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Grenade-Style Wireless Camera For Combat

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."

33 of 333 comments (clear)

  1. overkill by RemoWilliams84 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Why not just shoot the grenades in there. Then you'll know what lies ahead (bodies).

    --
    "I don't have to think. I only have to do it. The results are always perfect, but that's old news." - Meat Puppets
    1. Re:overkill by bev_tech_rob · · Score: 5, Funny

      ...or just add an explosive to it....will be able to see the surprise on their faces before they are blown to bits...

      --
      You're messin' with my Zen Thing, man.....
    2. Re:overkill by moderatorrater · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Make it so that the explosives can be blown after you check the video. If there are a bunch of men with rifles, blow the grenade. If there are women and children, retrieve it.

    3. Re:overkill by Thanshin · · Score: 4, Funny

      The real problem will come when the first soldier holds a grenade to his face and while everybody says "cheeeese" blows his head off.

    4. Re:overkill by MightyYar · · Score: 4, Funny

      What if it is women and or children with rifles?

      I think chivalry dictates that you kill them last.

      --
      W..w..W - Willy Waterloo washes Warren Wiggins who is washing Waldo Woo.
    5. Re:overkill by maz2331 · · Score: 4, Informative

      Good idea if it helps to avoid blowing up non-combatants, and useful for knowing where to call in the 500 pound bomb if necessary.

      As a general rule, it is always advisable to avoid barbequeing women and children who aren't involved in the fight if it's at all possible to do so. It's counterproductive and feeds the enemy's propaganda machine.

    6. Re:overkill by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      Didn't you learn anything from Titanic? Women and children first

    7. Re:overkill by kungfugleek · · Score: 5, Funny

      Next week's headline: US Military invents a grenade with a "Surrender" button. Throw the grenade, and if the enemy wants to surrender, they can simply press the button and the grenade deactivates. Maybe it opens up and dispenses little handcuffs to all of them and a gps showing them where the nearest US POW camp is. That way, they can all cuff themselves and use the GPS to find the nearest surrendering station to check themselves in. Maybe it'll come with a little PDA so they can register their favorite meals and preferred accommodations and check off special needs like "wheelchair accessible", "wake-up call", and "preferred method of torture".

    8. 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
    9. Re:overkill by CodeBuster · · Score: 4, Informative

      One should never underestimate the ability of militias or irregular fighters to adapt and acquire advanced weapons or technology. For example, the Tamil Tigers Air Force have in recent years surprised and embarrassed the Sri Lankan government by acquiring and modifying several light aircraft for bombing missions. The regular Sri Lankan Air Force and Army, despite being equipped with relatively modern fighter jets and anti-aircraft artillery, have been unable to stop continuing attacks of jury rigged bombers run by a bush league air force.

  2. "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.

    1. Re:"Being developed" = "Hey, I got an idea" by sckeener · · Score: 5, Funny

      I'm sure the inventor got the idea after getting caught installing a wireless webcam in a girls gym room.

      'what if I could just roll it into the bathroom? Maybe make it look like a softball or something. Oh...oh...and I need to be able to shoot it from far away so if they find it, I'm not caught.'

      --
      "Only one thing, is impossible for god: to find any sense in any copyright law on the planet." Mark Twain
    2. Re:"Being developed" = "Hey, I got an idea" by houghi · · Score: 3, Funny

      You do not need to shoot it far, just further then the restraining order allows you to get to.

      --
      Don't fight for your country, if your country does not fight for you.
  3. A no-deposit/no-return drone? by erroneus · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I sure hope these things are less than $100... hell, less than $10 for that matter. I sure as hell don't think we need to waste that kind of money on stuff the enemy might take home as a souvenir.

    "Why can't we all just get along?!" I'd rather see research and development dollars spent making war and conflict obsolete.

    At the moment, most of the conflict where it is "the world" vs. the U.S.A., seems to be stemming from ridiculous policies that no one can fully explain. Why do we care about the "spread of communism"? Why do we care about "defending Israel"? There are a lot of humanitarian causes far more dire and we leave those tragedies alone with a clear conscience. Can someone tell me why we spend SO much money and so many human lives on "expanding democracy" and "defending Israel"?

