The Future is Now! Homing Bullets Patented!

[Undead Dragon King]

We all love our red-dot laser sights on our rifles and LMG's when playing the likes of Battlefield and Modern Warfare, but what if that reflex scope would allow you to fire homing bullets? It isn't possible in gaming, outside of hacking or modding, but it may soon be possible in reality.

A lab in New Mexico is in the process of taking the same principles of laser guided homing missiles that we have now and miniaturizing them into a .50 caliber bullet. Using a laser dot as a target, the bullet is capable of making 30 corrections to its trajectory in-flight. Apparently, the use of homing bullets in real life would make a single soldier more efficient, since he would use less ammunition from misses.


Here's the article:

http://www.krqe.com/dpp/news/technology/sandia-labs-bullet-doesnt-miss

I probably don't need to tell you how expensive it would be to fully stock an LMG ammo box with these bullets, but the fact that we're coming out with them shows how quickly weapons and ammunition can change today.

For discussion: What is your biggest hope for future tech that seems reasonably plausible to be invented in the near future?

 

[Vault101]

stuff thats not going to kill us all

an AI in your home...like EDI from mass effect, you can talk to it

 

[triggrhappy94]

I'm sure people are going to try to justify using homing bullets while hunting. Or at least say they need it for hunting, while they add to their over-compensation stock-pile for the liberal-zombie-communist-terrorist-takeover. Might as well make it legal for the public seeing how fully-auto rifles that are capable of effectively popping a president at two miles with armor-peircing rounds is. I digress.

OT: Cyborg-esque prostectics would be cool. Also, cures for some of the world's more deadly diseases. Really anything that would improve/prolong life.
Oh! Also actually developing He3 would be amazing, too bad people are afraid of nuclear energy.

 

[Thaluikhain]

The video says they're using nano-technology to give superpowers to soldiers. Um...

And, they've not actually made homing bullets, but they are really close, honest, just need more money. Maybe that's true, but I've heard that one before.

 

[Undead Dragon King]

The video says they're using nano-technology to give superpowers to soldiers. Um...

And, they've not actually made homing bullets, but they are really close, honest, just need more money. Maybe that's true, but I've heard that one before.

Wouldn't you call the ability to never miss what you're shooting at a superpower? You, as a gamer, should understand that homing bullets are a powerup! Hence, a superpower.

As for your second point, that's what all independent R&D is. They've got the patent secured, and they've made solid progress. Now they just need more financial backing to make a product that can feasibly be mass produced.

 

[Woodsey]

"What is your biggest hope for future tech that seems reasonably plausible to be invented in the near future?"

Some sort of device that stops idiots inventing homing-bullets.

 

[DustyDrB]

Kenneth Bainbridge, after witnessing the explosion of the first atomic bomb he helped create: "Now we're all sons of bitches"

God, technology is scary sometimes. I just want my cloak of invisibility [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1m_wVU52lUU] so I can hide from all the people with the big guns in the future.

 

[thraza]

this must be an assassins wet dream

 

[the clockmaker]

Most bullets aren't fired to kill anyone, they are fired to supress the enemy, so stocking a machine gun with these would defeat the purpose of having a machine gun.It also doesn't matter how small your machinery is, it is going to add size and weight or you will have to compensate by removing some of the charge from the round. So you either have to rechamber every weapon that tou intend to use this with and stack on more weight to a frontline soldier's kit, or you have to decrease the charge, and therefore the range and power of the round. It is a daft, unessecary add on, like a 10 kilo sight that lets you see the enemies emotions, it may be useful in some rare situations, but most of the time it would be worthless and itsn't it better just to train soldiers anyway?

 

[Rodney Jackson]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9pxjnl1yuXk

This was the first thing that popped into my head when I read this. I have to go watch this movie again now

 

[Tartarga]

Why is it that when I read this, my mind instantly jumped to the image of a guy getting chased by one of these homing bullets with Yakety Sax playing in the background? It doesn't really matter, I still found it hilarious even if it was just my imagination.

Yep, technology is doing some pretty amazing things these days.

 

[Dirty Hipsters]

So they're taking all the skill and training out of being a sniper. I'm not sure how I feel about this. Marksmanship is about to get a lot less impressive.

 

[NightHawk21]

Its nice, but I read (or saw on tv or the internet or something) that only 1% of bullets are actually shot at enemies with vision, the majority (think it was over 90%) is used as covering fire, or to assault positions.

So now those steerable bullets will be able to be steered much more effectively into whatever rock is being shot. Quite honestly it won't be adapted for anyone but maybe long range weapons specialists, unless the bullets are dirt cheap.

 

[The Funslinger]

"What is your biggest hope for future tech that seems reasonably plausible to be invented in the near future?"

Some sort of device that stops idiots inventing homing-bullets.

Indeed. It'll turn all warfare into full on butchery. Casualties on both sides will sky-rocket with the "if we fire first, we can't lose!" fashion of thinking, and they're actually taking the skill out of marksmanship.

This pisses me off on so many levels. It better turn out to be a shit idea that goes nowhere.

 

[LongAndShort]

Why is it that when I read this, my mind instantly jumped to the image of a guy getting chased by one of these homing bullets with Yakety Sax playing in the background? It doesn't really matter, I still found it hilarious even if it was just my imagination.

Yep, technology is doing some pretty amazing things these days.

Probably the same reason I had a very similar image pop into my head. Because it is hilarious.

OT: Personally I'm waiting for hovercraft to be practical for road use. And cop cars (the ultimate unmarked car), I would join the police to drive around in an invisible car, or the army to drive and invisible tank.

 

[Zen Toombs]

Jones says it's about halfway through being fully developed for commercial use.

Because we all know that Joe Blow off the street needs himself a homing gun. *rolls eyes*