The Future of Battle Tech

PolygamousRanchKid tips a story about research into futuristic military technology currently being funded by DARPA. The Disc-Rotor Compound Helicopter 'is propelled by rotor blades that extend from a central disc, letting it take off and land like a helicopter. But those blades can also retract into the disc, minimizing drag and letting the Disc-Rotor fly like a plane, powered by engines beneath each wing.' The Vulture program aims to keep a plane in the sky for five years or more, and 'LANdroids' are pocket-sized robots which soldiers can scatter around urban areas to seed a communications network. FastRunner is a 'two-legged robot that can cover a moderately rough terrain as fast as the best human sprinters.' The article mentions the flying humvees we've discussed in the past, as well as projects for 'smart' binoculars and a method for recycling space junk.

Comments

Misleading heading is misleading

[Anonymous Coward]

I want to hear about recent ferro-fib developments leading to overall Steiner Scouting Party weight reduction as a means to increase troop transit efficiency against Davion forces.

Re:Misleading heading is misleading

[uncledrax]

Stop with your 3050 era stuff already.. I want low-tech Battle Tech (3025).. ..oh and LAMs.. definable need LAMs..

Re:Misleading heading is misleading

[mistapotta]

r/DARPA/ComStar

And bring on the Fourth Succession War!

Re:Misleading heading is misleading

[AoF.Squall]

I used to be a mechwarrior like you, then I took an LRM to the knee.

BattleTech

[TreyGeek]

Anyone else read the title and get excited that it was about the future of "BattleTech" the FASA war/board game?

Re:BattleTech

[JohnnyMindcrime]

FASA... now there's a glorious name from the past.

Yep, I had the Battletech boardgame, played it more than a few times and loved it.

But the highlight of the FASA catalogue was definitely the Star Trek Tactical Combat Simulator, where you could pit all manner of Federation starships against all manner of Romulan and Klingon starships - *AND* have big sheets for each ship where you could boost your shield power, repair damage weapons and do emergency turns to bring certain weapon arcs to bear on the enemy. You could spend an entire evening playing what turned out to be about 2 minutes of real-time ship combat...

And FASA also did the Doctor Who RPG, I seem to recall.

Great days...

Re:MISSING ARE THE FOLLOWING:

[jackbird]

The Japanese had submarine aircraft carriers in WWII, responsible among other things for the only aerial bombardment of the US mainland in history.

Re:pointy sticks

[flaming error]

I think you're suggesting the only way we could have these things is if DARPA comes up with them. There's some history behind you, but, seriously, peaceful civilian tech doesn't have to originate with the military.

Cars, aircraft, and wireless communications all originated outside the military. Wars are the worst possible reason for government funding of tech improvements.

Re:pointy sticks

[MozeeToby]

DARPA's total budget is miniscule, less than 0.4% of the US defense spending. Their lack of overhead is unheard of in government organizations, 140 highly educated and knowledgeable industry experts whose sole purpose is to identify technology that is several generations ahead of what anyone else is looking at and make sure it gets funded. Besides that, much of what they fund has serious civilian applications in addition to their military uses.

Some things that are being funded today with obvious civilian uses:
Reusable Launch Vehicle
Artificial Intelligence
Powered Exoskeleton
Thought Controlled Prosthetic
Brain Computer Interface
Distributed Satellites

Re:pointy sticks

[Baloroth]

Cars, aircraft, and wireless communications all originated outside the military. Wars are the worst possible reason for government funding of tech improvements.

Correct. But all those things were improved, and highly, by the military (jet engines, for instance). Wars are bad: but military research is not. DARPA doesn't fund wars, they only fund research. The war is a waste of money, time, and lives. The research is most certainly not, and one does not require the other. So, we can have our cake and eat it too.