Posts Tagged ‘Technology’
Iran Unveils Absurd New Stealth Drone
Written by Kelsey D. Atherton
Monday, 13 May 2013 16:15
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Iran's Hamaseh Drone

Fars News Agency

Weirdly, it bears a striking resemblance to non-stealth drones.

Yesterday Iran unveiled the brand-new Hamaseh Stealth and Combat Drone. You can see it above.

Note the non-retractable landing gear and externally carried missiles. However stealthy the Hamaseh's bulbous head may appear, exposed landing gear, missiles, and a push propeller are the opposite of stealth. Why? Because they stick out from the drone in a way that catches radio waves and makes them visible to radar.

For contrast, here is the U.S. Navy's state-of-the-art X-47B stealth drone in flight. With the landing gear retracted into a smooth belly, there are hardly any broad perpendicular edges for enemy radar to detect. There is no tail, which which would catch radar as well, and it's propelled by an integrated jet engine, not an exterior propeller. The X-47B carries weapons in two internal bays. All of these features lead to a smooth design and a minimal radar profile.

The Hamaseh looks nothing like the X-47b. Instead, it bears a striking resemblane to the a Pioneer drone used by the U.S. Navy:

The drones are very similar in appearance and general body type. The Pioneer also lacks retractable landing gear, and while it doesn't carry weapons, it is frequently equipped with cameras or other sensors that make it more visible to radar. It is not a drone that the Department of Defense regards as stealth.

This wouldn't be the first time Iran announced a stealth vehicle or a drone with capabilities it couldn't prove. Heck, it's not even the first time this year.

    


 
Big Pic: What A Supersonic Aircraft Model Looks Like In A Wind Tunnel
Written by Francie Diep
Friday, 26 April 2013 21:30
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Supersonic Model NASA/Quentin Schwinn
Take a look into a supersonic wind tunnel at NASA

This is a 1.79 percent scale model of a concept supersonic aircraft designed by The Boeing Company. You're seeing it through a window in the supersonic wind tunnel at NASA's Glenn Research Center in Ohio.

Researchers recently wind tunnel-tested the model's performance while changing the amount of air streaming through inlets you can see near the back of the model, NASA said. The research is part of the agency's work into making supersonic flights quiet enough to go over land.

[NASA]

    


 
These QR-Code-Inspired Children’s Pajamas Are Apparently A Real Thing
Written by Colin Lecher
Friday, 26 April 2013 21:00
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This is not the future we signed up for!

"Gee," the hyper-intelligent children of this Brave New World of ours must often think, "I sure wish Mommy and Daddy had a smartphone-based way of reading me bed-time stories! Perhaps in some way that utilized QR codes?" Well, parents, that future you did not expect or ask for is here.

Smart PJ's (PATENT PENDING) bills itself as the company making the "worlds [sic] first and only interactive pajamas," which admittedly is an incredibly niche thing to be the first at. Here's how it works: the pajamas are covered in QR-code-inspired dot patterns (!) that are scannable through custom-made apps. Scanning different parts of the pajamas with different apps (there are two right now) brings up stories, animal pictures, or thoughts of the dystopian, child-ruled apocalypse we are certainly hurtling toward.

The founder/inventor, Juan Murdoch, a realtor, says he was inspired by QR codes that are used to sell houses, and immediately got to work building his own version ("It just came like a lightning bolt in my head: kid's pajamas"). His children, a 6- and an 8-year-old, love theirs, he says. But he's not too worried about the next generation growing up screen-nourished: "That's what some people said out there… but it's just like rock 'n' roll." Yes, interactive onesies are almost certainly the least rock 'n' roll thing out there, but he meant that "kids are gonna do what kids are gonna do," and at least this way parents are spending time with their children.

So depending on how you feel about making everything interactive, these pajamas are either a) an awesome way to game our gadget-hungry progeny, or b) something people will ironically wear adult versions of 20 years from now when they're throwing 2013-themed parties. Either way, you can purchase some for your offspring for $25 here.