David Hambling
New Scientist
United Kingdom
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Past articles by David:
Russia is jamming more GPS satellite signals around Moscow
A rise in the jamming of satellite navigation within Russia follows attacks by drones on Russian airbases and may be designed to deter further strikes → Read More
Will Ukraine deploy lethal autonomous drones against Russia?
Ukraine has used drones in innovative ways throughout the Russia-Ukraine war, and may now be preparing to deploy machines capable of finding and attacking targets without direct human control → Read More
What are vacuum bombs and is Russia using them in Ukraine?
Thermobaric weapons, sometimes called vacuum bombs, use powdered metal to create a rapidly expanding fireball. Under international law, they must only be used against military targets, not civilians. → Read More
Portable laser scanner creates colour 3D images of surfaces or objects
Lidar uses lasers to create 3D images, but these can be hard to interpret because they are black and white. A new scanner adds cameras to make colour images that could be useful for infrastructure inspection or robot vision → Read More
GPS software boost lets smartphones pinpoint location to within 20 cm
The software that allows smartphones to locate themselves is generally accurate only to within a few metres, but UK start-up Naurt claims its software can locate a device to within 20 centimetres → Read More
Drone used in attack on US electrical grid last year, report reveals
A US intelligence report has revealed that a drone was used in an attempt to disable an electrical substation in Pennsylvania last year, in the first known attack of its kind → Read More
US Army will test most powerful laser weapon ever built next year
Lasers are currently used to shoot down small drones, but a more powerful weapon could take on larger targets → Read More
US Army will test its most powerful laser weapon ever next year
Lasers are currently used to shoot down small drones, but a more powerful weapon could take on larger targets → Read More
US military may get a dog-like robot armed with a sniper rifle
A four-legged robot made by Ghost Robotics and outfitted with a sniper rifle and night-vision cameras was displayed at a meeting of the Association of the United States Army → Read More
US army to 3D print concrete buildings and bridges in disaster areas
The US Army Corps of Engineers has developed technology that can 3D print buildings in disaster areas, and there are plans for the world’s first 3D-printed vehicle bridge → Read More
A US military robot ship has fired a large missile for the first time
The US Department of Defense has released footage of an uncrewed ship firing a large missile, in a demonstration of its Ghost Fleet Overlord programme, an initiative to develop robot vessels that can operate alongside crewed warships → Read More
Sneaky US Navy feedback device could stop people being able to speak
A non-lethal device developed by the US Navy aims to surreptitiously render people unable to speak by beaming their own voice back at them with a tiny delay → Read More
Handheld railgun as powerful as an air rifle to go on sale in the US
An electromagnetic rifle, a device that uses electromagnetic coils to push a steel projectile down its barrel, is now being offered for pre-order in the US → Read More
US Navy is developing a solar-powered plane that can fly for 90 days
Aerospace company Skydweller is working with the US Navy to develop a solar-powered aircraft that can stay aloft for 90 days and be used as a communications relay or to escort ships in the ocean → Read More
Dubai police will use citywide network of drones to respond to crime
Dubai police will be able to respond to an incident anywhere in the United Arab Emirates city within a minute, thanks to a network of pre-positioned drone bases → Read More
US Air Force plane navigates by tiny changes in Earth's magnetic field
The US Air Force will conduct a test flight of an aircraft outfitted with a system that uses Earth’s magnetic fields to help navigate and is more difficult to interfere with than GPS → Read More
Israel used world's first AI-guided combat drone swarm in Gaza attacks
During operations in Gaza in mid-May, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) used a swarm of small drones to locate, identify and attack Hamas militants. This is thought to be the first time a drone swarm has been used in combat → Read More
GPS cyberattack falsely placed UK warship near Russian naval base
An international vessel-tracking system appears to show UK destroyer HMS Defender travel to within a few kilometres of a Russian naval base even though a web cam feed shows it was docked at Odessa, Ukraine → Read More
DARPA drone interceptor seems to be armed with a form of Silly String
The US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has developed a drone interceptor that fires what appears to be a form of Silly String into their rotors, bringing them down with minimal risk of accidental damage → Read More
US Army scientists create a formula for the perfect walking robot
The current generation of walking robots are not particularly energy efficient, according to an analysis which also shows how much more efficient they could be → Read More