virtually another detonation to set it off. I could be thinking of C4 or Semtex or something more modern though.
I could have sworn I read that you can actually light it on fire, and it'll burn slowly.
TNT is extremely stable, when compared to Dynamite. (Contrary to popular cartoon based opinions, they are NOT the same thing) You can set off a stick of dynamite by just dropping it a ahort distance, or on a bumpy automobile ride. If it sits around it becomes even less stable. If you happen to come across an old stick or two, LEAVE IT THE HELL ALONE!
And you DON'T want to try burning it. Seriously
Small amounts of C4 can be used to start a fire, especially when dealing with moist kindling. Same situation though, it's not a game you want to play unless you have no other choice.
LK
-- "Hi. This is my friend, Jack Shit, and you don't know him." - Lord Kano
I'm sorry, but shooting at TNT has as much risk as shooting at a tin can. TNT does not detonate from shock or flame. It must be detonated by an electrical impulse. This is why blasting areas prohibit talking on a cell phone etc. Most dynamite these days is TNT and will explode from electrical implulse, not shock etc.
As an ex-EOD tech, I can assure you that your impressions are quite incorrect.
All explosives are detonated by shock and/or heat. The amount of either depends on the formula used for the explosives. RDX, which is the active component of C-4, is quite sensitive on it's own. C-4 adds plasticizers to both reduce the sensitivity of RDX and to make it more plyable (hence, "plastic" explosives). Setting off explosives uses blasting caps (detonators) to provide the approriate shock to cause the explosive to detonate. This is accomplished by setting off a sensitive amount of explosive, which detonates a slightly more powerful explosive, on up until the last bit is powerful enough to set off the C-4.
The reason that you are required to turn off cell phones and other radio transmitters is because the blasting caps are usually electrically primed, and stray RF can set the caps off. Those long lead wires make very good antennae.
--
What good is a double standard if you can't enforce it?
Small amounts of C4 can be used to start a fire, especially when dealing with moist kindling. Same situation though, it's not a game you want to play unless you have no other choice.
Possibly you overestimate the danger. My pop told me it was regular practice for him and his pals to boil water over small C4 fires in Vietnam.
C4, is the stable explosive you are thinking of, they used to use it for emergency campfires in Vietnam. You could actually shoot C4 with a gun, and the chances of it exploding are null. TNT is little more than stabilized NitroGlycerin, which is inherently unstable, and prone to random explosions.
Given my choice, I'd probably do the same. Using small, and I do mean SMALL, quantities of C4 to boil water would be preferable to drinking jungle water.
LK
-- "Hi. This is my friend, Jack Shit, and you don't know him." - Lord Kano
well I'm going to send you up to look after the TNT next time, Darwin will take care of it.... What you use to set of TMT etc is not and electrical current.... it's an electrically fired detonator - that creates the shock wave in the explosive that causes the detonation... uh kind of like firing a bullet into it.... that's the difference between "detonation" or "explosive" and just burning fast - the chemical decomposition is driven by a shockwave at the speed of sound.
Sure detonators can be set off by stray electrical impluses and when they've been stuffed into something that will detonate and hooked up to long wires that act a lot like antennae firing up a transmitter near by is probably not a good idea.... but that's a property of the entire system, not the explosive itself.
that's the difference between "detonation" or "explosive" and just burning fast - the chemical decomposition is driven by a shockwave at the speed of sound.
Very close. With a high explosive, the detonation wave travels faster than the speed of sound in that material. Power aside, the advantage is that such explosives don't have to be confined or tamped, they're self-tamping. (The mechanical impulse that would push material aside travels at the speed of sound.) Low explosives (gunpowder and the like) will tend to just burn (spectacularly perhaps, but not explosively) unless tamped or confined to build up the pressure.
(A great lab demo of this is to take a small amount of acetone peroxide, loose, and ignite it with a bunsen burner flame. Nice ball of fire. Now take the same amount wrapped in a couple of folds of paper and set on a wire mesh on a stand over a bunsen burner flame (behind a blast shield!). The added confinement of even the folded paper is enough to cause the acetone peroxide to detonate with sufficient force to blast a hole in the wire mesh. Don't try this at home!)
You're right, but you omitted the explanation. (This is a geek site, after all;-)
TNT -- trinitrotoluene -- is a compound all its own. Dynamite is (classically) nitroglycerine plus various binders (Fullers earth, sawdust, etc) to make it a little easier to handle than raw nitroglycerine. As it ages, the nitroglycerine (which is a liquid) tends to weep out of the dynamite. That's when it gets dangerous.
Detonation risk aside, nitroglycerine also has physiological effects -- it's a vasodilator, which is why it's used to treat some heart conditions. But it can also cause severe headache and dangerous drops in blood pressure (and you don't want to faint while holding a quantity of the stuff). And yes, the nitroglycerin pills used for heart conditions really are nitroglycerin (plus filler), just not very much. (There's also a version that comes in a tiny spray can so a paramedic can give a suspected heart attack victim a quick shot under the tongue. Somehow I find the thought of nitroglycerine in a spray can...disturbing. Maybe it's really something else.)
Modern sticks of explosive used for blasting may or may not be dynamite, odds are they're probably something else. For large scale rock blasting, the drill holes are often mostly filled with something like ANFO (ammonium nitrate and fuel oil), with a few sticks of dynamite (or whatever) to set it off.
Its my understanding that in order to start off a high explosive reaction you must impact it with a velocity equal to or greater than the explosives burn rate... IE some high explosives explode at a rate of say 3400 feet per second and need a impact velocity of 3400 feet per second or greater. A blasting cap is made of high explosive that has a burn rate greater than the explosive being detonated...:-)
-- I've read Slashdot for the last 5 years, and now I start posting... Go figure:-P
...TNT is little more than stabilized NitroGlycerin...
Why do you post if you don't know what the fuck you're talking about? They're two distinctly different chemical compounds. TNT is quite stable and can't be detonated merely by shooting it with bullets.
It was fresh water from their canteens and they were doing it to boil parts of their rations on, as I said, a regular basis. Like, daily. And it wasn't even for lack of a better source of heat, it was just a lot faster. Do you have some first hand experience with C4 that leads you to make these comments, or are you just imagining that it must be dangerous when it is burned? Possibly my dad was exagerating.
Do you have some first hand experience with C4 that leads you to make these comments, or are you just imagining that it must be dangerous when it is burned?
I have never handled C4, I have however had a fair bit of experience with C4 precursors. I'm talking about chemicals like hexamine that are very flammable as they come but then are chemically processed to make RDX, composition C1 and eventually C4.
It is the knowledge of these chemicals that causes me to believe that caution is well advised when it comes to dealing with substances like C4. C4 being safer than mercury fulminate or picric acid is still nothing to trifle with.
LK
-- "Hi. This is my friend, Jack Shit, and you don't know him." - Lord Kano
I'm sure that we've all heard about how alcoholism kills brain cells.
It is because alcohol is metabolized into trinitrotoluene (TNT) and then used as fuel by cells in the brain that causes their death. Think of it like putting racing fuel in your lawnmower.
LK
-- "Hi. This is my friend, Jack Shit, and you don't know him." - Lord Kano
I thought it was from the movies, I mean, didn't they have this in the 5th Element? Then they pressed the red button...
Re:Comics
by
Anonymous Coward
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· Score: 0
Spidey trackers, or spidey tracers. One of those.
That sounds like a plan.
by
ColinAnderson
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· Score: 0, Redundant
High velocity bullet. Explosives.
Why is there a need to transmit whether explosives are present? I think they'd figure it out, oh say, when they fired the gun.
Re:That sounds like a plan.
by
Anonymous Coward
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· Score: 0
Actually, if your RTFA first you would find that the 'bullet' is more like a paint ball
If you're looking for a few sticks of Dynamite in a huge pile of junk, you would have to be pretty lucky to hit one of them.
The idea here is to get the sensor closer to the explosives. But I think building a sensor that will survive the penetration will be very difficult.
Re:That sounds like a plan.
by
Anonymous Coward
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· Score: 0
Read the article; paint balls aren't high velocity bullets.
I have just one question.
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Anonymous Coward
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· Score: 0
Is anyone else here thinking of "Who Framed Roger Rabbit"?
Re:I have just one question.
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Anonymous Coward
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· Score: 0
I wasn't but now I am.
Re:I have just one question.
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Rakshasa+Taisab
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· Score: 1
But those bullets weren't exactly smart...
-- -
These characters were randomly selected.
Re:I have just one question.
by
Richard_L_James
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· Score: 1
Is anyone else here thinking of "Who Framed Roger Rabbit"?
No, I'm thinking "offtopic":-) Now Jessica Rabbit that's a different matter...
Re:I have just one question.
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Aphrika
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· Score: 1
"Is anyone else here thinking of "Who Framed Roger Rabbit"?"
No, I was thinking more of Runaway (1984), an old Michael Crichton film starring Tom Selleck. The bad guy had a gun that recorded the IR signature of the target when it fired. The bullets would then track you round corners etc. - even through crowds.
