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uav posts

DARPA contractor shows off tiny robo-hummingbird UAV

by Donald Melanson, posted Jul 2nd 2009 at 11:57PM

We've seen plenty of tiny UAVs (or NAVs -- Nano Aerial Vehicles -- as they're also known), but none quite like the robo-hummingbird that's been in development at DARPA-contractor AeroVironment for the past couple of years. While we haven't heard much about it during that time, the company recently completed its most advanced prototype to date, dubbed Mercury, and it's taken advantage of the opportunity to show off all the progress it has made. As you can see in the video after the break, the bot is able to fly about and hover in place by mimicking the wing movement of a real hummingbird and, of course, be controlled completely untethered. What's more, the firm says that the final version will actually look like a real hummingbird as well, and be able to be controlled from up to a kilometer away -- even inside buildings, where a hummingbird won't look at all out of place.

[Via Danger Room]

Continue reading DARPA contractor shows off tiny robo-hummingbird UAV

Boeing developing Phantom Ray fighter-sized combat UAV

by Nilay Patel, posted May 10th 2009 at 8:36AM

Boeing's Airborne Laser project might be on shaky ground as the Pentagon reassess its budget, but that isn't stopping the company from pushing the flying-death market forward -- its latest project is the fighter jet-sized Phantom Ray UAV. The unmanned combat plane is being built using tech from the X-45 experimental UAV (pictured above) developed for the DARPA-funded Joint-Unmanned Combat Air System, and it should be taking the first of 10 scheduled test flights relatively soon -- the first is penciled in for December 2010, just a few months before Skynet becomes self-aware and destroys humanity as we know it.

[Via Giz Mag]

Prox Dynamics' Black Hornet nano-copter gets demoed on video

by Donald Melanson, posted Apr 18th 2009 at 7:28AM

Prox Dynamics' PD-100 "Black Hornet" nano-copter has already gone through a number of different prototypes and test flights, but it looks like things have really started to come together with the last few models, and the company has taken advantage of the opportunity to show off their progress in a couple of videos. One of those shows a "simulated" indoor mission, in which the 15 gram copter scouts out a nondescript office building whilst some suitably dramatic music plays in the background. The other, slightly more interesting video demonstrates how the two latest models are able to handle themselves in flight, and hold up against some obstacles, like the always problematic flapping clip board. Head on past the break to check 'em out for yourselves, and hit up the link below for some more information about the copter itself. Oh, and watch the skies, people. Very, very closely.

Continue reading Prox Dynamics' Black Hornet nano-copter gets demoed on video

DARPA on the lookout for robotic 'power skin'

by Joseph L. Flatley, posted Apr 9th 2009 at 8:16PM

DARPA has put out an RFI for something called Power Skin. The technology is conceived as a structural material that would provide "its own day and night power... to be used as an independent power source and, simultaneously, serve as the structural material" for robots (see our conceptual rendering above) and unmanned aerial vehicles. Ultimately, the military-industrial complex would like to see you develop something that would allow the aforementioned UAVs "indefinite flight endurance," although they'd be totally into it if you could demonstrate continuous flight for a mere four days. We're fairly certain that some of our more clever readers have already developed this technology, so why don't you hit the read link and see if you can't make a few bucks off it? Tell 'em Engadget sent you.

[Via The Register]

First shot fired in war of robots vs humans with lasers, we're winning so far

by Paul Miller, posted Jan 26th 2009 at 5:32PM

Boeing just announced a (public) first: they shot a UAV out of the sky using the Laser Avenger (an aptly-titled Humvee-mounted laser), the first time a combat vehicle has used such a weapon to knock a flying robot out of the sky. Naturally, the report is short on details, but they did say that they managed to burn a hole in the enemy, quite the feat for a moving target. Of course, once the robots get lasers, we're all done for.

