Raytheon deploying Android-powered RATS on battlefields in Afghanistan and Pakistan
by Tim Stevens 
posted Oct 21st 2009 at 8:51AM
uav posts
RED ONE mounted to UAV, flown around San Juan Island (Update: false alarm, it's a Panasonic)
by Joseph L. Flatley posted Aug 13th 2009 at 1:49PM
Update: As one of our colleagues (and a couple eagle-eyed readers) so graciously pointed out, the camera mounted to the helicopter has the tell-tale markings (peep the on-board mic) of a Panasonic HVX200. Thanks, kids!
[Via CNET]
DraganFlyer X4 UAV puts the camera where it needs to be, even when the floor is lava
by Joseph L. Flatley posted Aug 11th 2009 at 8:37PM
It's been a while since we've heard from Draganfly, a name familiar to connoisseurs of unmanned aerial photography. The company's latest outing, the DraganFlyer X4, is a four-rotor UAV that measures only 30.5-inches across and since it ships with your choice of either a Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX580, Watec WAT-902H2 Ultimate (for shooting in low light), FLIR Photon TAU (infrared), or the Highg Res 480 Board Camera (analog motion video with an 8GB DVR), we imagine that this thing ain't going to be cheap. That said, if you are a well-heeled creepy stalker, southern border vigilante, or even someone with legitimate military / industrial business, there are plenty of features to make it worth a second look, including: computerized stabilization, altitude hold (maintains its position in the air without user input), and an automatic landing feature that kicks in if the control link is lost. But most importantly for the airborne auteur, this guy sports a wireless video downlink that sends the viewfinder signal that can be displayed either on the device's handheld controller or a pair of video goggles, allowing real-time manipulation of zoom, tilt, and shutter settings. Get a closer look at the thing after the break.
AESIR's UFO-like UAV spotted above Wales, is ideal for your next Metal Gear Solid cosplay
by Tim Stevens posted Jul 29th 2009 at 9:42AM
[Via Danger Room]
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]
[Via Danger Room]
Boeing developing Phantom Ray fighter-sized combat UAV
by Nilay Patel posted May 10th 2009 at 8:36AM
[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.
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]
[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
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]
[Via Engadget Spanish]
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.
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
[Via Gearlog]
Coaster-sized origami-optics lens boosts focal length, shrinks photog egos
by Tim Stevens posted Sep 4th 2008 at 10:11AM
QinetiQ's Zephyr sets another unmanned solar plane flight record
by Paul Miller posted Aug 25th 2008 at 9:27AM
[Via USA TODAY]
