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Archive for the ‘military’ category: Page 261

Oct 15, 2016

Chinese scientists achieve high-power quantum computing

Posted by in categories: computing, military, particle physics, quantum physics

China’s latest work on QC.


If early mechanical computers were never introduced to expand people’s computing ability, the invention of the atomic bomb would have gone out the window, and human history would have been rewritten.

This highlights the significance of computer simulation in scientists’ exploration of the physical world, which also explains their strong motivation in continuously pursuing higher computing power.

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Oct 13, 2016

Pentagon Video Warns of “Unavoidable” Dystopian Future for World’s Biggest Cities

Posted by in categories: media & arts, military, terrorism

Unfortunately I think the Pentagon is right. We are quickly heading into a dystopian future.


“Megacities: Urban Future, the Emerging Complexity,” a video created by the Army and used at the Pentagon’s Joint Special Operations University.

The video is nothing if not an instant dystopian classic: melancholy music, an ominous voiceover, and cascading images of sprawling slums and urban conflict. “Megacities are complex systems where people and structures are compressed together in ways that defy both our understanding of city planning and military doctrine,” says a disembodied voice. “These are the future breeding grounds, incubators, and launching pads for adversaries and hybrid threats.”

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Oct 13, 2016

DARPA investigating blockchain for nuclear weapons, satellite security

Posted by in categories: bitcoin, cybercrime/malcode, military

If the Defense Department is looking to implement blockchain, other organizations may quickly follow suit. Blockchain technology helps guarantee that information has a timestamp and recorded whenever any change happens, ensuring data can be trusted in real time. In DARPA’s case, blockchain technology could help track attempted data breaches.

“Whenever weapons are employed … it tends to be a place where data integrity in general is incredibly important,” Booher said. “So nuclear command and control, satellite command and control, command and control in general, [information integrity] is very important.”

In September, DARPA awarded a $1.8 million contract to computer security firm Galois, asking it to verify a specific type of blockchain technology from a company called Guardtime. If the verification goes well, the military could become one of a growing number of industries and institutions using blockchain to help ensure the security of their operations.

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Oct 13, 2016

Taiwan, China, Japan establishing their own Versions of DARPA

Posted by in categories: military, policy

Taiwan’s Deputy Minister of National Defense Lee Hsi-ming recently said Taipei is seriously considering organizing its own DARPA to accelerate the research, development and application of military technology.

Lee’s statement, which was made at the 14th annual US-Taiwan Defense Industry Conference in Virginia, followed media reports saying Taiwan lags behind other East Asian countries in establishing a DARPA-like agency. Japan and China have already organized advanced defense research establishments.

Lee’s announcement about establishing a “Taiwanese DARPA,” however, triggered debate among legislators in the country’s parliament, the Legislative Yuan. Critics of the proposed think tank said the proposal for its creation might become a contentious policy item since it will require sharing or distributing funds across agencies.

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Oct 13, 2016

Quantum film sensor stops delivery drones crashing into things

Posted by in categories: drones, military, quantum physics

A sensor that uses infrared laser light and quantum film detects objects up to 20 metres away, helping drones to dodge collisions.

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Oct 11, 2016

The Pentagon Wants to Use Bitcoin Technology to Guard Nuclear Weapons

Posted by in categories: bitcoin, military

Blockchain can’t stop unauthorized access, but it could help lessen the damage.

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Oct 8, 2016

ROBOT ARMIES: No more Western soldier deaths ‘in a DECADE’ as MACHINES take over

Posted by in categories: military, robotics/AI

A look at the military 10 years into the future—human soldier deaths become unacceptable:


THERE will be no longer be human casualties of war from wealthy countries within 10 years as advanced militaries will begin sending MACHINES to warzones to do their bidding, an expert has claimed.

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Oct 6, 2016

Project Originally Funded By DARPA Seeks To Replace Bees With Tiny, Winged Robots

Posted by in categories: drones, food, information science, internet, military, mobile phones, robotics/AI, transhumanism

Got a bee shortage? No problem, DARPA has you covered.


Following the news that the honeybee is now officially an endangered species as “colony collapse disorder” accelerates, it seems that a Harvard research team has the solution – robotic honeybees. Instead of attempting to save the bees by reducing the use of pesticides or revising safety standards for cell phone radiation, the focus has shifted to replacing the bees altogether. Harvard University researchers, led by engineering professor Robert Wood have been tweaking “RoboBees” since their initial introduction in 2009. The bee-sized robots made of titanium and plastic represent a breakthrough in the field of micro-aerial vehicles. The size of the components needed to create flying robots were previously too heavy to make a such a small structure lightweight enough to achieve flight. Current models weigh only 80 mg and have been fitted with sensors that detect light and wind velocity.

Researchers claim that the bees could artificially pollinate entire fields of crops and will soon be able to be programmed to live in an artificial hive, coordinate algorithms and communicate among themselves about methods of pollination and the locations of particular crops. In addition, RoboBees have been suggested for other uses including searching disaster sites for survivors, monitoring traffic, and “military and police applications.” These applications could include using RoboBees to “scout for insurgents” on battlefields abroad or allowing police and SWAT teams to use the micro-robots to gather footage inside buildings.

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Oct 6, 2016

Why US and NATO Military are looking at Blockchain

Posted by in categories: bitcoin, military

US defence research unit wants a comms platform built on Blockchain tech.

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Oct 5, 2016

With New Program, DARPA To Encourage Safety “Brakes” For Gene Editing

Posted by in categories: bioengineering, biotech/medical, finance, genetics, health, military

Xconomy National —

Drugs that use molecular scissors to snip out or replace defective genes. Altered mosquitoes meant to sabotage entire disease-carrying populations. Both are potential uses of genome editing, which thanks to the CRISPR-Cas9 system has spread throughout the world’s biology labs and is now on the doorstep of the outside world. But with its first applications could also come unintended consequences for human health and the environment. The U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency—a famed military R&D group—wants to finance safety measures for the new gene-editing age.

The idea for the funding program, called Safe Genes, is to get out ahead of problems that could bring the field to a screeching halt. “We should couple innovation with biosecurity,” DARPA program manager Renee Wegrzyn, said Tuesday at the SynBioBeta conference in South San Francisco. “We need new safety measures that don’t slow us down. You have brakes in your car so that you can go fast but can stop when you need to.”

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