LP960 UAV flies around, shoots high def photographs, video of its journey

by Laura June, posted Jan 26th 2009 at 10:57AM

We've seen drones that do all kinds of things, but this one is on the special side. Lehman Aviation's just debuted its LP960 UAV -- a winged flyer that's just over three feet long, weighing under two pounds. The bot is equipped with a 10 megapixel camera, and its job is to zoom around snapping high resolution aeriel photographs and video of the area, while being controlled remotely. The man on the ground pulling the strings can also see what it looks like up above, making adjustments to the flight path accordingly. Check the video ater the break for a demo of the bird, and some examples of its work -- plus a stunning, moody soundtrack to boot. Oh, and if you were wondering, the LP 960 is priced at around $17,000.

[Via Engadget Spanish]

Continue reading LP960 UAV flies around, shoots high def photographs, video of its journey

Blade CX2 UAV flies for six glorious seconds, crashes

by Laura June, posted Dec 12th 2008 at 12:20AM

Sure, there are plenty of wacky and awesome UAVs out there, but this one, the Blade CX2, or "Wash UAV" is quite charming in all of its wires-hanging-out glory. It's a complex little machine, too. Built using an Arduino Mini, ultrasonic sensors, and a compass module, the vehicle is able to fly autonomously and sense things like walls and the floor. Its flight is short-lived -- just six seconds -- but the video is rife with riveting commentary explaining how various parts of the Blade function, so check it out after the break.

Continue reading Blade CX2 UAV flies for six glorious seconds, crashes

DARPA contract shines light on real-time video spying initiatives

by Darren Murph, posted Oct 21st 2008 at 8:45AM

Only the ignorant and the uninformed would assume that DARPA has never, ever dabbled in any kind of surveillance that wasn't questionable on some level, but a recent contract awarded to Kitware gives us a better idea of just how deep the rabbit hole has gotten. The $6.7 million deal seeks to create a system whereby DARPA can "monitor live video feeds and search large volumes of archived video data for activities of interest," with the point being to match up similar events from past and present in order to prevent an attack, foreshadow a certain event or discover some sort of terrorist trademark. As of now, we're simply informed of the video spying in areas of Iraq and Afghanistan, but given that the capabilities are already here, it could be enacted wherever the government could place a camera-toting manned or unmanned aerial vehicle. Look up and give the friendly skies a wave, won't you? Just don't do anything "suspicious."

[Via Slashdot, image courtesy of PointNiner]

Robo-spyplanes put to more altruistic use, still keeping a loose eye on your shenanigans

by Paul Miller, posted Sep 14th 2008 at 8:33AM

Those pesky spyplanes, always catching you in the act. Denel Dynamics built these two GPS-guided robot snoopers for the military, but it turns out they're well-suited to the world of rural medicine. They're being prepped for use by clinics in South Africa as carrier pigeons of sorts, taking medical samples from remote areas to labs for testing, or ferrying antivenom to snake bite victims. The mini-UAVs can carry a 500-gram payload through a stiff wind, and can land at a predetermined spot on auto-pilot or manually. We want one. You know... for, um, to do other good things for humanity. Video is after the break.

[Via Gearlog]

Coaster-sized origami-optics lens boosts focal length, shrinks photog egos

by Tim Stevens, posted Sep 4th 2008 at 10:11AM

Sports photogs aren't compensating for something by swinging gigantic, monopod-mounted lenses; they need the focal length. Focusing and zooming on outfielders usually means glass far from the camera body, but not so when using so-called "origami optics," flat lenses being researched at UCSD Jacobs School of Engineering that use internal reflection to achieve long focal lengths. Only the outer ring actually captures the image, while the others bounce it around before depositing light onto the film or sensor. The military is sponsoring this research, wanting better eyes on its UAVs, and we're hoping for improved optics in our gadgets -- though we were equally jazzed about liquid lenses, and those haven't exactly revolutionized mobile photography yet. A snooze-inducing Engineering TV clip after the break explains it all in more detail, so don't click on until you've had your morning cuppa -- or two.

