Technabob » flying

Robot Bird Perches on a Human Hand

Conner Flynn — Fri, 18 May 2012 17:00:05 +0000

If a bird in hand is worth two in the bush, what is a robot bird in the hand worth? I have no idea, but this is a robotic bird that is not only capable of flight, but it can also land on a human hand. I guess falconry has just come into the 21st century.

This robot was developed by a team at the University of Illinois Aerospace Robotics and Control Laboratory. It is based on an articulated-wing-based concept for an agile robotic aircraft that is modeled after actual birds. The ability to perch on a hand is important because – as the team behind this bird point out, “…of all maneuvers executed by flapping wing aircraft in a gliding phase, a perched landing is arguably the most challenging.”

So now we have a robot bird that can perch on a hand. Are we in for a future full of Kings and Lords who practice falconry with robot versions as they laugh and proclaim it all to be jolly good? Well, not really. The ultimate goal for these robot birds is for surveillance.

[via Ubergizmo]

Tanooki Mario Plush Flies into Our Hearts, and onto Our Couches

Technabob — Sun, 13 May 2012 17:00:29 +0000

If you’re looking for the perfect accessory for your game room, look no further than this excellent plush version of Mario, dressed up in his famous flying raccoon Tanooki suit.

He doesn’t actually fly, but this newly available import from Sanei comes in two sizes, and will look great hanging out on your couch next to you as you play your favorite Super Mario game on your Nintendo console. I’ll let you in on a little secret, though. He’ll sit there and tolerate it while you play Modern Warfare 3 or even Skyrim if that’s your game of choice. Mario’s a pretty flexible guy.

If you want a plush Tanooki Mario to be a couch potato with you, head on over to NCSX, where you can order him in small for $39.90 and in medium for $58.90. Sorry, I have no idea how big “small” or “medium” is.

Mythical Beast Flies, Breathes Fire

Conner Flynn — Tue, 01 May 2012 22:00:17 +0000

If you look up in the sky and see a dragon, chances are you either had too much to drink, or you are seeing Rick Hamel’s amazing R/C creation, which is an actual flying dragon that breaths fire. It is called Mythical Beast, and it is just that.

This dragon measures over 7 feet-long and would scare the bejesus out of some unsuspecting Renaissance fair types (I would actually very much like to see that.) It’s powered by a Jetcat P80 Kerostart turbine and has a wing span of 9 feet, so you definitely will notice when this thing flies overhead. Liquid propane and a stun gun circuit are all that is needed for the pyrotechnics, which look really good coming out of the creature’s mouth.

Too bad its wings don’t flap though. The Mythical Beast won Best of Show at the Weak Signal R/C event in Toledo a few weeks ago. Too bad we can’t just go to the store and buy one of these ourselves.

[via Hobby Media via Boing Boing]

Flexrotor UAV Takes off Like a Helicopter, Flies Like an Airplane

Shane McGlaun — Tue, 01 May 2012 20:00:15 +0000

The military in the United States and other militaries around the world are making heavy use of unmanned aerial vehicles these days. UAVs are being used for many reasons with one of the main reasons being that a UAV allows aircraft to be put into action without a pilot being placed in danger. Many of the UAVs are small and portable so soldiers in the field can deploy them to gather intelligence.

Most the UAVs we have take off and land like a normal airplanes. The Office of Naval Research has been sponsoring another UAV program called Flexrotor that is nothing like a conventional drone. The Flexrotor is a UAV that takes off and lands vertically like a helicopter, but transitions to horizontal flight of a fixed wing aircraft for cruising distance and speed.

Development of the Flexrotor entered its second stage, in which participating companies are working on the ability for the aircraft take off, land, and transition to horizontal flight in strong winds. This stage of the program will also see work continue on the automated maintenance system. The system will be able to take care of the maintenance of the aircraft such as refueling without any input from maintenance personnel, and will act as launch and landing pad.

[via Phys.org]

Angry Birds R/C Helicopter: No Catapult Required

Technabob — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 20:30:34 +0000

While I really don’t think we need any more Angry Birds merchandise, I have to say this is one of the better product tie-ins I’ve seen so far. What we’ve got here is the Angry Birds Helicopter, which actually lets you practice flying your bird with a remote control.