    1. Re:A no-deposit/no-return drone? by LWATCDR · · Score: 3, Interesting

      The answer is simple but unpleasant. You try and stop the biggest threats to you. Iraq wasn't using the money it got from oil to make a better life for it's people. It was using it to get nukes and chemical weapons. Yes they really where before the first war. We found lots of nice and nasty stuff then.
      Oil = money and money = weapons. The big lesson that most of the western world got from WWII was it is better to fight a little war then a big one.
      That is why Nato went into Serbia with the US's help and the UK, US and other nations went into Afghanistan and Iraq. Is that lesson still valid? I don't know.
      As too the US vs the world?
      You have drank way to much koolaid.
      Most of the world sure isn't fighting the US. 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.

      --
      See my blog http://ilovecookes.blogspot.com/ for light hearted technical information.
    2. 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...

  4. Pointless invention. by iamapizza · · Score: 5, Funny

    What, nobody uses Google Earth anymore?

    --
    Always proofread carefully to see if you any words out.
  5. 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
    1. Re:screw warfare - how about BASEBALL by Corpuscavernosa · · Score: 3, Funny

      Wow yeah baseball would be good. Is it sad that the first thing I thought of was ladies locker rooms?

      --
      We figured out a long time ago that it's easier to elect seven judges than to elect 132 legislators.
  6. same theme, better story: by circletimessquare · · Score: 4, Interesting

    one-eyed san francisco artist looking for the tech that will allow her to put a webcam in her eye socket:

    http://www.nydailynews.com/news/us_world/2008/11/15/2008-11-15_san_francisco_artist_looks_to_replace_lo.html

    --
    intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
  7. Re:Now they really know you're coming... by capt.Hij · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I was assuming that infantry soldiers would use it after they shot up a building. It would be nice to see what damage you inflicted before going in. By that time the folks inside probably have a good idea that they have visitors. The article itself seemed jsut as focused on armor which you generally do not use to sneak up on anybody.

  8. Re:But... by Endo13 · · Score: 3, Funny

    Forget that. I just want to know if it will blend.

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    There is no -1 Disagree mod. Slashdot.org/faq defines mod options. USE IT.
  9. Re:Yes, but does it run Linux? by oodaloop · · Score: 3, Funny

    Mod "2005 called they want their memes back."

    1976 called and Richard Dawkins wants his meme meme back.

    --
    Tic-Tac-Toe, Global Thermonuclear War, and relationships all have the same winning move.
  10. 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
    1. Re:Hostages, explosives on site... by RemoWilliams84 · · Score: 4, Funny

      Oh, so you know who I am. Whats your tag?

      --
      "I don't have to think. I only have to do it. The results are always perfect, but that's old news." - Meat Puppets
  11. Commercial Applications by PPH · · Score: 4, Funny

    I see televised golf tournaments becoming much more interesting.

    --
    Have gnu, will travel.
  12. 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 AceM2 · · Score: 3, Funny

      Hence the quotation marks. I'm sorry you have issues understanding what a bad guy is. It's a person (a "guy") who is bad. Do you need me to break it down further?

    2. Re:WTF is a bad guy? by Kris+Thalamus · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Yes, I wouldn't mind if you did break it down further. I feel that terms like good and bad are usually poor ways of summing up the motives that lead to international conflict. Using stock heros and villains is intellectually lazy enough when writing fiction. People who accept a children's story grade narrative to assess political situations scare me.

    3. 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.

    4. Re:WTF is a bad guy? by Reziac · · Score: 3, Insightful

      And we have another word for soldiers who sit around over-analyzing such situations:

      "Casualty."

      Debate the appropriateness of this word, in light of the "bad guy" discussion above. ;)

      --
      ~REZ~ #43301. Who'd fake being me anyway?
    5. Re:WTF is a bad guy? by Kris+Thalamus · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Why sit here and worry about terminology?

      I'm alarmed by the trend of childish terms being used to discuss grave and complicated situations.

  13. Predator Drones have cameras by alcmaeon · · Score: 3, Insightful

    and we still keep bombing the shit out of wedding parties, so why go to the extra expense of the camera?