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garymortimer writes:
Scientists in the US have created a robot the size of a fly that is able to perform the agile manoeuvres of the ubiquitous insects.
This “robo-fly”, built from carbon fibre, weighs a fraction of a gram and has super-fast electronic “muscles” to power its wings.
Its Harvard University developers say tiny robots like theirs may eventually be used in rescue operations.
46056761
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garymortimer writes:
MARION, Ohio — A 7-pound remote control helicopter got stuck in the arms of a statue atop of the Marion County Courthouse.
The Marion Star reported that Terry Cline, an independent visual communications producer, director and writer, was flying the camera-equipped drone to take pictures of the Marion County Courthouse for a special project.
He told the paper that the drone caught a breeze and lost control.
“I’m amazed it ended up where it is,” he told the Marion Star.
Marion officials said they were leaving it up to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office as to how to get the drone down.
45976785
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garymortimer writes:
InvisiTower, the world’s first tethered vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft system powered by laser over optical fiber. The new, portable system can power any multi-rotor helicopter indefinitely using laser power sent via fiber optic cable, enabling aircraft to stay in the air as long as power is available on the ground.
45891697
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garymortimer writes:
Some impressive mountain flying skills from this helicopter pilot who for $800 drops off an FPV pilot to pick up his $2500 model aircraft. All in postcard pretty Swiss scenery. First person view flying is one of the fastest growing areas of model aircraft flight.
The airframe has a camera attached and the video feed is relayed to either a monitor or goggles. On screen displays (OSD) overlay information on that display tell the pilot how far, high and how much power he has remaining. To a degree it mimics flying a real aircraft. One proponent even getting out as far as 100km a 200km round trip! A flight just shy of 5 hours in length all for a motor run of a minute. If nothing else it demonstrates the untapped potential of soaring UA. Something sUAS News hall of fame personality Dan Strider knows all about.
45747779
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garymortimer writes:
Jason proposes to his girlfriend Christina at Alamo Square park in San Francisco on April 7th 2013. Jason told Christina that he wanted to take some photos of her in the park. During the photo session the engagement ring flies in on top of a small GPS equipped multirotor and he proposes to her on the spot.
45653453
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garymortimer writes:
Not many garages would work with Hyundai’s hexadecagon. Showcasing at the 2013 IDEAs festival, the manned 16 rotored multirotor looks rather dodgy! Well done to them though for making it fly.
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garymortimer writes:
From the, these flying robots are getting everywhere department.
We are excited to announce the Fighting Walrus fully-integrated RTF airframe! This ready-to-fly airframe incorporates the features what our customers wanted most:
1. Streaming 1080p video
2. Manual control with the iOS device
3. Low cost Ready-To-Fly kits
The RTF Airframe will integrate with the Fighting Walrus Radio to enable an unparalleled ground station experience. Video streams from the drone are geo-encoded and embedded into the iOS application, allowing users to monitor drone orientation and position while watching the video stream.
The Fighting Walrus Radio integration will also bring Assisted GPS capability using eRide GPS. Using Assisted GPS enables fast first position fixes, spoofing protection, and maximum performance in difficult GPS environments.
45473783
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garymortimer writes:
A scuba diver has told how he recovered vital footage of the new series of The X Factor after answering an SOS call from producers to retrieve a video camera from the Thames.
John Forbath was called in after a remote-controlled helicam malfunctioned as it filmed hopefuls queuing to audition for the hit ITV talent show at the ExCeL centre in Docklands. The helicam was deliberately crashed into the water to avoid injuring those in the queue.
45347069
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garymortimer writes:
Is this the sort of thing Eric Schmidt is worried about I wonder.
SHEPHERD-MIL, a UAV which looks like a native bird with the same flight performance, will be featured. This UAV is characterized by the glide-ratio and noiseless motor that make it invisible, silent and unobtrusive in sensitive missions
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garymortimer writes:
One wonders what Eric Schmidt’s opinion is of the Google staff that we know using the technology. Perhaps the technology is just dandy in their hands? The issue of regulation does need to be addressed in the USA. As ever though the shuffling of chairs and meetings to organize meetings seem to top of the agenda for the FAA.
The influential head of Google, Eric Schmidt, has called for civilian drone technology to be regulated, warning about privacy and security concerns. Cheap miniature versions of the unmanned aircraft used by militaries could fall into the wrong hands, he told the UK’s Guardian newspaper.
45205993
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garymortimer writes:
French manufacturers of the worlds most popular drone have plainly run into problems.
They issued a statement yesterday:-
AR.Freeflight 2.2 was removed from iTunes last month due to the need for patents’ clarification on accelerometer and absolute control. In the meantime, we have enriched AR.Race2 App (version 2.2) with a free piloting mode in order for our customers using iOS devices to continue enjoying flying the AR.Drone. We’ll keep you updated. Sincerely, Parrot Team
Its not noted if the patent issue affects the Android version of its software which was behind its iOS version anyway. Back in 2010 I thought that Apples TOS 4.2 changes might push the platform towards Android.
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garymortimer writes:
With 14 Megapixel images and HD recording out of the box. Hard one to match at the minute.
The PHANTOM Vision is the only quadcopter on the market to offer professional-level multi-rotor flight control technology, an intelligent GPS-based autopilot system, an integrated HD camera and an iOS app for full camera control. The PHANTOM Vision also comes with a remote control unit containing pre-programmed autopilot parameters allowing pilots to switch between different flight modes to achieve particular flight experiences. Also incorporated are safety parameters, such as a failsafe feature that will bring the PHANTOM Vision back to its take-off point and land itself if it loses signal from the remote control unit for any reason.
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garymortimer writes:
NASA Earth science researchers last month traveled to Turrialba Volcano, near San Jose, Costa Rica, to fly a Dragon Eye unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) — a small electric aircraft equipped with cameras and sensors — into the volcano’s sulfur dioxide plume and over its summit crater, to study Turrialba’s chemical environment. The project is designed to improve the remote-sensing capability of satellites and computer models of volcanic activity.
