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Tuesday, 10 February 2009

Technology Review: The Army's Remote-Controlled Beetle


http://www.technologyreview.com/computing/22039/?a=f
http://hackaday.com/2009/02/09/radio-controlled-beetle/

13 comments:

  1. Does anyone else think this is sick and cruel?

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  2. Hell, yes! I'm not condoning it

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  3. It's just the way it is described in the article - very matter of fact. It's not until I had a quick glance down the comments that anyone brought any hint of morality.

    {Incidentally, I didn't mean to imply anyone's condonence}

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  4. Disappointed - was hoping for a cute Herbie-lookalike, possibly packing a .50 cal.

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  5. Next they'll wire up all the bees for military purposes,neglecting the fact that they are crucial in pollinating the planet.

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  6. Ha - just like the cockroach in Fifth Element!

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  7. Few people think of flies, scorpions or potato bugs as weapons of war, but entomologist Lockwood (Grasshopper Dreaming), winner of a Pushcart Prize and a James Burroughs Award, details in this fascinating study how creepy crawlies have been used against the enemy since antiquity. The Romans' siege of a desert fortress ended abruptly when buckets of scorpions were dumped on their heads. Many a medieval army catapulted beehives or hornets' nests over a castle's ramparts to drive out the defenders. The Vietcong used a version of this trick, setting off small explosives near huge beehives when American soldiers walked by. Lockwood tells how the Japanese used Chinese civilians as human guinea pigs in their program to weaponize plague and other diseases. And Lockwood explores charges by the North Koreans and Fidel Castro that America has called out insect troops on occasion as well. Fortunately, as the author points out, insects aren't very cooperative soldiers, and using them to deliver diseases is much easier said than done"

    http://www.ebook3000.com/Six-Legged-Soldiers--Using-Insects-as-Weapons-of-War_23696.html

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  8. Reminds me of the recent (few years back) "Lost In Space" film

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  9. Cat Remote:
    Simply point at your cat, press buttons on the remote and hope for the best. With buttons for “Stop Scratching”, “Show Affection”, “Remain Aloof” and others, you’ll be in control in no time. It’s finally your turn to make your cat do what you want.

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