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]

[PS360WiiDsPCGamer @ Sep 14th 2008 8:42AM]

wowzers

[Ignatius @ Sep 14th 2008 8:47AM]

I'm sure the video is after some break, but this isn't the one.

[▀█▀ █ ▀█▀ ▄█▀ @ Sep 14th 2008 10:01AM]

Paul meant he will post the video when he is back from his um.. lunch (?) break I guess.

[Aguiluz @ Sep 14th 2008 10:36AM]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDyN2yux_NY

[EdZ @ Sep 14th 2008 9:29AM]

Those look like ordinary Zagis, with some interesting electronics added to the usual servos.

[B.C. @ Sep 15th 2008 12:03AM]

Launch all ZIG!!

Seriously though, this is extremely cool.

[John @ Sep 14th 2008 9:38AM]

Go Zagi!

[gad get @ Sep 14th 2008 9:46AM]

The ultimate remote-control airplane!

[sk2370 @ Sep 14th 2008 9:50AM]

How about an Engadget givaway for one of those!!

[acabtp @ Sep 14th 2008 9:52AM]

man, one of these would make picking up weed much safer

[Flashpoint @ Sep 14th 2008 11:06AM]

...so would a teleporter.

[TheJalAbides @ Sep 14th 2008 1:06PM]

You ever had a UAV deliver your weed? You ever had a UAV deliver your weed.... on weeeeed?

[alex @ Sep 14th 2008 2:54PM]

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

[Cybergypsy @ Sep 14th 2008 10:03AM]

Cool :)

[Mike @ Sep 14th 2008 10:43AM]

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDyN2yux_NY

[Wonderkid @ Sep 14th 2008 11:09AM]

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.

[Grey Acumen @ Sep 14th 2008 11:39AM]

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.

[Zelatio @ Sep 14th 2008 12:04PM]

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.

[Mario @ Sep 14th 2008 11:17AM]

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.

;-)

[Samboini @ Sep 14th 2008 11:22AM]

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.

[Mario @ Sep 14th 2008 11:52AM]

Did you not see/understand this part of my comment ---> ;-)

[Ran @ Sep 14th 2008 11:25AM]

Like drug dealers haven't been using those for years.....phhhhhht.

[zfurie @ Sep 14th 2008 11:29AM]

How much does your average water balloons weigh?

[▀█▀ █ ▀█▀ ▄█▀ @ Sep 14th 2008 12:22PM]

Water: Density 1g/cm^3 (4 °C)

[docarrol @ Sep 14th 2008 3:19PM]

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.

[martin @ Sep 14th 2008 3:16PM]

Converted military UAVs? I say bull... these planes are simple R/C planes based on the popular Zagi design (www.zagi.com)

[Aegis @ Sep 14th 2008 8:14PM]

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.

[Paranor @ Sep 15th 2008 4:57AM]

Now we know how the G-virus gets loose in Africa, bring on the zombies!!