This rather silly looking Angry Birds Helicopter comes with a wireless remote, which offers a range of up to about 30 to 45 feet, and a flying time of 8 to 10 minutes on a 40 minute charge. While the red bird has been much improved in Angry Birds Space, I still don’t think he could pull off moves like these when being flung from a catapult:

Take that green ~~pigs~~ cups! The Angry Birds Helicopter is available now from iHelicopters.net for $49.95 (USD). Eggs not included.

Missile-Firing Griffin Helo TC Assault Copter Flies Skyward

Shane McGlaun — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 17:00:07 +0000

Griffin has been selling some interesting little remote control helicopters for a while. The little helicopters are controlled by iOS devices such as an iPhone or an iPad. I’ve used them before and I can say that they can be difficult to control. There is something appealing about flying toys that can put out your eye and chop off your finger at the same time. Actually, you’d have to try pretty hard to cause such a serious injury with one of these.

The latest helicopter launching from the company is called the Helo TC Assault and it looks like a small Apache helicopter with red missiles on each side. You control the helicopter using the app and can fire the missiles at the press of a button. That app allows you have touch to steer or till to steer controls. You can also record and store three flight plans to make it route around obstacles automatically.

Griffin even offers downloadable accessories that you can print to give yourself something to fire at when you play. The Helo TC Assault helicopter is available right now for $59.99(USD).

Bird Man Video Maker Admits It Was Fake

Shane McGlaun — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 22:30:47 +0000

I want to get this off my chest off the top: You bird man, you bastard you! Now that that is out of the way, Dutch filmmaker and animator Floris Kaayk has admitted that video that went viral earlier this week of a man claiming to fly with bird-like wings was a fake. The man doesn’t call it a lie or fake but rather “a media art project” and he worked on it with a media production company called Revolver.

The filmmakers came clean on the Dutch TV show called Wereld Draait Door. The video was very well made and the video makers even set up social networking background for the fake wing builder, Jarno Smeets. The fakers set up Facebook, twitter, and LinkedIn accounts for Smeets – all in an attempt to lend more credibility to the video, and it worked very well.

I can’t say that I’m surprised the video was fake. After all, the segment in which he was flying in the air looked pretty unreal. I can’t say that I’m not disappointed it’s fake though. I really wanted it to be possible. What do you think about videos like this that go to extremes to convince people they are real, only to come back later and say “haha, fooled you?” Fun and games, or lying bastards?

[via Fox News]

TacoCopter to Use Quadrotors to Offer Flying Taco Delivery?

Conner Flynn — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 17:30:29 +0000

Quadrocopters have been used for all kinds of cool things, but the best may be yet to come. Now keep in mind that this may be a hoax, but it is an awesome premise. According to one report, flying quadrotors may soon be used to deliver tacos.

The TacoCopter service would allow you to order a fresh taco via your smartphone and have it delivered straight to you via GPS and an app on your smartphone. There isn’t much detail, but it seems suspicious since the TacoCopter is only available through a private beta, and only serving the San Francisco Bay Area.

I’m sure it’s a hoax since the batteries on these things allow them to fly for only a short time. Never mind that it’s only a week until April Fools Day. Then again, they might be taking a gamble and are hoping that this service really “takes off.” I would order food by quadcopter in a heartbeat if they delivered in my neighborhood.

[via Geek]

Bird Man Flies with Homemade Wings?

Shane McGlaun — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 16:30:45 +0000

Jarno Smeets is either one bad-ass geek or a bold-faced liar. This dude appears to have created one of my lifelong dreams using kite fabric and engineering prowess. Smeets has built for himself and one pair of flapping wings that apparently allow him to actually fly like a bird. I say “apparently” because I can’t decide if I’m just so shocked to see this actually work that my brain is telling me it’s impossible, or if the video was doctored somehow.

This clip shows Smeets wearing a wing contraption and running through the park flapping and then taking to the sky. Smeets and his pals claim to have created the 40 pound wings and covered them carefully in kite fabric. You can see in the video that Smeets is flapping his arms like a bird. The controls are supposedly a pair of Wii remotes and the wings flap automatically mimicking his motions while holding the Wii controllers.

