This Guy Proposed to His Girlfriend with a Drone

When I think of romantic, when I think of heartwarming, when I think of being sweet… I don’t think of drones. But if I think of awesome and if I think of kickass and if I think of freaking cool… I do think of drones. So guy who used a flying drone to drop off the ring while you proposed, you’re awesome. More »

Archaeologists Are Unlocking a 1900-Year-Old Burial Chamber’s Secrets—With Drones

Teotihuacan, an ancient, abandoned city about an hour north of Mexico City, was once one of the largest cities in the world. It collapsed centuries ago (thanks either to an internal uprising or foreign invaders, depending on who you ask), but it’s never been completely deserted, since the ruins have always been a magnet for squatters, archeologists, and hordes of tourists. More »

This Is the World’s Most Complicated Timepiece

Modern digital watches can be beautifully engineered and designed items, but they will always lack the craftsmanship that their mechanical predecessors possess. This hand-wound masterpiece, declared “the most complicated watch in the world” by its maker, doesn’t do anything a digital watch couldn’t replicate but it does so with soul. It also costs $5 million which makes for some very expensive soul. More »

Leaked Paper Reveals Wide Reach of America’s Drone Killings

A leaked top-secret Justice Department white paper reveals the true extent of US drone killings—and lays bare the fact that unmanned aircraft are targeting far more than just Al-Qaeda terrorists. More »

Defense Experts Warn Of Cheap Enemy Drones On The Battlefield

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While many current drone programs are extremely complex – and costly – cheap drones used for spying, mapping, and even attacks could turn the tables on world militaries by giving terrorists and less well-funded groups access to UAV technology.

A report by the Project 2049 Institute notes that China is hard at work on its own, less-expensive drone program that could end up being marketed to other players on the globe. Iran, for example, already sells simple drones to neighbors in the Middle East, including Syria. An advanced program coming out of China would, at the very least, allow for more powerful devices to percolate out to countries with less-developed UAV systems.

“In whatever future conflict scenario we’re in five or 10 years from now, the proliferation of UAVs is going to complicate things for the U.S. military,” said research fellow Ian Easton to TechNewsDaily. The market for unmanned drones could reach $89 billion over the next decade.

While they may not be as powerful as US, European, or Japanese robotic systems, these cheaper, Chinese drones could level the playing field just a bit when it comes to unmanned warfare in the future.

via HLS

Watch a Navy Laser Gun Blast a Drone Right Out of the Sky

It may sound like sci-fi, but lasers are definitely the future of war. As are drones. So what could be better than to see them go up against each other in a blaze of explosive glory? Looks like in the rock-paper-scissors game of modern combat, laser beats drone. More »

America’s New Maritime Spy Drone Program Is Finally Getting Off the Ground

The world’s oceans are massive, easily big enough to hide a whole fleet of surface ships if not carefully monitored. That’s why the Pentagon’s newest Broad Area Maritime Surveillance (BAMS) platform will keep its eyes peeled for enemy carrier groups from 60,000 feet up. More »

Watch a RC Plane Crash Into a RC Helicopter and Get Completely Destroyed

If you want to skip the build up to the aerial crash, fast forward to about the 1:15 mark on the video to see an 80-inch RC plane with 50cc gas engine hit a RC helicopter and then immediately nosedive to its destruction. The plane clips one of its wings when it hits the chopper and immediately spirals down and slams into the ground. Gnarly. More »

Drones Could Replace Eager Youths On Paper Routes

Innovation in newspaper delivery techniques hasn’t really seemed like a priority in awhile because of the whole death of print thing and whatever. But since drones categorically improve all situations, a local French postal service is turning paper routes into air routes. More »

This Delightful Dragonfly Drone Swims Swiftly Through The Air

Not every drone out there has to have terrifying grabby arms or run on lasers. The BioniCopter is content to just cruise around like the insect that inspired it. No frills needed. More »