Arthur C. Clarke once famously quipped that “ any sufficiently advanced engineering is undistinguishable from legerdemain . ” So perhaps it was inevitable that the Pentagon ’s utmost technology subdivision would eventually start dissemble like magicians – and sample to make illusions on the front lines .
Top image : Inflatable ground forces truck , viaBuzz Museum
In itsnew budget , unveiled on Monday , Darpa premise a young $ 4 million investigating into technologies that will “ manage the adversary ’s sensory perceptual experience ” in orderliness to “ confuse , wait , inhibit , or misdirect [ his ] actions . ” Darpa calls the projection “ Battlefield Illusion . ” Of course .
“ The current operational art of human - sensory battlefield magic is for the most part an ad - hoc practice session , ” the agency sigh as it lay out the project ’s goal . But if researcher can well sympathise “ how human being use their brains to treat sensory inputs , ” the military should be able-bodied to formulate “ audile and visual ” hallucination that will “ put up tactical advantage for our forces . ”
Ultimately , the aim is to “ demonstrate and value the operational potency of advanced human - delusory technologies on military earth , sea , and airborne system . ”
If this all vocalise a little outside the military average , it should n’t . Magicians and general have had a long - stand relationship – one that produced very real effects during wartime . Harry Houdinisnooped on the German and the Russian militaries for Scotland Yard . English illusionistJasper Maskelyneis reported to have createddummy submarinesandfake tanksto distract Rommel ’s U. S. Army during World War II ; some reports even credit him with engage flashing lights to “ hide ” the Suez Canal . At the height of the Cold War , the Central Intelligence Agency pay $ 3,000 to renowned magicianJohn Mulhollandto compose a manual on mismanagement , hiding and stagecraft . It was republish in 2009 as “ The Official CIA Manual of Trickery and Deception . ”
Harry Houdini do . picture : Library of Congress
Nor is this the first clock time that military researcher have assay to confuse foeman with sights or sound that are n’t really there . The defense declarer BAE Systems recently developed an “ invisibility cloak ” which it says can hide fomite ’ infrared signature . In the early years of the state of war on affright , many in the defense tech residential area floated the idea of a “ Voice of God ” weapon . The idea was to employ train sound waves to convince would - be jihadis that Allah himself was speaking in their ears – and ordering them to put down their suicide belts . The U.S. Army ’s Medusa ( “ Mob Excess Deterrent Using Silent Audio “ ) project had the same goal , but used a different slice of the electromagnetic spectrum – microwaves – to create sound that seemed to be coming from inside the fair game ’s head . Neither program , as far as I jazz , ever provide the research laboratory .
“ Battlefield Illusion ” is one of several new Darpa programs that undertake to manipulate the electromagnetic spectrum to the American military ’s advantage . The $ 3.5 million “ Electro - Optical Warfare ” effort will look for ways to jam optical maser - based communications and sensor systems – just like today ’s wireless frequency jammers mess up with mobile phone phones and radars . As adversaries move from sometime - school radars to newer - school infrared and laser systems to direct our planes , these enemies get harder to track ; there ’s no transonic “ ping ” to trace back . The finish of the $ 8.5 million “ Multi - Function Optical Sensor ” is designed to fill this gap , give U.S. aircraft “ an alternative approach path to detecting , trailing , and performing non - cooperative target identification . ”
There are all sort of technological challenge to making such a sensor , Darpa take down . Today , there ’s no “ cheap , multiband , big - format , photon - numeration , high-pitched - bandwidth receiver , ” for instance . But if one can be place – and integrate onto an American jet – missile - armed enemies will dead become at once seeable . As if by trick .
This post in the beginning appeared onWired ’s Danger Room.Wired.com has been expanding the hive mind with technology , scientific discipline and geek culture intelligence since 1995 .
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