Theoretically, the ADE 651 handheld detector ought to be a firm favorite with military types as this device supposedly sniffs out bombs, guns, drugs and human bodies within a one kilometer radius, but there is one huge problem - it does not seem to function as it should be. This could prove to be an embarrassment for the US government after purchasing 1,500 of such detectors that retail from $16,500 to $60,000 each, depending on the model and type.

You're supposed to carry your own stuff in the army, and anyone who has fought for Uncle Sam will tell you that the backpack is by no means light. Well, things might not change in the future, although this time round it will involve a power generating backpack that will harness the power of your natural up and down motion when steps are made to generate power that can then help reduce the amount of batteries required in the battlefield. Makes us wonder just how many batteries are there in a typical backpack, but at least you know you can make phone calls and use other electronic devices while you're marching without worrying about depleting the batteries of the devices mentioned too much.

A research team at the University of California Berkeley just announced that they managed to implant electrodes into a beetle successfully, where this operation enabled scientists to control the insect’s movements in flight. This research could full well see action in military operations in the future, after all, the research itself was supported by the Pentagon’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. Ultimately, these mind-controlled insects could be used to “serve as couriers to locations not easily accessible to humans or terrestrial robots”. Creepy.

The DARPA-backed Vulture strato-wingship is able to keep on going for up to 5 years in our upper atmosphere without the need to land, thanks to it being feather light and yet strong. This electrically propelled aircraft can charge up onboard energy-storage systems by harnessing the power of the sun, and during those moments of darkness, the Vulture will have to depend solely on stored energy in order to navigate through powerful stratospheric winds and keep the payload system running. Vulture II is expected to proceed next month within a $155 million budget. We wonder what will the military do with the Vulture II when it is released - an eye in the sky network that is more mobile than military satellites?

Bad guys everywhere, beware - even a high wall won't deter governments and their dedicated military machine from hunting you down. The latest progress in the robotics department results in a military robot which is able to clear obstacles more than 7.5m (25 feet) in height - and this is despite the fact that the robot itself is roughly the size of a shoebox, relying on a quartet of wheels to get around. Sorta like a mechanical flea, don't you think? Dubbed the Precision Urban Hopper, it relies on a piston-actuated "leg" that propels it over obstacles including walls or fences. The Precision Urban Hopper will be guided via GPS and would come in handy for surveillance purposes in urban environments. Expect delivery of these puppies to happen sometime later next year.

Life in the military has just gotten a whole lot more interesting with the Human Universal Load Carrier (HULC) exoskeleton. While it won't be as useful as the ones see in G.I. Joe, this li-ion battery-powered exoskeleton ought to turn a normal grunt into a well-equipped soldier who is ready to wreak havoc on the enemy, featuring lightweight hydraulic legs with titanium structure that allows one to hang a 200lb backpack from the back frame while carrying heavy chest armor and kit from shoulder extensions with relative ease. Battery life will drain fast if you're running, but slow marches at 4kph ought to last for up to 5 hours. Needless to say, the HULC is still a work-in-progress and we're extremely interested in the final product.

Pretec has come up with a new kind of SSD that supposedly self-destructs data within in a speedy and efficient manner, targeting it for military and secret service use. The patented technology used takes all of just 0.1 seconds to erase data within - infinitely faster compared to what standard SSDs take (around 20 seconds). After all, soldiers don't have the luxury of 20 seconds during an emergency to get rid of sensitive material and data stored within. Initiation of the self-destruct command will see several layers of fast erase happening until everything is gone for good. This process, once started, cannot be aborted or stopped even if one removes the said SSD.

We're guessing if you live in some war torn country and need to have a sense of security with you at all times even when you hit the sack, the Bed Bunker would make for a pretty no-brainer of a choice. After all, it is able to stash away a bunch of firearms for you and your family's safety (up to 32 rifles or 70 hand guns), and is fireproof up to 1533 degrees based on tests, alongside high-security Mul-T-Locks which were specially designed to replace the box spring under twin, queen, or king size mattresses. In addition, it is compatible with most standard bed frames (we wonder if this includes Ikea products). The Bed Bunker won't come cheap at $2,200 for the twin sized, and $4,000 for the king sized double safe.

The US State Air Force Research Laboratory has awarded Universal Display Corporation a $750,000 Small Business Innovation Research Phase II contract to develop “Low-Power, Direct-view Flexible Displays” which are meant to end up as a non-glass, ejection-safe, amenable OLED display archetype for use by pilots in tactical cockpits settings. Developed alongside partners such as L-3 Communications display system and LG Display, it is hoped that this new and upcoming flexible phosphorescent OLED will be energy proficient despite boasting full video rate and wireless communication aptitude. It is also meant to offer pilots a secondary display for printed maps and checklists, being flexible enough to wrap around cylinders for easy storage during flight.

The Israeli military are back with a brand new addition to their arsenal - a camouflaged robotic snake which comes complete with a camera and microphone embedded within its head. Just like the Biblical prophecy, striking this mechanical serpent's head will bring thing to a close, and it remains unknown just how long will it take for this new robot to enter operational status. Guess enemies of the Israeli nation will have more than just nukes to worry about now...

Check out this super high definition machine from the military - a F-16 simulator which is powered by 120 (yes, count 'em!) Intel Dual Core PCs complete with $400 graphics cards within a special industrial casing. Apparently, this simulator is able to offer 20-40 visual acuity, which is nearly enough to fool the naked eye. All that graphical and processing firepower is used to run Simusphere - a 180-degree field of display which relies on a combination of 9 projectors in order to provide a visually impressive image no matter where you turn your head. We sure as heck don't mind flying these every day if that's part of the job...

Remember the shoulder-mounted weapon that we see in the Predator movies? Well, the US military has already achieved something like that in the form of the XM25 Individual Air Burst Weapon. This will most probably be the shoulder-fired weapon of choice for the US military in situations that are required to kill or neutralize hidden targets. The use of High Explosive Air-Burst (HEAB) munitions with the XM25 comes in handy as it was specially programmed to detonate at a precise point in the air, all without requiring any impact - news that would definitely make the baddies hiding out in their caves shudder with fear.

This week, Walt Mossberg and Kara Swisher are hosting the D7 conference in San Diego and today, Kara Swisher interviewed Eve Ensler, playwright of the “The Vagina Monologues” and the founder of V-Day, a global movement to end violence against women and girls.

Eve Ensler was among those who testified at the hearing recently held by the Senate Foreign Relations Comittee and called “Confronting Rape and Other Forms of Violence Against Women in Conflict Zones.” The goal is to end the use of rape as a weapon of war in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo where 1,100 women a month are raped, in part as a consequence of the region’s coltan trade. Coltan, or columbite tantalite, is a mineral from which niobium and tantalum are extracted, tantalum is a necessary component for the manufacturing of a wide range of consumer electronics such as cell phones and computers.

We hope that if the consumers are aware of this dramatic situation, it will help to change it. Read the full interview on All Things Digital.

Photos from Black Hills Industrial Minerals and Tierra/ Red Iris.

GPS lovers, take note. The global positioning system (GPS) operated by the US government could fail as early as next year, as a recent report showed that "it is uncertain whether the Air Force will be able to acquire new satellites in time to maintain current GPS service without interruption." Well this isn't good news for folks who grew up on GPS navigation when getting around as they'll have to learn the arcane arts of reading and folding paper maps all over again just like their forefathers, using their brain to do more than just change lanes when driving. Don't say you have not been warned if you happen to drive somewhere with your vehicle GPS system dying on you sometime next year.