I remember it as a pretty fun film to watch - esp. the small spider robots with the poison syringes...
What will we call this?
by
BabyDave
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· Score: 5, Funny
We've got warchalking, wardriving, so this would be... er, warwar?
Re:What will we call this?
by
ncurses
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· Score: 1
No, warwarring is unauthorized use of an unprotected wifi used by smart bullets. These have authorized use of the wifi.
I wonder why the range is only 70 meters. They should hire those guys from New Zealand to make a system w/ a longer range.
-- Help! I'm being repressed!
And then what?
by
divine_13
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· Score: 3, Interesting
So, after the bullet hit a target, it transmits information back to tell for example where it hit, damage made etc. The fun part starts if the host could transmit data back to the bullet, telling it how to operate next. Who knows what it can do? Explode, burrow etc... O.O This will be the end of cool action shooting scenes in movies though.
There was an article in Popular Science a number of years back about a new gun being developed for the military, with "programable" bullets, you could have them explode on impact, or after having burrowed for a number of seconds. It also split into two guns, a pistol and a lower powered rifle.
Re:And then what?
by
Anonymous Coward
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· Score: 0
This will be the end of cool action shooting scenes in movies though.
Yes and no; now it'll be the "computer hacking" scenes combined with the "shooting things" scenes.
root@bullet:~# gun gun v1.1 (c) 2004, U.S. Army
This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or (at your option) any later version.
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% set target="TIADB:1325213" Looking up target #1325213 in TIA database... TIA: Al-Jafar,Atwah TIA: Target located. % fire 1 1 round(s) discharged. Bullet #1: Tracking. ETA: 12 seconds Bullet #1: Impact recorded, velocity=5 Bullet #1: DNA confirmed. Executing KILL instruction. *** Bullet 1 connection severed *** % exit
"King also warns that firing a projectile at a potential explosive goes against bomb disposal guidelines."
Ya think? I know one way bomb squads dispose of potential bombs is to simply blow them up, but to fire a bullet (even if just at paintball speeds) at a potential explosive, just to try to find out if it's an explosive? Seems pretty silly.
Re:Understatement?
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Anonymous Coward
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· Score: 0
Most primary explosives wouldn't detonate because of a bullet impact anyway - they're designed in such a way that a secondary explosive is needed to trigger detonation. Thats why you can burn most of them and they simply burn very hot but don't explode.
Dude, when in Belgium the bomb squads goes out, it's al over the news. Hey, it's a small country.
And every time, I saw them drive a little car to the pakket and shoot it to pieces.
And yes, I have the exact same question:
WTF?
Re:Understatement?
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Anonymous Coward
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· Score: 0
A suspicious object can be shot at a safe distance. A better option than kicking it or poking it with stick.
As said by N.N. here - better than poking them. If the bomb don't go off when you shoot it i guess there is little chance that it is just a booby-trap.
And besides - what are the bomb-crew supposed to do? bring a ton of explosives and blow the POTENTIAL bomb just to be sure?
if it doesn't go off it's relatively safe to approach the device. if it blows, well then you know the answer - and at least you didn't ADD explosives to the blast.
i think i read that ordinary bomb-crew robots carry either a gun or a water-gun to induce explosion in potential bombs.
i think i read that ordinary bomb-crew robots carry either a gun or a water-gun to induce explosion in potential bombs.
Actually, I'm pretty sure the goal of the gun/water-gun is to demolish the workings of the bomb (e.g. the timer/transmitter/etc) so that the bomb doesn't explode.
OT: Why can't we moderate stories down?
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Anonymous Coward
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· Score: 2, Interesting
Some of the stories posted to this site are pretty lame. Others are obviously flamebait or troll. Why can't we moderate the top level as well as the comments?
Re:OT: Why can't we moderate stories down?
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garyok
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· Score: 1
Some of the stories posted to this site are pretty lame. Others are obviously flamebait or troll. Why can't we moderate the top level as well as the comments?
Because CowboyNeal doesn't want to be replaced by a very small shell script?
Seriously though it'd be cool: 7 of 15 stories, 8 stories beneath your contempt (or whatever).
-- One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors - Plato
The general idea here
by
Anonymous Coward
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· Score: 0
The big explosion only tells us that there may have been TNT in the path of the bullet.
The general idea is that it is preferable to have a big explosion telling us there may have been TNT in the former path of the bullet than to have a big explosion telling us there may have been TNT in the path of the former bomb squad.
Sure, but now we have thought of funnier things to say about it.
Thinking about defusing bombs...
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Anonymous Coward
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· Score: 0
The problem with defusing bombs is that they explode and send shrapnel in all directions possibly injuring those nearby.
Could something like bubble gum be used to safely encase a potential bomb such that in the event of an explosion the bomb's blast is rendered harmless? There are experiments into the use of non-lethal criminal apprehension devices that use a similar idea where a huge gob of goo is shot at the fleeing suspect and the goo acts as a temporary bind, rendering the suspect immobile.
It seems that such a material would be invaluable to bomb squads in that it would be possible to encase a potential bomb in the material from a distance, allow detonation of the device safely, and reduce property damage from the blast.
Re:Thinking about defusing bombs...
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mikael
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· Score: 3, Informative
Sandbags seem to be the preferred option. They're cheap, and the contents can be easily found anywhere in the world. Other methods of containment include using a U shaped metal barrel pointing upwards towards the sky. Apparently when this was used once, it actually shot a hole through the clouds above. The closest anyone has come up with using a flexible but strong substance has probably been with airlines experimenting with kevlar straps tied around baggage containers. The straps were flexible enough to stretch with the blast, but strong enough to keep the container in shape.
If someone runs, shoot at the car, stop the persuit and hunt for the signal later.
This might just save some lives.
Re:How about car chases?
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Anonymous Coward
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· Score: 1, Insightful
Not always possible. Some persuits need to be stopped quickly. Usually because the driver presents a grave danger to the public (i.e. drunk, escaped felon). By the time they catch up to the signal, they car may have been ditched with the criminal long gone.
Re:How about car chases?
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Anonymous Coward
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· Score: 0
Yep. Sure thing.
Even better. They shoot a car with it. Perp stops later, takes tag *off* the car, sticks it on *your* car. You can argue it wasn't you all the way to pound-me-in-the-ass prison.
Maybe the cops tagged you because they thought your girlfriend was hot and wanted to track her down later.
Maybe they tag everyone for just looking suspicious, "just in case".
Because that's not how slashdot works.
by
Anonymous Coward
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· Score: 2, Interesting
There ARE sites that allow you to moderate the top level stories. Kuro5hin comes to mind. I believe there's a public-voting version of Metafilter as well.
However those sites just somehow haven't wound up being as popular as Slashdot. Go figure. So did Slashdot just get lucky, or is Slashdot actually doing something right?
Re:Shoot^H^H^H^H^H think first... take cover later
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CdBee
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· Score: 1
(prolly gonna get troll-modded for this but it's what I think
Technology won't save troops from deteriorating political situations, it just adds another tool to carry and another IT support problem - and with any projectile-launcher, another way by which to cause civilian injuries and the concomitent reprisals.
Safety can only be gained by acting (in terms of foreign, domestic and social policy) in a manner which does not inspire bloodthirsty desire for vengeance in people of other cultures. Use an ethical solution to roadside bombs, not a technical one.
-- I have been a user for about 10 years. This ends Feb 2014. The site's been ruined. I'm off. Dice, FU
its official goal
by
binkzz
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· Score: 0, Redundant
is the detection of hidden TNT.
doesn't the big BOOM give away there's a hidden TNT stash where the bullet lands?
-- 'For we walk by faith, not by sight.' II Corinthians 5:7
Re:its official goal
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Anonymous Coward
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· Score: 0
No, only in your comic-book fantasy land.
IT'S! A! PAINTBALL!
by
Anonymous Coward
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· Score: 0
It's a paintball with a chemical sensor in it.
Any explosive SO volatile that it will be caused to go off by being hit with a paintball is-- if you ask me-- damn sorry-ass as an explosive, and certainly unlikely to be of much use in a military situation (as you could just toss some shrapnel grenades in the very general vicinity of your enemy's ammunition trucks and watch them all explode)...
TNT is very stable
by
Anonymous Coward
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· Score: 0
TNT is actually quite stable and can take a large amount of abuse. This is one of the reasons it has been so useful for so long. I remember reading that the military would occasionally shoot at a small block of TNT with an M-16 to demonstrate just how difficult it is to set off. It requires a detonator to get it to explode. The likelihood of it exploding from being shot or hit by shrapnel is extremely low. It would make for a good movie scene, though.
This could make investigation easier...
by
BSDCoder
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· Score: 1
When someone is hot with one of these "smart" bullets, perhaps they could "trace" the device the bullet was communicating with, leading to an arrest.
The inofficial goal
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Anonymous Coward
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· Score: 0
1. Shoot a person 2. Take a DNA sample 3. Enter the victims name into some wanted terrorist database 4. ? 5. Profit
Re:The inofficial goal
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Anonymous Coward
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· Score: 0
4a. Replace the rights of the individual with the rights of the corporation.
