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


















wowzers
I'm sure the video is after some break, but this isn't the one.
Paul meant he will post the video when he is back from his um.. lunch (?) break I guess.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDyN2yux_NY
Those look like ordinary Zagis, with some interesting electronics added to the usual servos.
Launch all ZIG!!
Seriously though, this is extremely cool.
Go Zagi!
The ultimate remote-control airplane!
How about an Engadget givaway for one of those!!
man, one of these would make picking up weed much safer
...so would a teleporter.
You ever had a UAV deliver your weed? You ever had a UAV deliver your weed.... on weeeeed?
Yes! That would rule!
Did you ever see the guys who created a rocket to fire the crystal meth out of their car if they got pulled over?
Check it out:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Methrocket.jpg
Cool :)
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDyN2yux_NY
Now that is a great idea! Remote controlled delivery craft! Be excellent anywhere, for deliverying urgent packages across a city etc - as long as they had a built in parachute to deploy to ensure a 'soft' landing in the event of mechananical failure.
I seriously love this idea too. Even more than the cities, it's the back of the woods areas that aren't easily accessible by delivery trucks, or are simply too out of the way to keep on a standard mail route.
The antivenom actually stood out the most to me, since in places like Australia, the real danger isn't the bite itself, it's that if you're out in the middle of nowhere, it simply takes too long to get to a place for you to get treated.
I have one of these types of planes, and a 'mechanical failure' is called a deadstick in the RC world. And with this plane, it's pretty much non-existant. They are tough as hell and the way you land is just glide in and slide along the ground.
I don't think it's very diplomatic to fly these things over southern Africa, considering the fact that they they have on them the flag of England, their former colonial masters.
;-)
No, that is a red cross used to symbolise medics and medicine worldwide. St. Georges cross is rectangular, not square. I'd lay into you with an arsehole comment about your ignorance, but it is a Sunday.
Did you not see/understand this part of my comment ---> ;-)
Like drug dealers haven't been using those for years.....phhhhhht.
How much does your average water balloons weigh?
Water: Density 1g/cm^3 (4 °C)
500g/(1g/cm^3) = 500cm^3 = V
V = (1/3)*pi*r^3 => r = (3*V/pi)^(1/3)
r = (3*500cm^3/pi)^(1/3) ~ 7.8cm => 3.08in
d = 2*r = 2*3.08in = 6.15in
So this would carry a water balloon about 6.2 inches in diameter, or (skipping the math) two balloons about 2.4 inches in diameter.
Converted military UAVs? I say bull... these planes are simple R/C planes based on the popular Zagi design (www.zagi.com)
Do we really want to be trusting these days to fly biohazard such as HIV infected blood to be flying on their own over our heads.
Now we know how the G-virus gets loose in Africa, bring on the zombies!!