Digital Home Thoughts: A Clever Use of Digtal Photography: The Reconnaissance Round

"His invention, which he calls a reconnaissance round, is essentially a digital camera packed into a mortar shell that is fired 1,800 to 2,000 feet into the air. The shell then deploys a parachute, and the camera is rigged to transmit photos to a soldier's laptop on the ground as it floats back to earth. Overhead images of battlefields shot by high-altitude spy planes, satellites and unmanned drones have become essential tools for modern military planners. But those are the tools of generals, Stancil says, and usually require too much time and logistics to offer real-time images to soldiers in the middle of a fight."