4b. Anyone who places the value of the rights of the people over the rights of business is a terrorist.
5. Profit.
Looks that RFID sniper rifle...
by
duckling42
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· Score: 1
Ooo, maybe now they can make that tracking sniper rifle that some one came up with as a scam.
Though I'd guess you'd notice it if you got hit with a paint ball, like this thing is.
And what does a smart bullet say...
by
Vellmont
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· Score: 3, Funny
After it hits someone? "He's dead, Jim" of course. Sorry, it had to be said.
-- AccountKiller
Receiving transmission...
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Gilmoure
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· Score: 4, Funny
Wind! Lots of wind!... Something's coming towards me. I wonder if it'll be my friend?... Ack! I've crashed into something! Oooooh! It's really icky in here. There's all sorts of red stuff going past me. I think I'm tumbling, too. Urp! I think I'm going to be sick.... Some kind of hard, white tree or something just shattered on my face.... Well, it looks like the ride has stopped.... Hello? Hello? Anyone out there?... Isn't anyone going to come and get me? It's really noisy here. Sounds like someone's screaming or something. And it really stinks here too. Looks like someone's mixed a septic tank and cow in a wood chipper. What a mess. Who the hell would do this? This sucks! Game over, man, game over!
-- I drank what? -- Socrates
Re:Receiving transmission...
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Anonymous Coward
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· Score: 0
Damn, you beat me to it!
Re:Receiving transmission...
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dangil
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· Score: 1
references please !!!!...
Re:Receiving transmission...
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dangil
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· Score: 1
ohh, I got it.. Aliens... ok..
Re:Receiving transmission...
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Anonymous Coward
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· Score: 0
Wow, combining HHGttG and Aliens references. You win slashdot!
Story Already Posted On /.
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CHaN_316
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· Score: 1
Ummm........this story has already been posted here on slashdot already here
-- "There is no spoon." - The Matrix
Correct me if I'm wrong...
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Tokerat
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· Score: 1
...but, if you shoot TNT, won't it blow up?
-- CAn'T CompreHend SARcaSm?
Re:Correct me if I'm wrong...
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Anonymous Coward
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· Score: 0
You're wrong. Consider yourself corrected.
Now go back to your job at Home Depot. There are shelves to be stocked.
Re:Correct me if I'm wrong...
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Anonymous Coward
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· Score: 0
Better than sitting in your mom's basement trolling on slashdot and watching cowboy beebop all day, you fat Everquest nerd
kinda like, they are serious about promoting democracy in iraq when they arrest men for waiving pics of sadam?
http://www.endevil.com/endevilnews1.html
-- I will gladly loose all of life's battles.. in order to win the war..
Lets not make too many jokes about shooting bullets at explosives. This is only the official goal. I'm sure Ashcroft and his gang have prefectly good reasons for wanting to go around shooting bullets randomly, and hoping to hit TNT. Americans must learn to give up our rights and safety and sanity in the fight against terrorism.
-- I'm an American. I love this country and the freedoms that we used to have.
Re:official goal
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Anonymous Coward
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· Score: 0
Moderators on crack. That got modded "funny"? Tinfoil hat on: I think he was only half-joking.
Re:Shoot^H^H^H^H^H think first... take cover later
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Anonymous Coward
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· Score: 1, Interesting
I'm not a big fan of Bush (in fact I dispise him), but the war in Iraq was a long time coming. I believe that future historians will group both GWI , the blockade, and GWII into one conflict, in the same way was we now look at the "hundred years war"
The morning of Sept 11, we had no troops in hostile teritories, no prisoners being held illegally, and no delared wars with any country. Ethics didn't help us avoid that disaster. In fact our commitment to help repel Saddam Hussain in GWI was the spark which started that chain of events (Bin 'the evil bastard' Laden didn't like that; he wanted to bring his own troops in from Afganistan; the Saudi Royals knew what a mess that would be). I know that the war in Iraq is more of a distraction in the "war on terror", but *hopefully* we can pull a stable democracy out of this mess. It's going to be hard, I believe that the arabs can't see the forest for the trees.
Except for a handful of MI Specialists (who were under far to broad of orders from [I believe] the Whitehouse) and the National Guard troops they corrupted, the U.S. military has acted ethicly, in fact I argue more ethically than needed. Troops should shoot insurgants 'on the spot' as spies (as the Geneva conventional allows), rather than send them to jail.
Bridges, roads, pipelines, schools are being build by American money and troops. It's not an easy situation, perhaps you believe that Saddam Hussain was a just and kind leader who was no threat at all, I think that it is pretty obvious that he wasn't. If France and Russian weren't bought and paid for by him, I doubt if their opposition whould have been as great.
Like any other technology, this could be abused
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EchelonZero
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· Score: 3, Interesting
This story reminded me of a recent art exhibit in NYC. Jakob Boeskov, an Danish artist, infiltrated an international weapons fair in China with a fake weapon, the "ID Sniper Rifle". While his story is interesting, his concept weapon was frightening; although even more frightening was the response it received from interested parties at the fair.
What is the ID Sniper Rifle?
To put it short, the idea is to implant a GPS microchip in the body of a human being, using a high-powered sniper rifle as the long distance injector. The microchip will enter the body and stay there, causing no internal damage, and only a very small amount of physical pain to the target. It will feel like a mosquito bite, lasting a fraction of a second.
At the same time, a digital camcorder with a zoom lens fitted within the scope will take a high-resolution picture of the target. This picture will be stored on a memory card for later image-analysis. GPS microchip technology is already being used for tracking millions of pets in various countries, and the logical solution is to use it on humans as well, when the situation demands it.
-------------
Projectiles witht the ability to "phone home" are in our near future. How long can we expect to wait until something like the ID Sniper Rifle really exists?
Re:Like any other technology, this could be abused
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denny_d
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· Score: 1
I thought the same thing when I read this... perhaps even more sinister... using RFIDs. Shoot anyone in possession of XYZ RFID and on impact and verification release a nerve agent or other nasty. The next nasty level of sophistication will be a DNA verification? If DNA =X then KILL.
How long until we get those nifty hunter/ killer bullets we saw in Runaway?
s/paranoia/righteous fear of rising police states/
Re:Like any other technology, this could be abused
by
MoneyT
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· Score: 1
Well that was certainly a huge load of propaganda.
-- T Money
World Domination with a plastic spoon since 1984
Re:Like any other technology, this could be abused
by
topynate
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· Score: 1
Well that was certainly a small load of propaganda.
Re:Like any other technology, this could be abused
by
geminidomino
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· Score: 1
I don't know about all this TNT finding stuff, but I can see the major benefits for hunters using these. Deer hunters sometimes can't bring a deer down right away (think drunks, or someone shooting through brush, both of wich are bad shooting habits) and so they have to track it through the woods.
Now, assuming the bullet didnt go all the way through, instead of following drops of blood for miles we can follow the bullet. It says the range is only 70m, but maybe that'll get better by the time they (maybe) release it for the public.
B/c for reasons other than hunting, it sounds completely pointless.
--
I was thinking of converting to paganism, but where the hell can you find sacrificial virgins these days?
Great.. now people can sit in their camouflaged camouflaged tent, shoot a deer from a few hundred feet, and casually walk after it tracking their bullet. Why not just hire someone to go kill the deer while the 'hunter' sits and suns himself..
-- I ran for the border.. and I'm not looking back!!!
yes yes, i know exactly what you mean. i was just pointing out the market. i by no means advocate that kind of hunting.
ive hunted for 2 years. each year i researched the deers patterns, paths, and activities. then i walk in and hunt from the ground. no tent, no stand. nothing. just me and the woods. ive let deer go b/c of unclear shots and bad positions. and im ok w/ that. it beats taking the shot then tracking the deer. i like to think of myself as a smart hunter. in the two years ive been hunting ive been on 8 hunts. i've seen deer on 4 of those. in the time i've seen deer, i've shot and killed 3 of them. all through the heart and they all fell dead w/in 10 yards of where i shot them. i know exactly what you mean. and btw, my eggs are big too =P
--
I was thinking of converting to paganism, but where the hell can you find sacrificial virgins these days?
Idiot
by
Anonymous Coward
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· Score: 0
It's spelled "Lockheed Martin", not "lockeed". Jesus, lol. Not to mention, the guy who is joking about the dumb American comic has plenty of grammatical errors and such in his post. So many ignorant people around:)
New Scientist reports the creation of a 'smart bullet' that can be fired at a target and then transmit back informations via wireless connection. The range is 70m.
"Hey Bob, where's the smart bullet?"
"Let me check the computer...hmm, over...there, next to the coffee machine."
Seriously, what the hell use is a tracking device that's only good for 70 meters? Or did the poster use the wrong units, and it should have been 70 mi?
Apologies to slashdot moderators, I'm going offtopic here - these are interesting comments, and worth the time to reply.
