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US Engineers Develop Laser-Guided Bullet
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Designed to twist and turn, the laser-guided .50-calibre bullet directs itself like a tiny guided missile and can hit a target more than a mile away.
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Friday, February 03, 2012:
US Engineers at Sandia National Laboratories have been up to a challenge since last three years wondering how to pack a processor and other electronics into a machine gun bullet. Ultimately, here comes a breakthrough as engineers have now developed the afore-mentioned bullet prototype.
Recently, the research arm of the US Department of Defence has awarded tens of millions of dollars in contracts to companies to develop guided ammunition for snipers and special scopes. Finally, Sandia Labs has designed a bullet suited for the M2, a belt-fed machine gun. Pairing the M2 with the Laser-guided bullet would allow soldiers to hit their mark faster and with precision.
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What seems like a forward step toward a next-generation battlefield straight out of a sci-fi, the 10.2-cm (4-inch) long bullet can direct itself like a tiny-guided missile and can hit a target more than a mile away. Furthermore, the bullet is designed to twist and turn, making up to 30 corrections per second. Reportedly, the development team had initial success testing the design in computer simulations and in field tests of prototypes.
"In the laboratory, I'm to make machines so incredibly small it kind of boggles my mind," said Red Jones, one of the Sandia researchers who helped develop the laser-guided .50-caliber bullet. "Where we're headed, we're going to be limited only by our imagination."
The missile-like bullet comes with an optical sensor to detect a laser beam on a target. The sensor sends information to guidance and control electronics that use an algorithm in an eight-bit central processing unit to command electromagnetic actuators. The actuators steer the fins that guide the bullet, reports IBNLive.com.
Already, the technology has impressed the weapons experts and Sandia is looking forward to partner with a private company and bring a guided bullet to the marketplace.
[Image Source: IBNLive.com]
Amit Shrivastava, EFYTIMES News Network
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