Core77

It's often the case that technology is developed by the military, then trickles down to consumers: Examples of this are heads-up displays, GPS, radar and its brother technology, gaydar.

Now it's the other way around: inexpensive digital camera technology has been co-opted by military engineering company Macroswiss, which has developed the Advanced Combat Camera System. The ACCS is something like a hi-tech periscope that helps soldiers see what's going on without getting directly in harm's way, using a zoom lens and thermal sensors.

The device is capable of recording video, and it's even got a somewhat silly-sounding military-style acronym: COAST, or Camera On A Stick. If this goes into widespread military use, soldiers, for better or worse, will be doing two types of shooting.