PS3s To ‘Think Like Humans’ For U.S.A.F.
Games, catching paedos, Blu Ray, curing cancer, BBC iPlayer, taking over the world..Published 25/11/2009 at 15:00 by Tuffcub
First the PS3 was catching peadophiles and curing cancer, now it is working with the military. The United States Airforce has just ordered 2,200 PS3s to add to their collection of 336 existing Playstations at the Air Force Research Laboratory’s information directorate in Rome, N.Y. All the PS3s will be clustered together to form one giant supercomputer which will help the Air Force decide if Cell Broadband Engine processor-derived hardware and software could be used in military systems. Theoretically we might see a Playstation controlled tank in the future
The Airforce have also been using their existing cluster of PS3s to for digital image analysis of multiple radar images, known as ’synthetic aperture radar image formation’, high definition video applications and most intriguingly, neuromorphic computing.
Neuromorphic computing is a relatively new science in which a digital system, in this case a shed load of PS3s, is used to create a version of a biological architecture. In other words, they are trying to make the PS3s in to a giant human brain. When you sat down to watch Terminator 2 way back in 1991 I bet you never imagined that sentient computer Skynet would be made out of your favourite games console.
Source: InformationWeek
Comments
Please note that all comments are the opinion of the individual author and not TheSixthAxis.
Gastos84 | 25/11/2009 15:07
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’synthetic aperture radar image formation’ – I was going to say that!
RadioactiveMouse | 25/11/2009 15:09
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SARIF is much more catchy and less of a mouthful
bravotangosix | 25/11/2009 15:08
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“Theoretically we might see a Playstation controlled tank in the future”.
PS3, It only does EVERYTHING!!!
FireasBall | 25/11/2009 16:24
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And it does everything very well
Raen | 25/11/2009 15:10
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This kind of technique is probably the best way of achieving a system that’s capable of intelligent thought, although I still think you need to get a community and external inputs so that you get emergent intelligence. Intelligence will (in my opinion) only arise if there is something to be intelligent about, it’s not spontanious.
Also that Lab is high up my list of “I would kill people for a job if required” employers. Also includes Google, PARC and AT&T Cambridge.
RadioactiveMouse | 25/11/2009 15:51
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And Raen’s slightly socio-pathic side is revealed
Raen | 25/11/2009 15:57
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Trust me those places, particularly PARC and the AT&T lab, are completely worth it. And what do you mean revealed? It’s not like I ever hid it
nickerton | 25/11/2009 15:12
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“All the PS3s will be clustered together to form one giant supercomputer” *GIZZZZZZ!
Soild_Nat | 25/11/2009 15:19
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“high definition video applications” in other words playing Killzone 2!
skibadee | 25/11/2009 15:56
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that is very interesting ps3 is a power house.
bajere | 25/11/2009 16:03
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i thought Sony were doing something to stop this happening…or are they taking the processors out of the units?
bajere | 25/11/2009 16:04
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sorry, i hit keypad….
they stoped us from installing a new OS for that reason…
Charmed_Fanatic | 25/11/2009 16:20
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Thats good news for Sony, another 2,200 PS3’s sold!
makibah | 26/11/2009 00:36
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plus the dlc that they will need to get.
Joe | 26/11/2009 06:09
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well, not really. sony sell consoles for a loss. they rely on people buying games and peripherals to actually make their money and i dont think the US air force will be buying any games, HAWX especially…
Watchful | 25/11/2009 16:33
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Presumably they’ve got their hands on a bunch of Phats as the slim don’t run Linux?
Back in 1991 my favourite games console was the Mega Drive and no I didn’t think Skynet wold have a Sega logo on the side.
Though I also couldn’t conceive of a console future without Sega hardware, so shows how wrong I frequently am.
gazzagb | 25/11/2009 17:30
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But dont they use Linux to run all this software stuff? The slims dont have the option to install an other OS. Would be pretty funny if they end up with 2,200 PS3s that they cant use lol
Spence1115 | 25/11/2009 18:54
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I’m pretty sure they would have thought of that. Linux on the PS3 was never able to access all the console, perhaps instead they’ve gotten custom versions from Sony which can run software they’ve designed which can access all the Cell’s cores, whilst paying a higher rate thus allowing Sony to still make a profit? Would make sense.
illogicology | 26/11/2009 09:18
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This us the USAF, more than likely they’re just hacking the damn things.
rht992 | 25/11/2009 18:40
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Whatever. They probable just want to play uncharted
Reiterpallasch | 25/11/2009 19:08
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“Theoretically we might see a Playstation controlled tank in the future”
Not a walking tank by any chance?
Metal Gear!?
legalisemurder | 25/11/2009 19:28
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Maybe they should strap PS3s into the cockpits.It might be able to tell the difference between allied soldiers/wedding guests and the enemy.
rht992 | 25/11/2009 20:04
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there could be a reset button
TheShepanator | 25/11/2009 20:00
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PS3 sales just doubled!
lynandal | 25/11/2009 21:05
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its good, but sony know about plasystations being used this way, and know that no games will get brought for these machines, so it does push the general price up for the rest of us. I’ve blown up so many tanks on playstations, I don’t know i would want a tank controlled by one – jeepers!