Disclosure, I'm not a US Citizen, although I suspect you've already realised this. When people speak about the effect the United States has upon the world we're not just discussing military operations.. in fact about the only thing we're not talking about is Joe Public.
I specifically referred to "foreign, industrial and social policy" as I don't see a real distinction. The United States as an economic superpower has significant sway, both in pure market terms and of diplomatic leverage, both of which have as much need to be used carefully as her near-unbeatable military might
There is significant anger at the US' diplomatic policies which support and defend Israel, a state which is in defiance of more UN Resolutions than Iraq ever was, and one which unlike Iraq was founded illegally and in defiance of commonly-accepted rights.
Your reference to events in Arabia at the end of the Gulf War is factually correct but can be seen from other angles as well, one of which I shall take.
The Iraqi army was nowhere near so well matched against the combined forces which liberated Kuwait as they had been against Iran several years earlier, it would not have been an impossible task for Operation Desert Storm to maintain its inertia and sweep through Iraq to the gates of Baghdad.
Few are those who would have complained at seeing Hussein toppled in 1991, just a few short years after his massacres of the Kurds and Turkomens in the North, of Iranian child soldiers and prisoners of war along his borders and in his camps, and his draining of the marshes of the Shi'i areas in an attempt to starve out the Marsh Arabs
However, the point of view of many is that the West did not want Saddam removed. Similarly recent were the humiliating sieges of US embassies in Teheran, Iran, and that country was, to a far greater extent than today, under the grips of a religious council of hardline Shi'i clerics. America saw Ba'athist government in Iraq as a shield to subdue fundamentalist shi'i islam which otherwise might have spread.
Osama bin Laden, then fresh from the Afghan campaigns against the USSR, was naturally opposed to Hussein - Ba'ath represented secular government untiting the people long racial rather than religious lines, to a hardline Moslem whose followers were drawn from throughout the Islamic world this was unwelcome... so bin Laden offered to provide military forces to keep Iraq at bay.
This would, of course, have been a disaster, but it was compounded by the house of Saud's decision to invite American forces into what Moslems see as holy territory.. and which fundamnetalist moslems saw as an outrage. To them, the US was allowing the continued oppression of many Shi'i Arab, Kurd, Turkomen and Iranian peoples by Saddam Hussein, while at the same time provifing military and diplomatic aid to another pariah state (Israel) which was engaged in a bloody 45-year campaign to hold land taken on pre-biblical grounds from Palestinians who viewed it as their home.
This is, of course, all interpretation, and many other interpretations are possible, but I believe that these were the roots of the rise of al-Qaeda as an international terrorist organisation and of course of the events of Sep 11th 2001. It doesn't just come down to military forces and short-term operations.
I'm quite aware my views won't be to most readers tastes - please reply and challenge me on facts rather than just moderating down. I meta-moderate daily and always mark seemingly political moderations as "unfair"
-- I have been a user for about 10 years. This ends Feb 2014. The site's been ruined. I'm off. Dice, FU
Clarification.
by
The+Tyro
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· Score: 3, Interesting
not to question an ex-EOD tech (you guys are all a little nuts), but I was under the impression that only some explosives (rather than all) are sensitive to heat, and some to percussion... while some require both to initiate a high-order detonation. C-4, for instance, can be safely set on fire, and will not detonate. It can also be safely exposed to significant mechanical shock, and will not detonate (exposing it to both simultaneously isn't advisable). I've never seen pure cyclonite (RDX) used much... probably due to its sensitivity, as you mentioned.
Most military high-explosives I've been around don't require much chaining (setting off sequential explosives to detonate a less-sensitive material)... I can't remember the last time I saw anyone use more than a standard cap. (I'm not an bomb/EOD-guy... I've simply been around the stuff a bit).
The original poster's comment about shooting at TNT is funny... because that's exactly how a fair amount of ordinance gets detonated these days. The last time I was in theatre, the EOD guys were using Barrett light-50's (with a type of european incendiary ammo) to detonate mines and other ordinance... a whole lot easier and safer than walking up to it and setting up the shot by hand. My tactical gear was heavy and unwieldy enough... I don't know how you guys are able to do anything in those bomb suits...
-- Even if a man chops off your hand with a sword, you still have two nice, sharp bones to stick in his eyes.
Re:Clarification.
by
BravoFourEcho
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· Score: 3, Insightful
...I was under the impression that only some explosives (rather than all) are sensitive to heat, and some to percussion... while some require both to initiate a high-order detonation.
Well, the amount of heat or force required depends on the particular explosive. But if you have enough of either, you can generally set off whatever you want. Gunpowder takes very little heat, but C-4 requires quite a bit if no shock is involved. You can burn a lot of explosisves without them detonating. Shock is similar. The military grade stuff is desensitized enough that it can take a bullet strike, but civilian dynamite won't necessarily be desensitized.
In most cases, all the chaining required to set off explosives is done in the cap, so you wouldn't need to specifically set something up.
The Barret's are a nice setup, but I can't say much more about that than that we do use them. The bomb suits are pretty unwieldy. Most of the time you'll see the EOD guys with just flak vests.
As for EOD techs being crazy, well, not everyone is dumb enough to play with something that didn't blow up when it was supposed to.:)
--
What good is a double standard if you can't enforce it?
You'll have no problem detecting TNT by shooting at it. Why the bullet needs to be "smart" eludes me considering it will likely be incinerated in the blast.
Re:Why Smart?
by
Anonymous Coward
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· Score: 0
You should at least window shop at a Clue Store before running off at the keyboard and showing your gross ignorance. You can't detonate TNT merely by firing bullets at it. That's why it used to be widely used in military munitions -- it's extremely stable. There are usually two stages, sometimes three, that develop the detonation wave that sets off TNT.
Go back to your room. You're grounded.
Re:Shoot^H^H^H^H^H think first... (Offtopic)
by
shlaf
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· Score: 1
|> There is significant anger at the US'
|> diplomatic policies which support and defend
|> Israel, a state which is in defiance of more
|> UN Resolutions than Iraq ever was, and one
|> which unlike Iraq was founded illegally and
|> in defiance of commonly-accepted rights.
I beg your pardon?!
Israel was founded prefectly legally and in accordance with a UN Resolution of 1947.
Which resolution was rejected by all Arab countries and they keep defying THAT resolution by denying the right of the State of Israel to exist. And I believe they should first accept that resolution and only then to require that Israel would obey theirs resolutions (most of which are by General Assembly and as such aren't mandatory anyway).
And, by the way, what is now Iraq was part of Ottoman Empire until WWI then under British rule till 1932, just like Israel (founded in 1948). Why on Earth that makes Iraq more legal than Israel - is beyon comprehension.
"It's not an easy situation, perhaps you believe that Saddam Hussain was a just and kind leader who was no threat at all, I think that it is pretty obvious that he wasn't."
I don't think ANYONE believes that Saddam was a "just and kind leader".
I also believe that ANYONE who believes Saddam was a threat to the US is living in a fantasy.
"The morning of Sept 11, we had no troops in hostile teritories, no prisoners being held illegally, and no delared wars with any country."
Well, we had people in Saudi Arabia and that is what pissed off Osama. We also had a history of supporting some "bad" people in places like Iraq and Honduras.
"I know that the war in Iraq is more of a distraction in the "war on terror", but *hopefully* we can pull a stable democracy out of this mess. It's going to be hard, I believe that the arabs can't see the forest for the trees."
Ummm, we invaded Afghanistan FIRST. If we haven't been able to establish a democracy THERE, why would we be able to do so in Iraq?
"Troops should shoot insurgants 'on the spot' as spies (as the Geneva conventional allows), rather than send them to jail."
Now THAT practice will gain you the support of the populace. This isn't about exterminating the Iraqi people, or, maybe it is. At least by your "logic", it would be.
"I'm not a big fan of Bush (in fact I dispise him), but the war in Iraq was a long time coming."
Just like that final war with Cuba... or Soviet Russia... or East Germany... and so forth. It is possible to NOT invade a country that disagrees with you.
Re:False dichotomy
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Anonymous Coward
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· Score: 0
I don't think ANYONE believes that Saddam was a "just and kind leader".
I also believe that ANYONE who believes Saddam was a threat to the US is living in a fantasy.
And I suppose that anyone who thinks that Bin Laden is a treat is "living in a fantasy world" as well. One of Bush's problems with Iraq was that "he tried to kill my Daddy, after all". Bush never did find his WMD, except for an old shell, but there was a treat, after all Saddam was known to admire Hitler:> Really the only valid "excuse" is that he has continued to violate the cease fire terms to the first (part of the) Gulf War.
ell, we had people in Saudi Arabia and that is what pissed off Osama.
We have troops in S. Korea, this pisses off "the funny looking guy" to the North, should we leave? We were asked there by a Saudia Arabia government which was scared of Iraq, now that Saddam is gone, our military is out of that country completely (which is the only real tie in for the 'war on terror'), So Bin Laden should be happy now, well guess what? he's not and he won't be, Bin Laden's plan is for political control of his homeland, getting our military out was the first step. There will be more trouble in that coutry over the next several years. Give in to Terrorism, and they will just demand more, perhaps you should move to a country more accomadating to madmen like Spain.