Continue reading Coaster-sized origami-optics lens boosts focal length, shrinks photog egos

QinetiQ's Zephyr sets another unmanned solar plane flight record

by Paul Miller, posted Aug 25th 2008 at 9:27AM

QinetiQ just (unofficially) smashed the record for an unmanned flight by a solar airplane, sending its Zephyr craft into the air for a staggering 83 hours and 37 minutes, more than double the official record by "Global Hawk" in 2001, and a good margin more than its last flight. The plane was guided by autopilot and satellites to a height of 60,000 feet, and powers off the sun during the day, prepping its rechargeable lithium-sulphur batteries for the night. Zephyr is being built for reconnaissance, communications and unofficially setting really bad-ass flight records.

[Via USA TODAY]

BAE's GA22 unmanned blimp makes its debut, we love blimps

by Joshua Fruhlinger, posted Jul 15th 2008 at 1:46AM

We're not sure what's going on here, but we're not going to complain: Blimps are making a comeback. There are powerful hauling blimps, sure, but BAE is hopping on the autonomous systems bandwagon with its nimble GA22. The 22-meter (72 feet) dirigible is meant to carry high-tech surveillance equipment weighing up to 330 pounds at an altitude around 6,500 feet. The unmanned craft could also be used for sporting events, floods, and forest fires, says BAE. Right now the vehicle is radio-controlled but the ultimate release will be completely autonomous. Unfortunately, this means we can't take a ride, but, as we said, it's still a blimp, and blimps are just straight-up cool.

[Via Danger Room]

Frontline Aerospace shows off "Humvee of the air"

by Donald Melanson, posted Jun 16th 2008 at 3:03PM

While it looks like it's still quite a ways from actually being in the air, Frontline Aerospace nonetheless seems to have some pretty bold ambitions for its V-STAR unmanned aerial vehicle, which it has dubbed the "Humvee of the air." Like some of the flying car concepts we've seen, the V-STAR (or VTOL-Swift Tactical Aerial Resource) uses a ducted fan design, which promises to give it increased maneuverability in addition to vertical take off and landings, while dual Rolls-Royce Model 250 gas turbines help to propel it along at speeds up to 288 knots with a 400-pound payload. As you might have guessed, the company isn't making any promises as to when we can expect the first test flight, although they have apparently at least done some wind-tunnel tests (presumably on a scale model).

[Via The Register]

DARPA's Nano Air Vehicle program puts UAVs on a diet

by Darren Murph, posted Jun 5th 2008 at 4:56AM

It's not like DARPA hasn't been trying to miniaturize unmanned aerial vehicles already, but its Nano Air Vehicle program is yet another attempt to find tiny, ultra-lightweight devices that could theoretically "perform indoor and outdoor military missions." More specifically, it's looking for something less than 7.5-centimeters and under 10-grams, and the overriding goal is to "explore novel, bio-inspired, conventional and unconventional configurations to provide the warfighter with unprecedented capability for urban mission operations." Reportedly, AeroVironment already has an idea in mind for such a drone (pictured), but as these type things always go, we've no idea how soon we'll see critters like these take to the skies with a thumb-sized American flag plastered on the side.

[Via BoingBoing]

Engineer aims to create plasma-powered micro air vehicle

by Darren Murph, posted May 9th 2008 at 12:20AM

Watch out, battery-powered MAVs -- your viability could be seriously in danger. Based on a patent application from University of Florida aerospace engineer Subrata Roy, he's reckoning that a micro air vehicle could be propelled by plasma. Scientists have known that passing a current or magnetic field through a conducting fluid generates a force, but exploiting it for use in moving an aircraft has proven futile thus far. The phenomenon, simply known as magnetohydrodynamics, has typically been tested on larger crafts, but Mr. Roy's invention would boast a wingspan of less than 15-centimeters and resemble a flying saucer more so than a 747. Of course, this fantastic idea has yet to become much more than just that, but for armed forces and entities obsessed with surveillance, this could undoubtedly be big.