Robot Helicopters To Single Out Pirate Ships 123
Hugh Pickens writes "Innovation News reports that the U.S. Navy plans to upgrade its robotic Fire Scouts with electronic 'brains' that are able to automatically recognize small pirate boats spotted through 3D laser imaging by bouncing millions of laser pulses off distant objects to create a 3D 'radar' image of any boats on the high seas — a technology known as LIDAR or LADAR — so that their new software can automatically compare the 3D images to pirate boat profiles on record. Having smarter robotic helicopters could ease the workload strain for Navy sailors, who must otherwise eyeball the data coming from the new Multi-Mode Sensor Seeker (MMSS) — a sensor mix of high-definition cameras, mid-wave infrared sensors and the 3D LADAR technology. Meanwhile, the Navy has begun testing other new technologies to tackle the problem of piracy — an especially thorny issue because of Somali pirates attacking ships off the coast of East Africa. Its more forceful countermeasures include a combination of lasers and machine guns, as well as swarms of smart rockets capable of picking out their own small boat targets."
Arrrr! (Score:5, Funny)
Robots Vs. Pirates (Score:5, Funny)
I am the only one who thinks that sounds like a summer movie?
AAARGH!, not LADAR (Score:4, Funny)
Adaptive Aerial Antipirate Robotically Generated Holography!
Re:Robots Vs. Pirates (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Robots Vs. Pirates (Score:5, Funny)
But I can't see any ninjas anywhere in that title---
oh.
Re:Arrrr! (Score:4, Funny)
Couldn't we just hide GPS tracking devices in peg legs?
Sailing (Score:4, Funny)
As a one time ocean cruiser - in a small boat - may I just say how terrifying this sounds?
There you are, sailing along off the coast of somewhere, minding your own business and wondering if you can stretch to one more warm beer from your fast-dwindling supplies, when a robot helicopter comes along and shoots the shit out of you.
As if rogue waves, giant fish, waterspouts and annoying customs officials weren't enough, now we get robot helicopters?
Come back Bender, all is forgiven. At least you could try to reason with him, um, it.