Technabob » uav

X-47B UAV: Can Skynet Be Far Behind?

Shane McGlaun — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 16:00:47 +0000

Yep, the US military is set to put the first part of Skynet into motion. The first part of the system that John Connor will need to fight is already in development. The craft is called the X-47B and it has been designed to require no human interaction to carry out its military mission.

Most drones in the military arsenal have a pilot, even if that pilot is half a world away. The X-47B will be able to take off, find its target, attack, and return home and land all on its own using internal systems. While it’s still years away from being used in the field, the X-47B would be the first fully-unmanned aircraft system in the military.

Humans would still program flight plans and targets, but Northrop program manger Carl Johnson said, “It will do its own math and decide what it should do next.” Let’s hope the math is does comes up with an answer other than humans are a risk to its survival. While it is currently illegal for a machine to make its own military decisions, I don’t think Skynet really cares about such rules.

[via TheAtlanticWire]

First 3D Printed Plane: Future of Drones and UAVs?

Range — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 12:30:22 +0000

3D printing has been used in a variety of different ways, but this is the first time that I’ve seen it being used to print out a whole airplane. UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) are pretty important in the military these days, and even on science missions. Now, a team from the University of Southampton has printed out a working UAV, which is kind of amazing.

Their 3D-printed aircraft is named Sulsa, and it runs on an electric motor. It cost just over $8,000 to produce. Its wingspan is 5 feet, can hit a top speed of almost 100mph and its maiden flight lasted for about 10 minutes. All in all, that’s not bad for something that was printed on a 3D printer.

Sulsa was printed on an EOS EOSINT P730 nylon laser sintering machine, which can fabricate either plastic or metal objects, layer by layer. Even the control structures and wings were printed. Of course, the plane’s motor and battery were added separately.

Just imagine what this could mean. In a few years, you might be able to print out your own airplane and start flying it – or better yet, print your own car, get inside, and drive off.

[via NewScientist via DVice]

Shadowhawk: RC Copter from Hell

Range — Sun, 31 Jul 2011 12:00:51 +0000

When you think about RC helicopters, the word lethal isn’t really something that pops into mind, but it might when you see this one. The Shadowhawk helicopter is remote-controlled and can fire stun batons, shotgun shells and grenades at your enemies.

It took Vanguard Defense about three years to come up with this, but it will sure surprise anyone who dismisses the Shadowhawk as a toy. It’s 7 feet long and weighs 49lbs. It can travel at speeds of up to 70mph. It’s got a bunch of sensors so that it can also serve as a drone, as well as laser pointers, range finders, and 37mm or 40mm grenade launchers.

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These video clips show just a little bit of the potential of the Shadowhawk in action.

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Before you start saving up, remember that the most lethal version is unavailable for civilians (you need to be a military or law enforcement customer), but you can get the Mark II without the weapons for an undisclosed amount over at Vanguard Defense.

[via Gizmodo via Ubergizmo]

CrazyFlie: Tiny Barebones Quadrocopter Weighs Less than an Ounce

Range — Mon, 02 May 2011 12:25:40 +0000

While I think that quadrocopters are cool, they tend to be big devices. That’s why I like this tiny quadrocopter, which only weighs 20 grams. It’s basically a PCB with some rotors on it, which is why it is so light. All of the telemetry is being handled on a computer, so it’s essentially a thin-client UAV, which is even more awesome (awesomer?).

It’s called the CrazyFlie and it’s made by Daedalus Projects. Their aim was to make a barebones flying robot, cutting out anything that wasn’t needed. In addition to weighing under an ounce, it measures just under 5″ (12cm) square. The prototype wasn’t cheap or easy to make, but hopefully we’ll be getting a kit of some kind at some point.

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Check out how stable and precisely it can fly. That’s due to the four rotors, which help keep it quite centered, without being too much of a hassle to pilot.

[Hack a Day via CrunchGear]

Team BlackSheep Ritewing Zephyr FPV UAV Flies High, Shoots Amazing Videos

Technabob — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 04:08:36 +0000

If you’ve ever dreamed of capturing high-altitude flight videos, you probably thought that would be something you could only do with an expensive UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) like the $30,000+ Draganflyer X8. Well, thanks to the guys at Team BlackSheep, you could be flying high for as little as $2000 bucks.

The team, known for their incredible YouTube UAV flying videos, has just announced their own kit, based on the Ritewing Zephyr wing – which will allow amateur flyers to grab incredible aerial videos.

It may not look like much from the picture, but a whole lot of effort goes into building one of these custom flying machines, and the proof is in the pudding with the video they can capture. Here’s a video showing off the Zephyr in action:

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Incredibly, this flying wing kit can reach heights as high as 16,500 feet, and air speeds up to 85 mph. Operating range is up to 9 miles, with a flight duration of around 30 to 50 minutes, depending on how much the motor is engaged vs. cruising time.

The kit includes almost everything you need to get airborne, including a 54″ wingspan flying craft, perfectly matched motor and propeller, remote-control system and a high-resolution Pixim camera for wirelessly capturing first-person footage. Plus, the BlackSheep guys have worked their own custom magic based on over 300 hours of flight experience. The only things the kit doesn’t include are the battery packs, and remote control and video receiver and video goggles so you can operate it and watch from the ground.

