 |
Science Fiction
Dictionary
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
|
 |
Super-Resolution Vision System Super Sniper Scope
DARPA's super-resolution vision system (SRVS) works as a super-sniper rife scope. The device allows a sniper to actually see through atmospheric turbulence caused by heat ("heat shimmer") to resolve a distant target.

(super-resolution vision system (SRVS) diagram)
SRVS uses signal processing to take raw images and pick out the ones that are taken during moments of relative clear seeing. This turbulence-generated micro-lensing then stitches these good frames together to provide a clear view of a target.
Those DARPA guys are always thinking ahead; perhaps they could take a tip from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. In Field of Fire, an episode broadcast in 1999, a crew member is killed under mysterious circumstances.
Starfleet designated the modified weapon the TR-116a Tactical Sniper Rifle and deployed it for use in situations where high-energy sensor arrays would detect directed energy weapons, thereby revealing the location of the shooter. (This ability to see through walls is also a DARPA priority - maybe they're fans? See the reference below on the Visibuilding program.)
The TR-116a Tactical Sniper Rifle) was equipped with a micro-transporter, which allowed him to beam the bullet into another room only 8-10 centimeters from its target and an exographic targeting sensor which allowed Chu'lak to scan through walls and target victims anywhere on the station from the safety of his quarters. The station's counselor, Lieutenant Ezri Dax, later used a similarly modified rifle to non-lethally stop Chu'lak.

(TR-116a Tactical Sniper Rifle)
From Wired; see also the Visibuilding program.
Scroll down for more stories in the same category. (Story submitted 9/18/2008)
Follow this kind of news @Technovelgy.
| Email | RSS | Blog It | Stumble | del.icio.us | Digg | Reddit |
Would
you like to contribute a story tip?
It's easy:
Get the URL of the story, and the related sf author, and add
it here.
Comment/Join discussion ( 1 )
Related News Stories -
("
Weapon
")
Man Builds 200 Foot Basement Firing Range
'The basement was huge... carved deep into the rock.' - Clifford Simak, 1963.
Russians Create Robot Tank Platoons
'The remotely-operated robot tank is an old idea...'
Unmanned Boats Attack At Sea
'The autofreighter smashed into the boat...'
Iron Drone Raider Counter-UAV Operations
'You've got an aggressive machine up in the air now.' - Robert Sheckley, 1953.
Technovelgy (that's tech-novel-gee!)
is devoted to the creative science inventions and ideas of sf authors. Look for
the Invention Category that interests
you, the Glossary, the Invention
Timeline, or see what's New.
|
 |
Science Fiction
Timeline
1600-1899
1900-1939
1940's 1950's
1960's 1970's
1980's 1990's
2000's 2010's
Current News
The Zapata Air Scooter Would Be Great In A Science Fiction Story
'Betty's slapdash style.'
Thermostabilized Wet Meat Product (NASA Prototype)
There are no orbiting Michelin stars. Yet.
Could Crystal Batteries Generate Power For Centuries?
'Power could be compressed thus into an inch-square cube of what looked like blue-white ice'
India Ponders Always-On Smartphone Location Tracking
'It is necessary... for your own protection.'
Amazon Will Send You Heinlein's Knockdown Cabin
'It's so light that you can set it up in five minutes by yourself...'
Is It Time To Forbid Human Driving?
'Heavy penalties... were to be applied to any one found driving manually-controlled machines.'
Replace The Smartphone With A Connected Edge Node For AI Inference
'Buy a Little Dingbat... electropen, wrist watch, pocketphone, pocket radio, billfold ... all in one.'
Artificial Skin For Robots Is Coming Right Along
'... an elastic, tinted material that had all the feel and appearance of human flesh and epidermis.'
Robot Guard Dog On Duty
I might also be thinking of K-9 from Doctor Who.
Wearable Artificial Fabric Muscles
'It is remarkable that the long leverages of their machines are in most cases actuated by a sort of sham musculature...'
BrainBridge Concept Transplant Of Human Head Proposed
'Briquet’s head seemed to think that to find and attach a new body to her head was as easy as to fit and sew a new dress.'
Google's Nano Banana Pro Presents Handwritten Math Solutions
'...copy was turned out in a charming and entirely feminine handwriting.'
Edible Meat-Like Fungus Like Barbara Hambly's Slunch?
'It was almost unheard of for slunch to spread that fast...'
Sunday Robotics 'Memo' Bot Has Unique Training Glove
'He then started hand movements of definite pattern...'
Woman Marries Computer, Vonnegut's Dream Comes True
'Men are made of protoplasm... Lasts forever.'
Natural Gait With Prosthetic Connected To Nervous System
'The leg was to function, in a way, as a servo-mechanism operated by Larry’s brain...'
More SF in the News Stories
More Beyond Technovelgy science news stories
|
 |