Landmines are already some of the nastiest weapons there are. But they could soon become downright diabolical. Because the Defense Department is developing mines that can talk to one another, and move themselves around in order to cause maximum harm.
To neutralize a minefield, mine-clearers traditionally haven't had to pick up every last one of the explosives. They just had to clear a path to allow people and vehicles to pass through lethal areas safely.
A new group of mines renders this tactic obsolete. The munitions of the "Self-Healing Minefield Program" use tiny radios and acoustic sensors to stay in constant communication with each other. If some of the mines are removed, the ones that remain can "hop" hundreds of meters away, if needed, to rearrange themselves and to close the gaps.
"The minefield acts more like a fluid, and less like a static obstacle," said Dr. Tom Altschuler, who, until recently, oversaw the Self-Healing Minefield for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).
Check out my Tech Central Station story for more on the Self-Healing Minefield.
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