The future of blade technology

fearn · 22nd July 2009, 02:52 AM

Hi Jim,

I'd ask: better blade for what?

I think we're going to see some interesting new metal and metal glass pocket knives. We might see some sort of "magic machete" as Bruce Sterling suggest (basically, a super-sharp ceramic machete that was mass-produced).

Thing is, even a light saber or a variable knife aren't as fast as your basic 9 mm pistol, and they're nowhere near as destructive as an AK-47. I doubt we'll see swords come back into warfare anytime soon, except for a few, exotic applications.

On the other hand, there's a huge number of uses for tools and tool/weapons, and that's where I think we're going to see some neat developments.

As for materials, I'm waiting to see metal glasses go mainstream. These are basically super-sharp steel, version 17 (or whatever). Same story, different day. I'd also predict some interesting composites based on metallic recreations of shells and teeth-type biocomposites (basically, if you can make a hard tooth out of calcium carbonate by fiddling with the structure of the molecules, what could you do with steel?).

I'd also expect (perhaps!) the equivalent of a smart knife, not a weapon necessarily, but a mobile swiss army knife equivalent that could cut while you held, and could consult on how to solve a particular tool use problem. I can think of a number of situations where having the knife do the cutting would have been really useful.

I'd love to see a variable knife, but I think that goofy katana-ish thing that Sulu was using in the new Star Trek movie is vaguely more probable.

For collectors, what I think is interesting is how the idea of "genuine" has changed. Now days, "genuine" blades come with provenance, ID tags, numbered sets, and so forth--even websites, collector's clubs, and a materials list so that they can get past CITES inspectors. We still have ethnographic weapons, but rather than marking them with tribal designs and natural materials, we put all these data markers on them, and associate them with a cloud of data points talking about what they are and where they've been. If you step back and think about it from the perspective of history, that's about as bizarre a cultural development as some of those 10 weirdest blades we talked about.

My 0.000002 cents,

F

Atlantia · 22nd July 2009, 03:46 AM

Hey Guys, great replys.

I do think this is an interesting subject.
As Fearn points out, the 'knife' in whatever form is not going to replace the 'gun' as we know it, and similarly, the technology we currently use in projectile weapons is unlikely to ever be replaced by 'star trek' style directed energy weapons for the simple reason that 'guns' are simply too cheap, reliable and effective.
We may see advances in bullets, propellants, a revisiting of the HK Caseless tech etc, but essentially guns work, and they work very well while being durable easy to use.

But thats not to say that a 'combat' blade has no place.

Sorry David,
I can't see light sabres ever being a reality

Well, beyond my master-replicas version!
Too much power needed, too many containment problems, too dangerous to the user etc.

But I can see us developing technology that blurs the lines between organic and inorganic. Blades 'grown' with a cutting edge a few molecules thick (or a single molecule) that would be able to split anything they are used against with ease, and if they are chipped or damaged, 'healing' in their scabbards while not in use.

22nd July 2009, 02:52 AM	#1
fearn Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 1,247	Hi Jim, I'd ask: better blade for what? I think we're going to see some interesting new metal and metal glass pocket knives. We might see some sort of "magic machete" as Bruce Sterling suggest (basically, a super-sharp ceramic machete that was mass-produced). Thing is, even a light saber or a variable knife aren't as fast as your basic 9 mm pistol, and they're nowhere near as destructive as an AK-47. I doubt we'll see swords come back into warfare anytime soon, except for a few, exotic applications. On the other hand, there's a huge number of uses for tools and tool/weapons, and that's where I think we're going to see some neat developments. As for materials, I'm waiting to see metal glasses go mainstream. These are basically super-sharp steel, version 17 (or whatever). Same story, different day. I'd also predict some interesting composites based on metallic recreations of shells and teeth-type biocomposites (basically, if you can make a hard tooth out of calcium carbonate by fiddling with the structure of the molecules, what could you do with steel?). I'd also expect (perhaps!) the equivalent of a smart knife, not a weapon necessarily, but a mobile swiss army knife equivalent that could cut while you held, and could consult on how to solve a particular tool use problem. I can think of a number of situations where having the knife do the cutting would have been really useful. I'd love to see a variable knife, but I think that goofy katana-ish thing that Sulu was using in the new Star Trek movie is vaguely more probable. For collectors, what I think is interesting is how the idea of "genuine" has changed. Now days, "genuine" blades come with provenance, ID tags, numbered sets, and so forth--even websites, collector's clubs, and a materials list so that they can get past CITES inspectors. We still have ethnographic weapons, but rather than marking them with tribal designs and natural materials, we put all these data markers on them, and associate them with a cloud of data points talking about what they are and where they've been. If you step back and think about it from the perspective of history, that's about as bizarre a cultural development as some of those 10 weirdest blades we talked about. My 0.000002 cents, F Last edited by fearn; 22nd July 2009 at 07:16 AM.

22nd July 2009, 03:46 AM	#2
Atlantia Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: The Sharp end Posts: 2,928	Hey Guys, great replys. I do think this is an interesting subject. As Fearn points out, the 'knife' in whatever form is not going to replace the 'gun' as we know it, and similarly, the technology we currently use in projectile weapons is unlikely to ever be replaced by 'star trek' style directed energy weapons for the simple reason that 'guns' are simply too cheap, reliable and effective. We may see advances in bullets, propellants, a revisiting of the HK Caseless tech etc, but essentially guns work, and they work very well while being durable easy to use. But thats not to say that a 'combat' blade has no place. Sorry David, I can't see light sabres ever being a reality Well, beyond my master-replicas version! Too much power needed, too many containment problems, too dangerous to the user etc. But I can see us developing technology that blurs the lines between organic and inorganic. Blades 'grown' with a cutting edge a few molecules thick (or a single molecule) that would be able to split anything they are used against with ease, and if they are chipped or damaged, 'healing' in their scabbards while not in use.