tech talk

April 2008

Sensors Tag Shooters in Less Than a Second

By Robert H. Williams

A wearable, 6.4 ounce sensor has proven its worth in quickly detecting the location of snipers. The devices — developed by QinetiQ North America of McLean, Va., have been used in combat in Afghanistan and Iraq.

The Ears Sniper Detection System audibly cues soldiers on the direction and distance of hostile fire within a tenth of a second of the first shot, says a spokesman. Ears in a vehicle traveling more than 50 miles per hour was able to instantly locate snipers by shockwave and muzzle blast signatures.

It compares to existing sniper detection systems that weigh up to 200 pounds.

Pack for Grunts Reinvented

A tactical sling bag that allows soldiers to keep their packs on in vehicles and permits ready access to their equipment is being perfected by the U.S. Army Soldier System Center in Natick, Mass.

Richard Landry, an equipment designer, explains the current prototype has about 700 cubic inches of space and can be slung over one shoulder. It has modular lightweight load carrying equipment webbing so the user can add pouches.

The sling bag may have many other applications. Landry mentions it could be a “valuable tool for medics. This would essentially give medics a hands-free capability, while ensuring their supplies are readily available. Additionally, if the medic came under fire while treating a casualty, he wouldn’t have to worry about leaving supplies behind. They could always be attached to his body.”

Cable Service Boat Makes Deep Water Debut

A 29-foot, open water cable service boat has been built by Aluminum Chambered Boats Inc. of Bellingham, Wash., for CGG Veritas, an international geophysical company.

The craft is designed to support its 210-foot mother ship in the deployment and retrieval of ocean towed seismic cable.

“It has the capability to tow a complete seismic cable, which can measure up to 10 miles long, and keep pace with the her mother vessel. Along with the seismic equipment maintenance responsibilities the boat will perform ship-to-ship crew/store transfers, intercept shipping coming too close to the towed equipment, and recover dislodged equipment,” says a spokesman.

It is powered by twin 4.2L Cummins QSD engines and Ultra Jet 305HT. The boat is capable of a static bollard pull of 2.8 tons and can reach speeds of 32 knots when loaded with 2,000 pounds and four crew members.

Bio-Defense: Stemming False Alarms

Commercial biological agent detectors tend to give too many false alarms. And that can be a major headache.
Unnecessary evacuations at airports, sports arenas, train stations and other large areas where people congregate cost time, money and tend to foster bad attitudes.

To rectify this problem, scientists at Sandia, Lawrence Livermore, Oak Ridge and Pacific Northwest national laboratories looked into bio-aerosol detectors — specifically laser induced fluorescence devices. The upshot is a device that double checks existing sensors. The Enhanced Bio-aerosol Detection System determines whether once an alarm is sounded if sufficient dangerous agents are in the air to be a matter of concern.

Researchers said the piggyback sensor approach will be given a “real-world” tryout this month at an airport, office building and large subway system. Test results will be sent to Sandia for evaluation.

Assuming this approach is validated, the lab will then seek out a private sector partner to develop the system for widespread use.

Amphibious Vehicle Is a Car for All Seasons

A Covington, Tenn., company following four years of research and development is now marketing Hydratrek — a heavy duty emergency response vehicle that can endure hazardous conditions.

The 2,500-pound multi-wheel amphibious vehicle can swim through swamps, mud, and water, and negotiate rough off-road terrain.

A Hydratrek LLC spokesman says the aluminum clad vehicle is suited for a range of missions that span disaster response, emergency rescue, law enforcement, environmental research, geological surveying and, for the average Joe, hunting and fishing.

Want to ‘Fight’ Terrorists, Before the Real Thing?

Smart Entities, a simulation system for counterterrorism training, has been unveiled by Elbit Systems Ltd. of Haifa, Israel.

The training program with artificial intelligence is based on decades of operational experience by Israel Defense Forces and research that was conducted by Israel’s Ministry of Defense on terrorist conduct in low intensity conflict and homeland security scenarios.

A spokesman notes the program offers “independent goal-directed operational missions, dynamic decision-making in reaction to threats and environmental changes, real-time path and location finding, cognitive capabilities, teamwork, and operationally researched mass behavior and riot scenarios.”

Muddy Boots, Wet Boots, Icy Boots — No Problem

The Special Operations Command is due to receive 10,000 pairs of rugged boots that were conceived for use in unusually harsh locales.

The Tora Bora Alpine Boot, which was developed by Bates Footwear of Rockford, Mich., a division of Wolverine World Wide Inc., will be used by special operations forces in the mountains of Afghanistan and other high altitude climes.

This combat boot, according to a spokesman, “integrates new technologies that were developed to meet the needs of the U.S. military with commercially available design and construction innovations that have been tested and adopted by extreme mountaineers.”

The Tora Bora boot specifically was engineered for use in snow, arid desert sand, steep muddy slopes and sheer rock face.

Geared for use in a wide range of temperatures, the footwear also is meant to work with tools special ops forces employ in ski warfare, ice climbing and snowshoeing across alpine snow.

Please email your comments to SErwin@ndia.org

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