Smeets says he was inspired by several things including an albatross bird, Leonardo da Vinci sketches, and engineering sketches his grandfather made of a flying bicycle. The man also had help from neuromechanics expert Bert Otten and the wings used some design tips from robotic prosthetics that help those that have lost limbs regain mobility.

All I can say is check out the video and let me know if you think it’s real or fake. Here’s hoping he doesn’t fly too close to the sun. Unless it’s fake. Then let him burn.

[via Wired]

FAA Promises a “Fresh Look” at Gadget Use on Flights

Shane McGlaun — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 21:00:06 +0000

The FAA cleared the iPad and other devices for use in cockpits of commercial aircraft by pilots late last year. The approval was made to reduce the load on pilot by allowing them to have digital copies of charts and flight manuals rather than roughly 30 pounds of books with them every flight. While pilots were allowed to use the iPad in all aspects of flight, passengers were still denied the ability to use gadgets during taxi, takeoff, and landing.

Passengers have been allowed to use most types of gadgets when the aircraft reaches 10,000 feet for a long time – and some flights already offer Wi-Fi service too. The FAA has now promised to take a “fresh look” at allowing passengers to use some of their gadgets (such as tablets and e-Readers) during other aspects of flight. The tip comes from FAA Deputy Assistant Administrator for Public Affairs Laura J Brown. I think it’s about time the FAA allowed broader use of certain gadgets, we all know they don’t affect avionics in any meaningful way.

Apparently, the FAA is still not considering allowing the use of smartphones on flights. I don’t mind not being able to use mobile phones during flights, I can only imagine how annoying it would be to have people around you talking constantly.

[via NYT]

Back to the Future Flying DeLorean Quadrotor: Shut Up and Take My Money!

Technabob — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 21:56:41 +0000

I just recently ordered myself one of those AR.Drone 2.0 quadrotors to play with, but now that I’ve seen this thing I’m totally jealous. What you’re looking at here isn’t a scene from a movie, it’s a totally custom-built flying quadrocopter built to look like Doc Brown’s DeLorean from Back to the Future.

This thing looks exactly like Doc’s ride from the movie, and can hover off the ground quite well, despite the uneven weight distribution of the car body. Clearly, where it’s going, it doesn’t need roads.

And not only does it fly, but it looks awesome, with those LED headlights and taillights, body details and glowing wheels. It’s even got a tiny little Mr. Fusion on the back – though it gets its power from a Lithium Polymer battery. There’s not a lot of details on the thing, other than the fact that its stabilization control is powered by MultiWii, a HobbyKing 12A BlueSeries speed controller, and a batch of Turnigy 2204-14T motors for the engines.

Pictures can’t do it justice, and you really need to see this thing in flight:

Pretty awesome, no? I’ll even forgive him the misspelling of “DeLorian.” I only wish you could walk into a store and buy one of these off the shelf. They’d sell millions. Maybe I can figure out a way to mod a shell for my AR.Dron, but I don’t quite have the model-building skills of the guy who built this.

[via Prosthetic Knowledge via Polkarobot]

Transition Flying Car to Be on Hand at New York Auto Show

Shane McGlaun — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 22:00:28 +0000

I don’t know if you remember the toys or the cartoon from back in the 1980s called MASK. That was one my favorite shows and had a bunch of the toys that were cars, trucks, and motorcycles that turned into other things. My favorite was a motorcycle that turned into a helicopter. Ever since I saw flying car in one of those old James Bond flicks as a kid, I have wanted one.

Terrafugia has been working on a street legal aircraft called Transition that will make its auto show debut in New York between April 6th and 15th, 2012. Granted it’s not a motorcycle turns into a helicopter, but it’s probably as close as I’ll ever get.

The Transition is a sub-compact car that has folding wings and is small enough to fit inside most garages. The aircraft has been seen at air shows in the past, but the New York International Auto Show will be its first car show appearance. At the show, visitors will be able to see video of the car on the streets and in the air. The company will also be showing off wing folding demonstrations – but naturally won’t be flying it around the Javits Center.

I’m no pilot so I can’t say for sure, but those wings sure seem to be close to the ground when you’re coming in for a landing. If any of you are pilots, let me know if wings that close to the ground could prove hazardous during landings. The Transition is expected to sell for about $275,000 and the version that the auto show will be a production prototype.