Ummm, we invaded Afghanistan FIRST. If we haven't been able to establish a democracy THERE, why would we be able to do so in Iraq?
It's hasn't been but 3 years, do you think that establishing a stable Democracy is as simple as throwing up a ballot box on the corner of every corner? It's going to take some time, and because of the nature of the country, it'll take more time. Bush should have concentrated on Afganistan, we had every right to that war, I don't care what you think.
Just like that final war with Cuba... or Soviet Russia... or East Germany... and so forth. It is possible to NOT invade a country that disagrees with you.
Look out France here we come!...
We were never fought a war to a stalemate with Cuba, the Soviet Union, or East Germany (really 'the Soviet bloc'). The example you are looking for is North Korea, and that could flare up at any minute, but a more likely end is for it fall apart (like the Soviet Union). Truth is Bush could have avoided the Iraq war, and I think that he probally should have, but "you can't cry about split milk". I not trying to make little of the problem, but the real question as Americans is "where do we go now". We need to get Bush out, and a fresh face in. Some Americans are better than others about living in the here and now, than others, I guess that is why thearapists do so well:)
I'm sure it's been said.
by
mcrbids
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· Score: 2, Funny
"Dammit, I'm too old for this shit", said the stern, muscular, middle-aged Marine commander, surveying with binoculars.
Dozens of miltary agents and officers stand in front of cars parked in the street. Lights are flashing, numerous troops stand around, guns drawn, facing a building.
Across the street, a badly shaven, greasy-looking middle-eastern (sterotype = terrorist, a la "True Lies") holding an automatic rifle in one hand, defenseless female in another screams threats from the large white house.
"Call in the sniper-detector" said the large, square-jawed Marine commander.
Up comes a small, wiry man in camoflauge, donning thick eye-distorting glasses. There's a weird electro-mechanical contraption vaguely resembling a satellite dish fixed to his military helmet.
"Sniper-detector Melvin reporting for duty, sir!" says the wiry gent.
"I need you to tell me if there are any explosives in that there building!" screams the military commander.
"Aye sir!" screams back the nerdly sniper-detector in a fearful tone.
Melvin promptly enters and briefly emerges from an unmarked, large, black moving truck parked nearby, holding a long, powerful-looking sniper rifle, on which is an enormous-looking scope.
"Here, I need you to shoot this into the building when I tell you to!", says Melvin to a nearby, muscular ground trooper. "Make sure not to hit anybody!" he adds with intent and feeling.
Melvin then disappears into the back of the large, black truck.
"OK!" comes the muffled scream from Melvin in the back of the truck.
With a barely perceptible nod, the trooper takes the gun, and with careful, confident smoothness, the trooper points the rifle at the building, and carefully takes aim at the building and carefully fires a single shot.
KABOOM!
Boards and shrapnel fly in all directions, the blast blowing back everybody standing against the ground. Windshields and car windows are shattered, a hubcap noisily rolls by, eventually coming to rest against a heavily damaged 2x4.
Officers and agents get up, dusting themselves off, one officer screaming in pain off in the distance. As officers and infantryman check each other to assess the damage, the back door of the truck flies open.
"Good news, sir!" says Melvin, suddenly pausing as he surveys the damage all around.
"What's that, dammit!" screams the commander.
"Well, sir, I was going to say that there was no sign of nuclear weapons, just some plastic explosives..."
-- I have no problem with your religion until you decide it's reason to deprive others of the truth.
they watched too much Full Metal Panic, the anime. the main character, Sagara, is a para-militar undercover in high-school. whenever he thinks his locker has been violated he just blows it up. why ? because "it could contain explosives"
just great stuff. specially the second season, Full Metal Panic Fumoffu.
Few posters when "complaining" about the U.S. tell which nation they call home. There are few countries which I cannot call some embarassing momemt from their past, bring it on... (just one of Bush's unfortunate quotes)
True, leaving Saddam Hussain was the biggest mistake of (maybe early part of) the war, but this desicion was not made "by the [corrupt] West" it was comprimise with the powers that be in the Middle East itself, including (and ESPECIALLY) Saudi Arabia, which saw Iraq as a shield more than anyone over here.
The House of Saud is a House of Cards, they have claimed religous mandate for their rule. Now they find that brutal political suppression while paying big money to the religous leaders have created a climate where these "religous leaders" are the political opposition. With the U.S. military finally out of Arabia, they are now focusing on "any foriegner. After every foriegner is out (an it will basicly happen) they will focus on the "excesses" of the royal family itself. Trust me we are only beginning to see trouble there.
I'm not a "big fan" of Isreal, but I have even less respect for the lifetime dictators which dominate the middle east (Jordan and a few others are making changes, slowly). Whatever they call themselves, President, King, whatever, they are despots generally pillaging the countries for their own comfort, their problem with Isreal is NOT because of the Palestinians (whom they have rejected from their own lands), but becuase Isreal has a real economy, a real political process, and real civil rights. There were Jews in Palestine and there are Arabs in Isreal. Most of the palestinians and other arabs who stayed after the formation of Isreal are happy (very little civil disturbance; practically all trouble comes from the occupied lands). The "occupied lands" where not captured by Isreal, but lost by the invading Arabs. They kept the land as (in theory) a security buffer for a state which otherwise could be bi-sected by a line of tanks. Granted they seem more interested in setting up settlements and "importing Jews" than trying to integrate the territories or "nation building" a palestinian state. Nations under fire tend to be nationalistic, if the Arabs weren't so openly hostile to the Jews (and Isreal in general), all that crap wouldn't be happening now.
The Palenstinians are not blameless themselves, after being kicked out of Jordan for plotting against the government (a king), they have set themselves up in camps and basicly collect welfare, which corrupt rulers like Arafat have pillaged. These rulers have a vested interest in keeping the fight up, otherwise their crimes would be exposed. They are now teaching their young to strap bombs on themselves and blow up busses and coffee shops.
It's a real mess, I find it amusing that the U.N. is the same group that set up the state of Isreal (which was almost vetoed by the U.S. - there is real interesting story in that), now every one is calling for the U.N. to control Iraq. I'm not saying that they don't have a role, but I'll give you a cookie if you can name ONE successfull U.N. nation building experiment.
The movie is calledRunaway. And is one of my favorites. A Michael Crichton movie ! Tom Selleck, Gene Simmons, Kirstie Alley. the future, as seen in 1984. great stuff
K5 or any other scoop based site for that matter. Community edited is the keyword you're looking for.
/. prides itself of its exceptionnally good editors, if you are unsatisfied there are plenty of community edited sites...
"when it was supposed to"
by
The+Tyro
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· Score: 1
that's a good way to put it. I wasn't casting any aspersions on the intelligence of EOD and bomb guys (God knows, they come in mighty handy... I've always been thankful to have their expertise in the appropriate situations).
I don't know what it is about some bomb guys, but some of them like what they do... I don't mean that they're simply cheerful... I mean they really, really like their work. Some of those guys literally have a gleam in their eye when they're working. They remind me of the kid in school who was kind of a pyromaniac (you know who I'm talking about... every school has one) who's found his niche in life; getting paid to do what he'd probably be doing anyway.
It's nice to see enthusiasm in your job... but I was always worried about that level of enjoyment involving high explosives.
-- Even if a man chops off your hand with a sword, you still have two nice, sharp bones to stick in his eyes.
shoot 'em and find out
by
Anonymous Coward
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· Score: 0
...after the embarrassment with witches, the puritans instead focused their attention on suicide bombers.
I want my friggen Iron Man armor, darnit.
by
Anonymous Coward
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· Score: 0
I've been waiting all my life for that.
Re:I want my friggen Iron Man armor, darnit.
by
kfg
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· Score: 1
Not until your cardiologist approves.
KFG
Sticky cams!!!
by
Anonymous Coward
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· Score: 0
I wonder if they will be able to whistle and emit incapacitating gases as well.
Re:Shoot^H^H^H^H^H think first... take cover later
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Anonymous Coward
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· Score: 0
I don't mean to offend anyone who is not a citizen of the U.S., but I think this country would be a lot better off if we stopped getting involved in the never-ending wars of Europe and Asia. Maybe I'm just cynical, but if the Roman empire couldn't keep the peace in this place, why do we think we can? If the Middle East wants to blow itself up, do I want to be there? I'm not saying that the majority of peoples in these countries want war, but maybe it's time to let self-determination take over. If the individual citizens would stop listening to their respective governments and work towards eliminating the violent criminals where they live, they would probably be better off. I can't see how Sharon or Arafat benefit the average person. I've always wished God would pull a little Garden of Eden and run everyone out of the Holy Land, "If you can't get along peacefully, nobody gets it."
Just the random thoughts of an American sick of fueling the fire of international discord with his tax dollars.
