Orpington Astronomical Society

Astronomy => In the Media... => Topic started by: Rick on Aug 11, 2008, 17:40:43

Title: Sky-high system to aid soldiers
Post by: Rick on Aug 11, 2008, 17:40:43
Hardware used to spot gamma ray bursts could soon be helping direct troops on a battlefield.

Defence firm Qinetiq has brought the technology down to Earth to make a monitoring system that may be able to track thousands of targets.

The futuristic system manages the feat without using lenses to gather light from the scene it is watching.

Instead it employs a sensor array, a special "mask" and image processing software to picture a scene.

More: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7553622.stm

(From research astronomy into the military... Isn't that the wrong way round? ;) -- Rick)
Title: Re: Sky-high system to aid soldiers
Post by: Ian on Aug 11, 2008, 19:06:31
contains the classic quote "Instead of lenses the imaging system uses an array of microscopic sensors in front of which is a specially made "mask" randomly punctured with holes in a particular pattern. ".

You know what I'm going to say, don't you...  :roll:
Title: Re: Sky-high system to aid soldiers
Post by: mickw on Aug 11, 2008, 19:27:57
Is it magic ?    :o
Title: Re: Sky-high system to aid soldiers
Post by: Rick on Aug 11, 2008, 20:18:17
Quote from: Ian on Aug 11, 2008, 19:06:31
You know what I'm going to say, don't you...  :roll:
Classic BBC "science" reporting. ;)
Title: Re: Sky-high system to aid soldiers
Post by: Rick on Aug 18, 2008, 10:45:51
http://ars.userfriendly.org/cartoons/?id=20080818