[via PCMag]

Quadrotors Play the James Bond Theme Song

Conner Flynn — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 18:00:06 +0000

It seems that quadrocopters can do just about anything. Like the other robots, they are busy taking our jobs. In this case, they are getting ready to put conductors and orchestras out of business. They’ve hijacked the James Bond theme and have Moneypenny and Q tied up in the back!

The fun began when students from Pennsylvania’s School of Engineering and Applied Science GRASP labs discovered that they could make these flying things play music. They set up some instruments and let the quadrocopters loose to perform the James Bond theme. These copters are controlled by a computer programmed with instructions to fly to the proper instruments and play them, and it’s pretty amazing to watch:

Thankfully none of the ‘bots fires at your screen in the end making it go blood red. That would be bad.

[UPenn via io9]

AR.Drone 2.0 Pre-Orders Start Today

Shane McGlaun — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 14:00:33 +0000

If you’re a fan of flying remote control toys, I bet you remember the original AR.Drone. Parrot has a new version of the AR.Drone that will launch soon called the AR.Drone 2.0. It looks very similar to the original with a few notable exceptions such as the addition of a 720p video camera, improved flying precision and increased altitude limits.

Version 2.0 is still controlled using the iPhone, iPad, or Android devices using a companion app. It includes the quadrotor AR.Drone 2.0 device, an indoor hull, an outdoor hull, charger, and the battery. The battery is a lithium polymer unit, and the AR.Drone 2.0 can use the battery from the original if you have it.

The AR.Drone 2.0 has an improved stabilization system that makes it even easier to control than the original, and even has a single button “flip” control. It records photo and video and stores the media directly to your control device, and the video camera can be used as a FPV controller so you can see exactly where you’re flying. Flying range is about 165 feet, which isn’t too shabby, but you won’t be pulling of mile long journeys unless you chase along with it.

U.S. pre-orders started today over at Brookstone for $299.99, and the AR.Drone 2.0 ships on April 9, 2012. UK and Europe should be getting theirs soon – you’ll need to check Parrot’s website for more info.

[UPDATE 3/8/2012: Brookstone has informed us that the April batch is now sold out, but they are taking orders for three colors of AR.Drone 2.0 for early May delivery.]

Record for Longest Paper Airplane Thrown, Now Held by a Quarterback

Conner Flynn — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 22:00:07 +0000

How far can you throw a paper airplane? Not very far I’m guessing. At least not compared to this guy. You have to throw it just right. Too hard and it takes a nosedive, too light and it doesn’t go anywhere. And it’s not just about the design of the airplane. It takes a quarterback’s arm to break the record for throwing a paper airplane and one has done just that.

I had no idea that the Guinness Book of World Records even had a record for the longest paper airplane flight. Then again, I always thought it was about the quality of the airplane, but now I realize that launch power is definitely part of the equation.

The guy who just broke the previous record by 19 feet and 6 inches is a former quarterback. Joe Ayoob threw his airplane 226 feet and 10 inches last Sunday in an airport hanger at McClellan Air Force Base. The previous record was 207 feet, 4 inches. I guess this proves that quarterbacks can throw just anything like a pro.

Of course, you could always cheat if you want to beat his record.

[GrindTV via Obvious Winner via Geekosystem]

Mobee Robot Bees to Patrol the Skies of Our Nightmares

Conner Flynn — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 01:00:29 +0000

Robot bees are the real threat to humanity because they could potentially sting you dead and just fly off to find their next victim. If that happens you can thank the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) for their creation, the Mobee.

These robotic insects can fly and behave autonomously as a colony. They are about the size of a quarter and 2.4 millimeters tall, but they are complex machines made from carbon fiber, Kapton (a plastic film), titanium, brass, ceramic, and adhesive sheets laminated together in a complicated laser-cut design. Oh and like a pop-up book, they can instantly assemble. Are you creeped out yet?

You’ll have to watch the skies more then ever and listen for any buzzing or whizzing nearby. If anything comes near you. Kill it. Just kill it. Better safe than sorry. Maybe we should all wear beekeepers gear.