Old News...Tom Selleck already knew about it
by
dangil
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· Score: 1
Tom Selleck Already Knew how to handle those in the 80's.. who remembers the movie Runaway ? the bad guy literally had bullets with your name written on. and those spiders... OMG... I had nightmares with those... I was 6 when I first watched this movie...
and it is a movie by Michael Crichton ! he is a genius...
Palestinians NOT the Under Dogs
by
Anonymous Coward
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· Score: 0
To follow up about Arafat pillaging his people. Arafat has over a billion dollars stashed away that's SUPPOSED to be used for his people as stated here.
The Palestinian Refugee problem is also an artificial problem created by the arabs. Tiny little Israel has taken in over 600,000 Jewish refugees who have been expelled/persecuted in Arab lands. Why can't oil rich neighbouring Arab states with FAR MORE land take in the palestinian refugees?
Re:Palestinians NOT the Under Dogs
by
Anonymous Coward
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· Score: 0
Arafat's Wife and Daughter live in France with all that money. Me thinks, there is something to be said about that.
Stupid question, but worth the karma burn:
by
geminidomino
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· Score: 1
EOD = explosive ??? disposal? Ordinance?
Mod Parent Up
by
Anonymous Coward
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· Score: 0
Mod Parent up, how is talking about homing devices in an article about homing devices redundant?
Slashdot Mirror
Because we can't tell if our bullets have hit TNT without some sort of tracking system.
The big explosion only tells us that there may have been TNT in the path of the bullet.
I gotta get that Lesko book and figure out how to get my fair share of government pork.
The headline about "Smart Bullets" reminds me of a Tom Toles book entitled At least our bombs are getting smarter, a cartoon preview of the 1990s. The cover art is humorous... a daft (and probably tragically typical) American student can't figure out how to spell "budget," while the man-sized smart bomb sitting at the desk behind him is working out some kind of complex mathematical equation. In the corner of the cartoon, as in all Toles cartoons, there's a tiny punch-line. In this case, someone, probably the teacher, assures the smart bomb that "There'll always be a job for a chap like you." Dear God, it's more true today than it was fourteen years ago.
As far as smart bullets go, it sounds like the little spider transmitters Spider-Man uses to track the henchmen of his enemies, whom he inevitably follows right back to the bad guy's lair just in time to get clobbered by $villain. I wonder if there's an average number of years between the time a technology is introduced in comic books and the time it becomes a reality. Looks to me like it hovers around thirty.
You are in error. No-one is screaming. Thank you for your cooperation.
I'm glad I don't have the job of testing that...
shooting at TNT seems a little risky.
Be you Admins? nay, we are but lusers!
Oooh. I think therefore I am... *CRUNCH*!
Deleted
spy bullets?
Shoot first, get answers later.
Won't somebody please think of the Karma!
"New Scientist reports the creation of a 'smart bullet' that can be fired at a target and then transmit back informations via wireless connection. "
;). I am surprised it took until now to get it developed in real life.
Didn't Spider man always use to shoot homing devices on cars etc and track them
3dinfo@maficstudios.com
High velocity bullet. Explosives. Why is there a need to transmit whether explosives are present? I think they'd figure it out, oh say, when they fired the gun.
Is anyone else here thinking of "Who Framed Roger Rabbit"?
We've got warchalking, wardriving, so this would be ... er, warwar?
So, after the bullet hit a target, it transmits information back to tell for example where it hit, damage made etc.
The fun part starts if the host could transmit data back to the bullet, telling it how to operate next. Who knows what it can do? Explode, burrow etc...
O.O
This will be the end of cool action shooting scenes in movies though.
"King also warns that firing a projectile at a potential explosive goes against bomb disposal guidelines."
Ya think? I know one way bomb squads dispose of potential bombs is to simply blow them up, but to fire a bullet (even if just at paintball speeds) at a potential explosive, just to try to find out if it's an explosive? Seems pretty silly.
Bullet: "Splat!"
That's going to be a lot of bullets to track.
I wasn't shooting at the bank teller, the bullet was trying to find TNT
If result of Step 1 is: No detonation then most likely, there's no TNT.
Of little on topic relavence: Have you seen what a blended metal bullet does to a potroast?
"Draco dormiens nunquam titillandus."
... all our missiles are guaranteed to hit the ground if they fail to reach the target...
Vintage computer adverts: http://www.vintageadbrowser.com/computers-and-software-ads
Some of the stories posted to this site are pretty lame. Others are obviously flamebait or troll. Why can't we moderate the top level as well as the comments?
The big explosion only tells us that there may have been TNT in the path of the bullet.
The general idea is that it is preferable to have a big explosion telling us there may have been TNT in the former path of the bullet than to have a big explosion telling us there may have been TNT in the path of the former bomb squad.
Don't know why nobody has noticed this yet, but we already covered this topic a couple days ago.
The problem with defusing bombs is that they explode and send shrapnel in all directions possibly injuring those nearby.
Could something like bubble gum be used to safely encase a potential bomb such that in the event of an explosion the bomb's blast is rendered harmless? There are experiments into the use of non-lethal criminal apprehension devices that use a similar idea where a huge gob of goo is shot at the fleeing suspect and the goo acts as a temporary bind, rendering the suspect immobile.
It seems that such a material would be invaluable to bomb squads in that it would be possible to encase a potential bomb in the material from a distance, allow detonation of the device safely, and reduce property damage from the blast.
I know it's early and Saturday, but does anyone else join me when I say "huh?".
If these are used for, let's say, more violent purposed: ...... he's definitely dead. Nice shot."
"Yup
Looks to me like it hovers around thirty.
We can only hope. That would mean Stunner would become real in just 20 years...
If someone runs, shoot at the car, stop the persuit and hunt for the signal later.
This might just save some lives.
There ARE sites that allow you to moderate the top level stories. Kuro5hin comes to mind. I believe there's a public-voting version of Metafilter as well.
However those sites just somehow haven't wound up being as popular as Slashdot. Go figure. So did Slashdot just get lucky, or is Slashdot actually doing something right?
...can I shoot one at my boss so I'll always know where he is, or will it kill him?
Actually, never mind, it seems a win-win situation either way.
Let there be light....
Cesare
(prolly gonna get troll-modded for this but it's what I think
Technology won't save troops from deteriorating political situations, it just adds another tool to carry and another IT support problem - and with any projectile-launcher, another way by which to cause civilian injuries and the concomitent reprisals.
Safety can only be gained by acting (in terms of foreign, domestic and social policy) in a manner which does not inspire bloodthirsty desire for vengeance in people of other cultures. Use an ethical solution to roadside bombs, not a technical one.
I have been a user for about 10 years. This ends Feb 2014. The site's been ruined. I'm off. Dice, FU
doesn't the big BOOM give away there's a hidden TNT stash where the bullet lands?
'For we walk by faith, not by sight.' II Corinthians 5:7
It's a paintball with a chemical sensor in it.
Any explosive SO volatile that it will be caused to go off by being hit with a paintball is-- if you ask me-- damn sorry-ass as an explosive, and certainly unlikely to be of much use in a military situation (as you could just toss some shrapnel grenades in the very general vicinity of your enemy's ammunition trucks and watch them all explode)...
TNT is actually quite stable and can take a large amount of abuse. This is one of the reasons it has been so useful for so long. I remember reading that the military would occasionally shoot at a small block of TNT with an M-16 to demonstrate just how difficult it is to set off. It requires a detonator to get it to explode. The likelihood of it exploding from being shot or hit by shrapnel is extremely low. It would make for a good movie scene, though.
When someone is hot with one of these "smart" bullets, perhaps they could "trace" the device the bullet was communicating with, leading to an arrest.
1. Shoot a person
2. Take a DNA sample
3. Enter the victims name into some wanted terrorist database
4. ?
5. Profit
FATAL ERROR: damn its not TNT its a hydro...**KAAABOOOM**
Striving to be common...
Ooo, maybe now they can make that tracking sniper rifle that some one came up with as a scam.
Though I'd guess you'd notice it if you got hit with a paint ball, like this thing is.
After it hits someone? "He's dead, Jim" of course.
Sorry, it had to be said.
AccountKiller
Wind! Lots of wind! ... ... ... ... ... ...
Something's coming towards me. I wonder if it'll be my friend?
Ack! I've crashed into something! Oooooh! It's really icky in here. There's all sorts of red stuff going past me. I think I'm tumbling, too. Urp! I think I'm going to be sick.
Some kind of hard, white tree or something just shattered on my face.
Well, it looks like the ride has stopped.
Hello? Hello? Anyone out there?
Isn't anyone going to come and get me? It's really noisy here. Sounds like someone's screaming or something. And it really stinks here too. Looks like someone's mixed a septic tank and cow in a wood chipper. What a mess. Who the hell would do this? This sucks! Game over, man, game over!
I drank what? -- Socrates
Ummm........this story has already been posted here on slashdot already here
"There is no spoon." - The Matrix
...but, if you shoot TNT, won't it blow up?
CAn'T CompreHend SARcaSm?
kinda like, they are serious about promoting democracy in iraq when they arrest men for waiving pics of sadam? http://www.endevil.com/endevilnews1.html
I will gladly loose all of life's battles.. in order to win the war..
