Sky-high system to aid soldiers

[Rick]

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)

[Ian]

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... 

[mickw]

Is it magic ?   

[Rick]

You know what I'm going to say, don't you... 

Classic BBC "science" reporting.

[Rick]

http://ars.userfriendly.org/cartoons/?id=20080818