wikimaze

BRITISH AND AMERICAN TROOPS could soon be getting a boost from an army of robotic creepy crawlies as British defence firm BAE Systems says it’s creating electronic spiders, dragonflies and snakes, which it hopes will save soldiers’ lives.

The little electronic creatures would be equipped to see and sense various dangers, including the presence of biochemical weaponry, and then beam back critical information to troops before they entered an area.

The soldiers would carry their robot insects with them, and send them as a swarm into buildings, caves, and enemy hideouts, both scaring the bejesus out of anyone lying in hiding and also purportedly preventing soldiers from falling into an ambush or boobytrap.

BAE Systems says that it has just signed a lucrative contract worth £19million with the US military to develop the sci-fi like critters, which can crawl, slither or even fly and that the first workable models should be joining soldiers on the battlefield by the end of 2008. They’re not terribly expensive to produce either. BAE reckons that once the R+D stage is over and the bugs go into production, each one should only cost about £100 to manufacture.

Steve Scalera, Programme manager at BAE told the Daily Wail "what we are doing is providing an enhanced awareness for soldiers, basically an extension to their eyes and ears". By Sylvie Barak

KYLIE Minogue last night lured her seldom-seen parents into the spotlight as she received one of France's highest cultural honours.

Melburnians Ron and Carol Minogue joined their daughter as French Culture Minister Christine Albanel lavished praised on their daughter over her fight against breast cancer.

At a ceremony in Paris, Ms Albanel bestowed on the 39-year-old the title of Chevalier dans l'ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Knight in the Order of Arts and Letters) and told her she was a "Midas of the international music scene who turns everything she touches into gold".

"I want to publicly salute the courage you showed by revealing publicly that you had breast cancer," the minister said. "Doctors now even go as far as saying there is a 'Kylie effect' that encourages young women to have regular checks."

Minogue kicks off a European concert tour in Paris today.

Past recipients of the French award include singers Bob Dylan and David Bowie and Hollywood stars George Clooney, Leonardo DiCaprio, Clint Eastwood, Robert Redford and Meryl Streep.

Minogue in December was decorated in the Queen's New Year honours list with an OBE.

She said she was "deeply honoured" to be given the French award.

"French culture has influenced me greatly and I have always had colossal respect for the arts and people of France."