Lets not make too many jokes about shooting bullets at explosives. This is only the official goal . I'm sure Ashcroft and his gang have prefectly good reasons for wanting to go around shooting bullets randomly, and hoping to hit TNT. Americans must learn to give up our rights and safety and sanity in the fight against terrorism.
I'm an American. I love this country and the freedoms that we used to have.
The morning of Sept 11, we had no troops in hostile teritories, no prisoners being held illegally, and no delared wars with any country. Ethics didn't help us avoid that disaster. In fact our commitment to help repel Saddam Hussain in GWI was the spark which started that chain of events (Bin 'the evil bastard' Laden didn't like that; he wanted to bring his own troops in from Afganistan; the Saudi Royals knew what a mess that would be). I know that the war in Iraq is more of a distraction in the "war on terror", but *hopefully* we can pull a stable democracy out of this mess. It's going to be hard, I believe that the arabs can't see the forest for the trees.
Except for a handful of MI Specialists (who were under far to broad of orders from [I believe] the Whitehouse) and the National Guard troops they corrupted, the U.S. military has acted ethicly, in fact I argue more ethically than needed. Troops should shoot insurgants 'on the spot' as spies (as the Geneva conventional allows), rather than send them to jail.
Bridges, roads, pipelines, schools are being build by American money and troops. It's not an easy situation, perhaps you believe that Saddam Hussain was a just and kind leader who was no threat at all, I think that it is pretty obvious that he wasn't. If France and Russian weren't bought and paid for by him, I doubt if their opposition whould have been as great.
What is the ID Sniper Rifle?
To put it short, the idea is to implant a GPS microchip in the body of a human being, using a high-powered sniper rifle as the long distance injector. The microchip will enter the body and stay there, causing no internal damage, and only a very small amount of physical pain to the target. It will feel like a mosquito bite, lasting a fraction of a second.
At the same time, a digital camcorder with a zoom lens fitted within the scope will take a high-resolution picture of the target. This picture will be stored on a memory card for later image-analysis. GPS microchip technology is already being used for tracking millions of pets in various countries, and the logical solution is to use it on humans as well, when the situation demands it.
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Projectiles witht the ability to "phone home" are in our near future. How long can we expect to wait until something like the ID Sniper Rifle really exists?
Check out Boeskov's account of the weapons fair- crazy! http://events.thing.net/Boeskov_text.html
I don't know about all this TNT finding stuff, but I can see the major benefits for hunters using these. Deer hunters sometimes can't bring a deer down right away (think drunks, or someone shooting through brush, both of wich are bad shooting habits) and so they have to track it through the woods.
Now, assuming the bullet didnt go all the way through, instead of following drops of blood for miles we can follow the bullet. It says the range is only 70m, but maybe that'll get better by the time they (maybe) release it for the public.
B/c for reasons other than hunting, it sounds completely pointless.
I was thinking of converting to paganism, but where the hell can you find sacrificial virgins these days?
It's spelled "Lockheed Martin", not "lockeed". Jesus, lol. Not to mention, the guy who is joking about the dumb American comic has plenty of grammatical errors and such in his post. So many ignorant people around :)
"Hey Bob, where's the smart bullet?"
"Let me check the computer...hmm, over...there, next to the coffee machine."
Seriously, what the hell use is a tracking device that's only good for 70 meters? Or did the poster use the wrong units, and it should have been 70 mi?
Please help metamoderate.
Apologies to slashdot moderators, I'm going offtopic here - these are interesting comments, and worth the time to reply.
Disclosure, I'm not a US Citizen, although I suspect you've already realised this. When people speak about the effect the United States has upon the world we're not just discussing military operations.. in fact about the only thing we're not talking about is Joe Public.
I specifically referred to "foreign, industrial and social policy" as I don't see a real distinction. The United States as an economic superpower has significant sway, both in pure market terms and of diplomatic leverage, both of which have as much need to be used carefully as her near-unbeatable military might
There is significant anger at the US' diplomatic policies which support and defend Israel, a state which is in defiance of more UN Resolutions than Iraq ever was, and one which unlike Iraq was founded illegally and in defiance of commonly-accepted rights.
Your reference to events in Arabia at the end of the Gulf War is factually correct but can be seen from other angles as well, one of which I shall take.
The Iraqi army was nowhere near so well matched against the combined forces which liberated Kuwait as they had been against Iran several years earlier, it would not have been an impossible task for Operation Desert Storm to maintain its inertia and sweep through Iraq to the gates of Baghdad.
Few are those who would have complained at seeing Hussein toppled in 1991, just a few short years after his massacres of the Kurds and Turkomens in the North, of Iranian child soldiers and prisoners of war along his borders and in his camps, and his draining of the marshes of the Shi'i areas in an attempt to starve out the Marsh Arabs
However, the point of view of many is that the West did not want Saddam removed. Similarly recent were the humiliating sieges of US embassies in Teheran, Iran, and that country was, to a far greater extent than today, under the grips of a religious council of hardline Shi'i clerics. America saw Ba'athist government in Iraq as a shield to subdue fundamentalist shi'i islam which otherwise might have spread.
Osama bin Laden, then fresh from the Afghan campaigns against the USSR, was naturally opposed to Hussein - Ba'ath represented secular government untiting the people long racial rather than religious lines, to a hardline Moslem whose followers were drawn from throughout the Islamic world this was unwelcome... so bin Laden offered to provide military forces to keep Iraq at bay.
This would, of course, have been a disaster, but it was compounded by the house of Saud's decision to invite American forces into what Moslems see as holy territory.. and which fundamnetalist moslems saw as an outrage. To them, the US was allowing the continued oppression of many Shi'i Arab, Kurd, Turkomen and Iranian peoples by Saddam Hussein, while at the same time provifing military and diplomatic aid to another pariah state (Israel) which was engaged in a bloody 45-year campaign to hold land taken on pre-biblical grounds from Palestinians who viewed it as their home.
This is, of course, all interpretation, and many other interpretations are possible, but I believe that these were the roots of the rise of al-Qaeda as an international terrorist organisation and of course of the events of Sep 11th 2001. It doesn't just come down to military forces and short-term operations.
I'm quite aware my views won't be to most readers tastes - please reply and challenge me on facts rather than just moderating down. I meta-moderate daily and always mark seemingly political moderations as "unfair"
I have been a user for about 10 years. This ends Feb 2014. The site's been ruined. I'm off. Dice, FU
not to question an ex-EOD tech (you guys are all a little nuts), but I was under the impression that only some explosives (rather than all) are sensitive to heat, and some to percussion... while some require both to initiate a high-order detonation. C-4, for instance, can be safely set on fire, and will not detonate. It can also be safely exposed to significant mechanical shock, and will not detonate (exposing it to both simultaneously isn't advisable). I've never seen pure cyclonite (RDX) used much... probably due to its sensitivity, as you mentioned.
Most military high-explosives I've been around don't require much chaining (setting off sequential explosives to detonate a less-sensitive material)... I can't remember the last time I saw anyone use more than a standard cap. (I'm not an bomb/EOD-guy... I've simply been around the stuff a bit).
The original poster's comment about shooting at TNT is funny... because that's exactly how a fair amount of ordinance gets detonated these days. The last time I was in theatre, the EOD guys were using Barrett light-50's (with a type of european incendiary ammo) to detonate mines and other ordinance... a whole lot easier and safer than walking up to it and setting up the shot by hand. My tactical gear was heavy and unwieldy enough... I don't know how you guys are able to do anything in those bomb suits...
Even if a man chops off your hand with a sword, you still have two nice, sharp bones to stick in his eyes.
You'll have no problem detecting TNT by shooting at it. Why the bullet needs to be "smart" eludes me considering it will likely be incinerated in the blast.
|> There is significant anger at the US' |> diplomatic policies which support and defend |> Israel, a state which is in defiance of more |> UN Resolutions than Iraq ever was, and one |> which unlike Iraq was founded illegally and |> in defiance of commonly-accepted rights. I beg your pardon?!
Israel was founded prefectly legally and in accordance with a UN Resolution of 1947.
Which resolution was rejected by all Arab countries and they keep defying THAT resolution by denying the right of the State of Israel to exist. And I believe they should first accept that resolution and only then to require that Israel would obey theirs resolutions (most of which are by General Assembly and as such aren't mandatory anyway).
And, by the way, what is now Iraq was part of Ottoman Empire until WWI then under British rule till 1932, just like Israel (founded in 1948). Why on Earth that makes Iraq more legal than Israel - is beyon comprehension.
These bullets were used in the anime Ghost in the Shell movie(1998?). The non-techie member of the team shoot off two of these at an escaping vehicle.
Life imitating art?
You say things that offend me and I can deal with it. Can you?
correct me if im wrong (which im not)
but its Lock h eed dammit
------
[insert funny
"It's not an easy situation, perhaps you believe that Saddam Hussain was a just and kind leader who was no threat at all, I think that it is pretty obvious that he wasn't."
