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Grenade-Style Wireless Camera For Combat

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the you-gotta-be-kidding-me dept.

nk497 writes "A new wireless camera called the I-Ball is being developed to be shot into locations using a grenade launcher so troops can see what lies ahead. The I-Ball sends real-time, 360-degree video back to soldiers while it's flying through the air and when it lands."

7 of 333 comments (clear)

  1. "Being developed" = "Hey, I got an idea" by jfengel · · Score: 4, Insightful

    From TFA:

    âoeWe have overcome some significant technological challenges in developing the I-Ball technology,â said Paul Thompson of Dreampact. âoeAlthough it is in its early stages, we are very excited about the technology's potential to help our troops to be better prepared for battle.â

    In other words, "We had an idea, and we've got no idea how to actually implement it, but if the MoD gives us a bunch of money we'll happily spend it."

    Maybe the UK MoD is better than the US DoD about not funding projects just because some legislator is owed a favor, but I wouldn't bet on it.

  2. screw warfare - how about BASEBALL by petes_PoV · · Score: 5, Insightful

    If I was developing a hardened, spherical wireless camera, I'd have many more uses for it than killing people. The entertainment possibilities alone are immense. Hopefully we'll see this deployed on the field of play before the battlefield.

    --
    politicians are like babies' nappies: they should both be changed regularly and for the same reasons
  3. Hostages, explosives on site... by denzacar · · Score: 4, Insightful

    ...sensitive equipment on site, element of surprise, recon mission...
    The list is long.

    Are you one of those guys that, when playing Counterstrike, chucks grenades inside killing all the hostages and then runs into the room spraying it with bullets, only to be knifed in the head once you run out of ammo?

    --
    Mit der Dummheit kämpfen Götter selbst vergebens
  4. WTF is a bad guy? by Kris+Thalamus · · Score: 5, Insightful

    It really bothers me to hear an adult use the term "bad guy" to refer to a real person. It seems to be a recent American trend. Bad guys are characters found in silly action films and fairy tales.

    1. Re:WTF is a bad guy? by CodeBuster · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Don't tell me you don't understand what a "bad guy" is. I'm not going to sit here and argue about what the target actually is. To the fighter on the ground, the target is a bad guy. Why sit here and worry about terminology?

      This is one reason, among many, why the American Military does NOT want a return to the draft. They do not want lefty intellectual types who are going to sit there in the middle of fire fight and agonize over whether or not to pull the trigger or, even worse, argue with their officers. In combat soldiers follow orders or they get themselves and their fellow soldiers killed, plain and simple. If someone can't or won't pull the trigger when ordered then they should do themselves and our soldiers a favor and not enlist in the military.

  5. Re:A no-deposit/no-return drone? by roystgnr · · Score: 4, Insightful

    While the press shakes a finger at the US the actual governments just shake their head in public and behind closed doors are probably glad that it is happening.
    Yea you will get some venting on Slashdot about how evil the US is but those people are not in political power.

    So as long as we've got US-friendly governments in place, there's no need to worry about popular opinion? Well, I suppose that strategy's never backfired horribly on us before...

  6. Re:overkill by amRadioHed · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The number of decimal points is extremely important in determining the validity of your point. The reality is that civilian deaths are far more common than you would have us believe.

    --
    We hope your rules and wisdom choke you / Now we are one in everlasting peace