[via Science Daily via Geeks Are Sexy]

Nano-Quadrotor Swarm: Galaxian IRL

Technabob — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 02:31:12 +0000

There’s just something inherently cool about flying quadrotors. But I have to say this is the first time I’ve seen this many of the crafts flying in unison. Using a veritable army of flying nano-quadrotors from KMel Robotics, Alex Kushleyev, Daniel Mellinger and Vijay Kumar of the University of Pennsylvania’s GRASP Lab sent a team of tightly-coordinated to the skies in their lab.

Each precision flying ‘bot is capable of perfectly balancing itself, but their true power is in their ability to fly in formations, and even adjust to new 3-dimensional patterns on the fly and avoid obstacles autonomously. But enough talk – seeing 20 of these nano-quadrotors in action it is truly a sight to behold:

The way they all buzz around together, they’re reminiscent of an 1980s arcade shooter, aren’t they? I’m totally thinking Galaxian or Galaga. While each one is small enough to fit in the palm of your hand, I still wouldn’t want to run into this swarm in a dark alley. There is serious power in numbers. We can only hope they don’t start adding weapons to them any time soon – and they don’t connect to Skynet.

Swann Unveils New RC Helicopters with Camera on Board

Shane McGlaun — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 22:00:04 +0000

I have spent my share of time flying around the Swann original quad copters, and they are a ton of fun. The little helicopters are made for flying indoors and are small enough that you can have fun even in a small apartment. Swann has announced a new line of toy helicopters with two that have cameras on board, and one that has the ability to be controlled from an iOS device.

The i-Fly Micro Lightning helicopter comes with an IR remote adapter that you can plug into your iOS device to control the copter using the iFly iOS app. It has eight minutes of flight per charge and can be controlled with up/down, left/right, and front/back movements. It can also be controlled using an included infrared remote. The i-Fly copter sells for $69.99 (USD).

The Sky Eye and the Black Swann both use 27MHz RF tech and are good for 110-feet of range. They have integrated cameras that can shoot video and still shots with a button press as well. The Black Swann has a microSD card slot for expanded storage and the Sky Eye has 512MB of internal storage. Each camera copter sells for $99.99, and should be available in stores soon.

[Press Release]

Fly Your AR.Drone with a Game Controller and Spy on Neighbors More Precisely

Range — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 19:00:53 +0000

When the Parrot AR.Drone was released, it was supposed to be piloted from an iPhone or Android smartphone. However, that didn’t gel with some users since it’s not as precise as they’d like. Serious AR.Drone geeks have thought about using a game controller from their favorite video game, or even better, a flight-simulator joystick, and have put together various hacks to make this happen.

Logic Consulting has released a simple way for non-hackers to try this thanks to their Drone Station app for Mac. Simply install the app, connect a joystick, and you can control your AR.Drone from your laptop or desktop Mac. It works with a wide variety of game controllers including those from the PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii too.

The higher signal strength of the Wi-Fi from a computer versus the one from an iPhone allows the pilot to control the drone over greater distances. There’s app also provides supplemental info on screen, such as altitude, attitude, direction, and battery gauges.

If you have a Parrot AR.drone, you can get the Drone Station app here for $9.99(USD). I guess if you already spent $300 on the drone, this app will be worth it.

[via Ubergizmo]

Quadrotors Build a Building

Technabob — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 16:40:14 +0000

Who’d have thought that flying robots could someday create buildings? But as crazy as it sounds, our quadrotor-loving friends over at the Swiss Federal Institute Institute of Technology already have proven it’s possible.

The team programmed a group of their versatile flying quadrocopters to construct a 19+ foot-tall structure autonomously, with no human involvement whatsoever. Just a roomful of bricks, and a small army of flying robots.

While they still don’t know how to apply mortar between bricks, the system proves that robots can work in concert to build precise structures, without incident or error. And given physical limitations of the ‘bots, these small flying machines are only lifting lightweight (appx. 1 lb.) foam “bricks” for their building.

For the foreseeable future, these flying robots won’t be stealing any construction jobs, but it is possible that similar technology could someday improve worksite safety, leaving some of the more difficult and dangerous tasks to robots, or robotic assistants. If nothing else, they could probably beat us at a game of foam brick Tetris.