I don't think ANYONE believes that Saddam was a "just and kind leader".
I also believe that ANYONE who believes Saddam was a threat to the US is living in a fantasy.
"The morning of Sept 11, we had no troops in hostile teritories, no prisoners being held illegally, and no delared wars with any country."
Well, we had people in Saudi Arabia and that is what pissed off Osama. We also had a history of supporting some "bad" people in places like Iraq and Honduras.
"I know that the war in Iraq is more of a distraction in the "war on terror", but *hopefully* we can pull a stable democracy out of this mess. It's going to be hard, I believe that the arabs can't see the forest for the trees."
Ummm, we invaded Afghanistan FIRST. If we haven't been able to establish a democracy THERE, why would we be able to do so in Iraq?
"Troops should shoot insurgants 'on the spot' as spies (as the Geneva conventional allows), rather than send them to jail."
Now THAT practice will gain you the support of the populace. This isn't about exterminating the Iraqi people, or, maybe it is. At least by your "logic", it would be.
"I'm not a big fan of Bush (in fact I dispise him), but the war in Iraq was a long time coming."
Just like that final war with Cuba...
or Soviet Russia...
or East Germany...
and so forth. It is possible to NOT invade a country that disagrees with you.
"Dammit, I'm too old for this shit", said the stern, muscular, middle-aged Marine commander, surveying with binoculars.
Dozens of miltary agents and officers stand in front of cars parked in the street. Lights are flashing, numerous troops stand around, guns drawn, facing a building.
Across the street, a badly shaven, greasy-looking middle-eastern (sterotype = terrorist, a la "True Lies") holding an automatic rifle in one hand, defenseless female in another screams threats from the large white house.
"Call in the sniper-detector" said the large, square-jawed Marine commander.
Up comes a small, wiry man in camoflauge, donning thick eye-distorting glasses. There's a weird electro-mechanical contraption vaguely resembling a satellite dish fixed to his military helmet.
"Sniper-detector Melvin reporting for duty, sir!" says the wiry gent.
"I need you to tell me if there are any explosives in that there building!" screams the military commander.
"Aye sir!" screams back the nerdly sniper-detector in a fearful tone.
Melvin promptly enters and briefly emerges from an unmarked, large, black moving truck parked nearby, holding a long, powerful-looking sniper rifle, on which is an enormous-looking scope.
"Here, I need you to shoot this into the building when I tell you to!", says Melvin to a nearby, muscular ground trooper. "Make sure not to hit anybody!" he adds with intent and feeling.
Melvin then disappears into the back of the large, black truck.
"OK!" comes the muffled scream from Melvin in the back of the truck.
With a barely perceptible nod, the trooper takes the gun, and with careful, confident smoothness, the trooper points the rifle at the building, and carefully takes aim at the building and carefully fires a single shot.
KABOOM!
Boards and shrapnel fly in all directions, the blast blowing back everybody standing against the ground. Windshields and car windows are shattered, a hubcap noisily rolls by, eventually coming to rest against a heavily damaged 2x4.
Officers and agents get up, dusting themselves off, one officer screaming in pain off in the distance. As officers and infantryman check each other to assess the damage, the back door of the truck flies open.
"Good news, sir!" says Melvin, suddenly pausing as he surveys the damage all around.
"What's that, dammit!" screams the commander.
"Well, sir, I was going to say that there was no sign of nuclear weapons, just some plastic explosives..."
I have no problem with your religion until you decide it's reason to deprive others of the truth.
That you're going to shoot at a suspected TNT container and see if it's actually TNT.
Why not just go sit on top of it and light up.
Can we get one that finds huge caches of WMDs in Iraq?
Because god knows, the first thing we want to do if we suspect we've found TNT is shoot at it.
True, leaving Saddam Hussain was the biggest mistake of (maybe early part of) the war, but this desicion was not made "by the [corrupt] West" it was comprimise with the powers that be in the Middle East itself, including (and ESPECIALLY) Saudi Arabia, which saw Iraq as a shield more than anyone over here.
The House of Saud is a House of Cards, they have claimed religous mandate for their rule. Now they find that brutal political suppression while paying big money to the religous leaders have created a climate where these "religous leaders" are the political opposition. With the U.S. military finally out of Arabia, they are now focusing on "any foriegner. After every foriegner is out (an it will basicly happen) they will focus on the "excesses" of the royal family itself. Trust me we are only beginning to see trouble there.
I'm not a "big fan" of Isreal, but I have even less respect for the lifetime dictators which dominate the middle east (Jordan and a few others are making changes, slowly). Whatever they call themselves, President, King, whatever, they are despots generally pillaging the countries for their own comfort, their problem with Isreal is NOT because of the Palestinians (whom they have rejected from their own lands), but becuase Isreal has a real economy, a real political process, and real civil rights. There were Jews in Palestine and there are Arabs in Isreal. Most of the palestinians and other arabs who stayed after the formation of Isreal are happy (very little civil disturbance; practically all trouble comes from the occupied lands). The "occupied lands" where not captured by Isreal, but lost by the invading Arabs. They kept the land as (in theory) a security buffer for a state which otherwise could be bi-sected by a line of tanks. Granted they seem more interested in setting up settlements and "importing Jews" than trying to integrate the territories or "nation building" a palestinian state. Nations under fire tend to be nationalistic, if the Arabs weren't so openly hostile to the Jews (and Isreal in general), all that crap wouldn't be happening now.
The Palenstinians are not blameless themselves, after being kicked out of Jordan for plotting against the government (a king), they have set themselves up in camps and basicly collect welfare, which corrupt rulers like Arafat have pillaged. These rulers have a vested interest in keeping the fight up, otherwise their crimes would be exposed. They are now teaching their young to strap bombs on themselves and blow up busses and coffee shops.
It's a real mess, I find it amusing that the U.N. is the same group that set up the state of Isreal (which was almost vetoed by the U.S. - there is real interesting story in that), now every one is calling for the U.N. to control Iraq. I'm not saying that they don't have a role, but I'll give you a cookie if you can name ONE successfull U.N. nation building experiment.
Wasn't it Gene Simmons, the guitarist from Kiss, and not a bad actor, who played the villian with the gene-coded smart bullets that tracked targets ?
errr....umm...*whooosh* *whoosh* Is this thing on ?
K5 or any other scoop based site for that matter. Community edited is the keyword you're looking for.
that's a good way to put it. I wasn't casting any aspersions on the intelligence of EOD and bomb guys (God knows, they come in mighty handy... I've always been thankful to have their expertise in the appropriate situations).
I don't know what it is about some bomb guys, but some of them like what they do... I don't mean that they're simply cheerful... I mean they really, really like their work. Some of those guys literally have a gleam in their eye when they're working. They remind me of the kid in school who was kind of a pyromaniac (you know who I'm talking about... every school has one) who's found his niche in life; getting paid to do what he'd probably be doing anyway.
It's nice to see enthusiasm in your job... but I was always worried about that level of enjoyment involving high explosives.
Even if a man chops off your hand with a sword, you still have two nice, sharp bones to stick in his eyes.
...after the embarrassment with witches, the puritans instead focused their attention on suicide bombers.
I've been waiting all my life for that.
I wonder if they will be able to whistle and emit incapacitating gases as well.
--
I am Sam Fisher
Without RTFA, I'll bet these bullets cost exactly $5,000.... Just like Chris Rock said they would.
Blue Sky Tomorrows
I don't mean to offend anyone who is not a citizen of the U.S., but I think this country would be a lot better off if we stopped getting involved in the never-ending wars of Europe and Asia. Maybe I'm just cynical, but if the Roman empire couldn't keep the peace in this place, why do we think we can? If the Middle East wants to blow itself up, do I want to be there? I'm not saying that the majority of peoples in these countries want war, but maybe it's time to let self-determination take over. If the individual citizens would stop listening to their respective governments and work towards eliminating the violent criminals where they live, they would probably be better off. I can't see how Sharon or Arafat benefit the average person. I've always wished God would pull a little Garden of Eden and run everyone out of the Holy Land, "If you can't get along peacefully, nobody gets it."
Just the random thoughts of an American sick of fueling the fire of international discord with his tax dollars.
Tom Selleck Already Knew how to handle those in the 80's.. who remembers the movie Runaway ? the bad guy literally had bullets with your name written on. and those spiders ... OMG... I had nightmares with those... I was 6 when I first watched this movie...
and it is a movie by Michael Crichton ! he is a genius...
To follow up about Arafat pillaging his people. Arafat has over a billion dollars stashed away that's SUPPOSED to be used for his people as stated here.
The Palestinian Refugee problem is also an artificial problem created by the arabs. Tiny little Israel has taken in over 600,000 Jewish refugees who have been expelled/persecuted in Arab lands. Why can't oil rich neighbouring Arab states with FAR MORE land take in the palestinian refugees?
EOD = explosive ??? disposal? Ordinance?
Mod Parent up, how is talking about homing devices in an article about homing devices redundant?
Smells like a moder with an ax to grind.