DARPA has kicked off a robotics software/hardware research and development program known as ARM, where it hopes to construct a robot which is capable of grasping a number of objects using two arms and hands autonomously and skillfully, making us wonder whether DARPA is really Skynet in disguise. This is to help it hold objects such as knives and pistols, and according to the brief, the new robot hand and control software ought to have the capability to “hold an inert grenade with one hand, and pull the pin with the other hand” without required a human to guide or control it in any way. Could terminators be the future of the army?

Have a rogue teen whom you want to keep tabs on all the time? Let HT4Sight help as it is able to offer aerial surveillance video straight onto any cellphone - as long as you have enough dough in your bank account. The HT4Sight system enables users to route video signals from UAVs as well as any aerial surveillance craft or satellite to virtually any handset around the world, thanks to an encrypted data signal. The signal will be transmitted in real time to a command center, undergoing compression and encryption before the final video is delivered to your cellphone.

VTOL Technologies of the UK have come up with a new Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) which is touted to deliver a higher payload capacity despite being smaller and lighter in size compared to its previous efforts. Apart from that, another advantage of this new model would be its ability to boast up to four times the endurance of current vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) vehicles in its class. One main difference would be a design change that does away with unnecessary elements which resulted in additional weight. The company is so confident of their effort and even claim that should its systems fail, the flying-wing design form will work in its favor, allowing it to stay airborne long enough for it be repaired on-the-fly. What you see here is just the wing without any plane attached.

Cops in San Jose will soon get tech upgrades in the form of head-mounted video cameras which will help record their interaction with civilians. These devices are located right above their ears, where they can be activated whenever one speaks with a citizen or suspect. All videos are then uploaded onto a central server, and we do assume that the uploading process is turned off whenever one is off duty or easing themselves in the course of duty. Dubbed AXON, this system aims to help the public restore their trust in the men in blue.

It is time for some much-needed change for the UK Army as they have a brand new camouflage uniform - in fact, the first in almost 40 years, where the new pattern is known as the Multi-Terrain Pattern (MTP) which will see out the traditional four colour woodland uniform that has long been known as No.8: Disruptive Pattern Material (DPM).Those serving in Afghanistan will be able to obtain the new uniforms in March next year, with the entire army to follow by the time 2011 rolls around. The MTP was specially designed for a wide range of environments, where these will also include the volatile "green zone" of Helmand province. All this is still very far from the ideal 'invisibility cloak', but at least it is a start.

British BAE Systems has snagged a $42 million contract to supply the U.S. Army with a lightweight, handheld laser target locator system which is powered by GPS technology. This all-weather device enables soldiers to accurately identify target locations regardless of whether it is during the day or night, and despite having fog or smoke around as well. Dubbed the Laser Target Locator Module (LTLM), it will determine target coordinates by using direct-view optic system, a night-vision camera, a laser range finder, a digital compass, and a GPS receiver. Amazing thing, this, considering all that technology is crammed into a device that weighs no more than 5.5 pounds.

Shia insurgents in Iraq have been able to capture footage from a US military drone by using SkyGrabber, a $26 software that is "normally" used to intercept satellite data stream that is broadcasted back to the ground. It is convenient because it doesn't require an actual 2-way connection, it just grabs a one-way stream.

We can't call this a real "hack" because the US military apparently broadcasts its video feed via an unencrypted data stream (!). Thanks to the interception, it is believed that insurgents have been able to see what places were targeted and could therefore avoid US strikes.

I don't know if the stream is compressed or not, but it looks like the security level could be raised significantly if the video was compressed and encrypted. All you need is to slow down any brute force cracking by hours or days, it would make the real-time information useless. I smell an upcoming drone upgrade. Are you shocked that real-time intelligence footage was apparently broadcasted without encryption?

The US Army is currently testing out a new knee prosthesis known as the X2 microprocessor knee, where it was specially developed in order to provide additional support while giving the lower leg a more natural walking gait. Patients who used the older C-leg had to suffer from knee and joint pain, but once they started off with the new X2, pain relief was more or less almost immediate. Some patients even shared that the X2 has granted them a new ability to run without having to switch to a more specialized prosthesis, which is a good thing. We would like to see the X2 microprocessor knee enter the mainstream market at an affordable price, but could that be one dream too far to pursue?

You never know when your four-legged friend might come in handy on the battlefield, which is why he also needs adequate protection while serving in the line of fire. The K9 Storm Canine Armor is a bulletproof dog vest that boasts a wireless camera, speakers and an integrated microphone, allowing the dog's handler to see and issue commands via the integrated audio system. The entire system weighs less than 7 ounces, but as with anything associated with our military, nothing is cheap - this K9 Storm Canine Armor system costs a whopping $20,000.

DARPA is certainly stepping things up a notch with the unveiling of their latest creation known as the Iron Curtain. This system will mount on top of a Humvee, and is capable of taking out whatever rockets which are shot in its direction - hopefully it will be accurate enough. This is the first time such a system is working on a moving vehicle, where it relies on radar, optical sensors and several classified elements to make its way across the battlefield safely.

Looking for mines (the explosive kind) can be a fatal affair, but good thing technology has helped improve one way of looking for mines without having to run the risk of maiming oneself. The M-SEEK mine sniffer relies on an electro-chemical sensor to smell the mines hidden underneath, helping actual deminers avoid a potentially life changing explosion, while speeding up the manner an area is demined. Rambo should've used this in Rambo IV...

Traditionally, antennas are made from copper and come in a rigid yet delicate form factor. Well, glad to say that with the advent of technology, all of it could change in the future, where the typical copper antenna will be phased out by an alloy version which can be bent in just about any direction before returning to its native shape. This is made possible courtesy of micro liquid metal chambers located within that form the building blocks of the antenna. As with most promising technology, the military will benefit from it first before it reaches the general populace.

Scientists and engineers at U.S. Army Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center in Michigan are currently working on a new form of smart armor that is able to predict its own failure, alongside identifying the size of bullets shot at it. Heck, it even plays around with some Chinese philosophy, generating electrical power upon impact of a bullet. Could this be the real deal Doom or Quake Red Armor with percentage points of protection on the battlefield?

This SCAR assault rifle is very different from the rest since it comes with an ammo counter just like what you see in the movies and video games, where a "black box" located within the handgrip will network with the soldier alongside the home base. This sealed grip will log the number of bullets fired alongside the amount of ammo remaining. Apart from that, there is work being done to pair it to specific soldiers via biometrics, rendering the rifle useless in the hands of the enemy.