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mctowalot wrote:Mini Bolo projectile

Not new, just not common. I remember reading about these in the 90's for 40mm launchers. That is, if by mini-bolo you mean a round with three balls connected by string/wire. I can't remember the company name that specialized in less lethal ammo for police right now, but I will try to find it and post a link.

I predict that the near future will involve advances in ammunition. There is still work to be done with caseless ammo. Bullet design also allows for more refinement. The military just announced a very interesting advance on explosive ammo that was written up as science fiction only 20 years ago. The rifle has a laser designator/sensor built in and can set the round to explode in an airburst at a certain distance. It will take out the bad guy who is hiding behind a wall of something that conventional ammo cannot get to. Look for this to get further refined, IMO.

I also expect more less lethal rounds, like the Taser shotgun round. Lots of work in that are going on to help police and military. I don't see it helping us much (nor the explosive round before someone asks).

The area I would be investing in if I had money would be in ammo. I would look for new powders to be developed that are much more efficient (higher velocities at lower pressures in current calibers) and new ignition systems. I remember reading about an electronic ignition rifle and I think they would still be working on things like that. Currently available ammo with maybe a new primer, and the rifle would not have a trigger mechanism. Instead of a trigger and a falling hammer, press a trigger button and a capacitor releases a charge to ignite the round. Lock time in the milli-seconds and no moving parts affecting your aim.

Much longer term vision is for all sorts of new energy weapons - lasers, phasers, blasters, or whatever - even light sabers. After all, a Taser is just an energy gun instead of a slug thrower. It has wires and all right now, but it won't always. The military has experimented with lasers as weapons. It has used large ones but small ones are just a technology refinement. The potential weapon use is to have the laser drill a hole in the enemy, or possibly move it to start slicing. So far the problem is a combination of the man portable power pack not existing and the laser not having the power necessary. But those are small problems compared to the invention of the laser to begin with.

And before anyone things that all of this is too fantastic, remember that quite a few things we use in everyday life and society now were written up in science fiction books much earlier. This include airplanes, helicopters, rockets to the moon, waterbeds, and remote hands (waldoes). All it takes is one guy to read a story and ask himself why not, and pretty soon you have a new invention. After that, it is just refinement to get it marketable.