Wi-fi minefield system deployed

THE US army is laying smart wi-fi mines which can be controlled by a soldier armed only with a laptop.

According to Associated Press, the US Army 1st Battalion, 24th Infantry regiment Stryker Brigade, is laying the mines in the northern city of Mosul, in Iraq.

Dubbed the Matrix, after the movie, to make them seem hi-tech and more popularly accessible, the big idea is that they can do away with the accidental deaths and maimings caused by the not-so-smart mines. Such killings are a bit of a nightmare on the PR front and usually end up with famous blonde member of royalty speaking up against them.

Human rights groups are not big fans of the Matrix . According to groups who spoke to CNN, the problem is that a soldier presses a button when ever he sees a blip on the screen of his laptop. There are no guarantees that they will see the target and it still could be a civilian.

The fact that the Pentagon is not saying much about how the Matrix works is also not easing anyone's concerns. There is also a fear that the wi-fi connection could be easily triggered by radio interference.

There's more at CNN, here. µ