simulations

11.09.09

Spanish Military Tests Swarm Intelligence on Video Game Battlefield

The Spanish army is using ant colony algorithms to plot the best paths through future battlefields
By Jeremy Hsu Posted 11.09.2009 at 12:45 pm 1 Comment

Moving through real-life battlefields inevitably proves trickier than playing a game of Minesweeper, but Spanish researchers and army officers have converted the video game Panzer General into a simulator that can test troop maneuver algorithms based on ant colony behavior.

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Video: Raytheon's Free Roaming Combat Simulator Lets You Feel Getting Shot

A new combat simulator lets you toss real flash-bangs and feel the consequences of getting shot by virtual enemies
By Jeremy Hsu Posted 10.09.2009 at 10:46 am 4 Comments

First-person-shooter video games have nothing on a new combat simulator by defense giant Raytheon. Fully rigged warfighters can roam freely in the real world and engage unseen virtual enemies through their VR goggles, tossing real flash-bang grenades and even shaking off the muscle-numbing effects of getting shot.

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Punt Sci

Madden Predicts the Winner

Electronic Arts's football technology is good for more than playing around
By Brett Zarda Posted 02.02.2009 at 11:23 am 0 Comments

The company that claims "It's in the game" was certainly immersed in Super Bowl week. EA Sports was busy preparing teams, educating fans, and predicting the results better than the best bettors in Vegas.

In what's become a yearly tradition, the Madden '09 simulator predicted the Steelers would win Super Bowl XLIII. As seven-point favorites, it was hardly a stretch, but the predicted score was 28-24. Actual score? 27-23. Not bad for a video game. While Santonio Holmes walked away with the real MVP, many pundits could argue that quarterback Ben Roethlisburger, who received the simulated honor, deserved it just as much.

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November 2009: Astronaut 3.0

Inside NASA's astronaut bootcamp and the grueling new training regimen for deep space. Plus, ten young geniuses shaking up science today, one writer's quest to analyze every man-made chemical in her body and more.

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