The US ARMY has been tinkering with their Future Combat System for quite some time. They’ve just demonstrated a successful test of one of it’s components: The Quick Kill vehicle defense system.

Here’s how it works: The Raytheon system uses an electronically-scanned radar array to detect any incoming anti-tank rocket-propelled grenades, then launches a countermeasure missile that blows the grenade to bits in mid-flight. Shades of Reagan’s Star Wars program, only real and according to the video in perfect working order. Take a gander at the destruction!

Leave it to DARPA to make something in the real world that seems like it popped out of our collection sci-fi consciousness. They’ve come at us with nano planes, robot arms and even high-resolution sniper scopes. This time, it’s the DBAC device.

The DBAC device, for Deep Bleeder Acoustic Coagulation, is effectively a portable ultrasound wrap that can identify bleeding wounds and reduce their severity. It uses Doppler waves to find an internal leak, then increases the frequency and amplitude on that location to stem it. This is all automated and, according to DARPA, easy to do even in the middle of a combat situation. This could save many lives. Thanks DARPA!

The company plans to have a prototype available in 18 months. Click the link for a press release.

Now, get to work on that hoverboard guys! I’ve been waiting since I was ten years old.

In a $6.7 million deal with software company Kitware, a DARPA project will develop a method of "indexing and rapidly finding video from archived surveillance tapes."

According to a DARPA document:

"The U.S. military and intelligence communities have an ever increasing need to monitor live video feeds and search large volumes of archived video data for activities of interest due to the rapid growth in development and fielding of motion video systems."

This is like "Enemy of the State" meets "You Tube" in an effort to combat terrorism.

IRobot Corp., which makes robots used in consumer and military applications, has been awarded a whopping $286 million Army contract to build and army of robots to disarm explosives.

The company will deliver up to 3,000 robots and spare parts and provide training over the five-year contract.

The previous company contracted for a similar job, Robotic FX, was given the boot.

OK, so it looks like a cross between a cat and a pig, but this new helmet are made so that fighter pilots can see right through the jet.

Inside the faceplate, images from outside cameras can be viewed so that the pilot can get a real-time picture of where he/she is.

Other info fed in via the faceplate include flight and combat data, as well as target symbols of friendlies / enemies.