Using highly sophisticated electronic sensors attached to the tank’s hull, projected images of the surrounding environment are sent back onto the outside of the vehicle enabling it to merge into the landscape and evade attack.

The advantage to using E-Ink on a tank for camouflage is obviously its ability to adapt to any environment. A tank in a desert would appear sandy in color and texture, whereas one in a mountainous region would be rocky, etc.

The system exists only on paper currently, but BAE scientists are confident they can make the technology work, with hopes of getting it to British troops serving in Afghanistan in coming years.

The concept was developed as part of the Future Protected Vehicle programme, which scientists believe, will transform the way in which future conflicts will be fought. The programme is based around seven different military vehicles, both manned and unmanned, which will be equipped with a wide variety of lethal and none lethal weapons.

This would make them almost invisible. What would be even cooler is if they could render an image of a farmer planting his crops, or maybe a bunch of kids playing basketball.

Although the laser will not necessarily repel determined aggressors, it should let them know that they have been spotted while still at a distance and that ill fate may be ready for them.

“This is very much a non-lethal weapon,” says Bryan Hore of BAE Systems in Farnborough, UK, where the system was developed. By taking into account the range of the target, as well as the atmospheric conditions, the system can automatically regulate the intensity of the laser beam to ensure there is no lasting eye damage, he says.

So what if they are wearing sunglasses?

“Sunglasses wouldn’t help,” he says – in fact, wearing them would only exacerbate the effect. That’s because the glasses would not affect the green laser light – chosen because thatcolour is particularly irritating – but the laser would appear even brighter contrasted against the darkened background.

Pirates-eye view

Well, if it’s a green laser, then red-transmissive glasses should stop it. I expect the pirates will start buying green laser safety goggles and pick up some highly reflective mirrors to shinethe laser back, thereby blinding their intended victims making it easier to pillage the ship.

BAE has tested its laser from ranges up to three-quarters of a mile. If it obtains enough funding, the laser could be ready for sale in about a year.

[Cheers newscientist.com]