If you’re interested in getting your hands on the Ritewing Zephyr kit, head on over to Team BlackSheep now. If you buy one, you have to promise to send us a link to any videos you shoot.

DARPA-Commissioned Robotic Hummingbird Takes to the Air

Shane McGlaun — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 19:50:21 +0000

When I think about DARPA building robots, I envision something along the line of the Terminator or Johnny 5. That isn’t what DARPA has in mind though (at least in this project) as one of its projects has hit the prototype operation phase.

The project is the AeroVironment Nano Air Vehicle, and it looks like a hummingbird. The company says that the micro-aircraft is larger and heavier than an average hummingbird, but weighs less and is smaller than the largest hummingbird in nature. The remote controlled aerial vehicle has flapping wings that provide the ability to hover and fly in any direction the operator wants. Here’s a video showing the Nano hummingbird in action:

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The tiny UAV measures 6.5-inchs wing tip to wing tip and has a total flying weight of 19 grams. That is very light considering the robot has all the hardware needed for flight, controls, a video camera, and the battery. The video that the flying machine shoots can be sent to a remote operator as well. According to AeroVironment, the hummingbird design could someday be used for providing undercover reconnaissance in urban environments.

Japanese Flying Surveillance Drone Looks Familiar… !

Lambert Varias — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 12:43:45 +0000

Japan’s Ministry of Defense recently unveiled their flying surveillance drone, meant to be used for short distances. Surveillance drones are not exactly new in this day and age, but as soon as I saw the quadrocopter, one thing came to mind: Metal Gear Solid 2.

It looks a lot like those annoying Cyphers! Each part – the camera, the tripod and the quadrocopter base – may look different, but together the resemblance made me nerdgasm. I wonder if the Ministry of Defense has a Gun Cypher counterpart as well.

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Time to stock up on chaff grenades, Japan.

[via Engadget]

Harop Loitering Munition: a Spy Drone With Suicidal Tendencies

Lambert Varias — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 12:00:54 +0000

It may not have a classy or intimidating name, but I’m sure that robots speak of the HAROP loitering munition with great respect – or perhaps fear - when they… get together for, um, poker night. Israel Aerospace Industries’ bad boy is a remote-controlled, unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) that can be deployed from a mobile launcher. It can be fitted with steerable color or infrared cameras so that it can provide recon. But the creepiest thing about the HAROP – also called Harpy 2 – is that it can hurl itself at a target, setting off 50 lbs of onboard explosives in the process to make sure that it kills the target dead, while minimizing collateral damage.

The HAROP can stay on air for up to 6 hours, plenty of time to select a target within its 620 mi range. So you can deploy it from another city way ahead of time, and have it wait for a target to come out or pass by, then BOOM. Haropped.

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I do not want to die that way. If you feel the same way, then you’d better not piss off India or Germany in some royal manner, because both countries recently bought a bunch of HAROPs.

[via IAI via BotJunkie]

G.I. Joe 2.0: America’S War Bots

Lambert Varias — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 11:30:28 +0000

I think the best advantage in sending robots instead of humans to armed conflicts is simply the fact that robots are not human. Robots don’t have feelings or families, so no one gets hurt if a robot goes down, not even its fellow robots. Robots are not alive, which means they can’t die.

Brainz showcased some of America’s present and future killing machines, developed in the superpower’s quest to lessen bloodshed. On their side at least. I must say, these warbots look like a bunch of proto-Decepticons.

The white one on the left is Boeing’s X-45 UCAV (Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle). Here’s how Brainz describes them: “Like horrors from a science fiction film, these things are meant to travel in packs, autonomously, and engage targets with lethal speed, maneuverability, and armament.” Sounds like Protoss Interceptors to me.*pees a little*

Uhm anyway the “dwarf-sized autonomous helicopter” on the right is the MQ-8 Fire Scout. Although he looks friendly with his smile and starry eyes, the MQ-8 is a killing machine. It can be fitted with Hellfire missiles and other “laser-guided armaments”; testing is also being done with alternative versions that are equipped with .338 caliber rifles. For pew pew pewing humans.

The one on the left looks like a movie prop, but its actually the US Marine Corps’ Gladiator. Smaller than a Mini, the Gladiator can be fitted to carry supplies for fleshbags, or it can be equipped with “enough mortar tubes to level a building a quarter-mile away.” Wow.

The one on the right isn’t actually autonomous, but I’m mentioning it because it comes closest to being the future infantry. Called TALON, it’s remote-controllable for up to 1,000 ft away, and although it “only comes up to knee height”, the TALON is a remote-controlled nightmare. It can be fitted with an M16, a .50 caliber rifle or an M249 machine gun. In the future, Counter-Strike players will have to choose between terrorists and TALONS.

So Old Snake was right: War has changed. Read the full article at Brainz and be cautiously impressed. I mean it would be stupid to assume that these things can’t be used, hacked or reverse-engineered for evil purposes. Why can’t we all just get along, you know, buy the world a Coke?

[via Switched]