UAV Lifeguards to patrol Australian beaches, Hasselhoff given notice

UAV Lifeguards to patrol Australian beaches

Look, up in the sky. It’s a bird, it’s a plane — it’s… a lifeguard? Aiming to keep a robotic eye out for distressed swimmers and dangerous marine life, Surf Life Saving Australia will soon deploy flying safety drones across beaches in Queensland, Australia. Starting off on a trial basis, the unmanned bots have a wingspan of one meter (about three feet) and will feature detachable safety buoys and alert sirens. While it could be the next thing in oceanside safety, we’d image that some folks won’t be too fond of being watched sans any say in the matter. That said, we’d be remiss not to mention to that SLS head Brett Williamson frankly stated to ABC that “at the end of the day this is about public safety.” Big brother conspiracy aside, we’re sure some folks could be swayed if these bad boys play Flight of the Valkyries while in formation.

[Image credit: Kim Powell]

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UAV Lifeguards to patrol Australian beaches, Hasselhoff given notice originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 19 Sep 2012 16:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Vladmir Putin Teaches Baby Birds to Fly, Because Russia [Video]

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Forget Coach, Boeing’s Aeroloft Can Sleep Eight [Flying]

The days of obnoxious, crowded air-travel are still here for most of us, but the elite just got an upgrade. Boeing just started putting out a version of its Boeing Business Jet (BBJ) 747-8 that sports the Aeroloft, an eight-person sleeping area. More »

Climate Controlled Seats Could Make Flying Coach Considerably Less Crappy [Flying]

In an effort to make flying in the cheap seats a bit more comfortable, researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics have completely redesigned airplane seats giving passengers control over their individual climates. So one day fiddling with a vent might not be the only futile way to get comfy. More »

The FAA Is Seriously Thinking About Letting You Use Electronic Devices During Takeoff [Airplanes]

After announcing it would take a ‘fresh look’ at the ban of using electronic devices during takeoff and landing, the FAA has just announced that it’ll be forming a new committee to study, analyze and reconsider the issue. That means there’s a very good possibility that we’ll be able to use our electronic devices whenever the hell we want when we’re on a plane. More »

MakerPlane lets you build an experimental aircraft with digital printers

DNP MakerPlane

If you’re a member of that mildly crazy tribe who want to build and actually fly their own airplane, MakerPlane has a new way of enabling your obsession. The open source aviation organization will allow you to download its plans and schematics for free, then build your plane’s parts using CNC (computer numerically controlled) mills and 3D printers. If you don’t have one of those lying around, you’ll be able to go to a “makerspace” replete with all the necessary tools to get your wings whipped up, instead. As for keeping the blue side up, open source avionics software will also be included, allowing bold dabblers to create digital flight instruments and displays. For now, the group is working on its first set of plans, led by an aeronautical engineer volunteer, and hopes to have that design (shown above) flying in time for the Oshkosh airshow in 2014. While you’re waiting, start looking for trusting souls brave enough to fly in a small plane you built yourself.

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MakerPlane lets you build an experimental aircraft with digital printers originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 21 Aug 2012 08:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Autonomous Robot Plane is the R/C Toy You’ve Dreamed of

I’ve always wanted to play with R/C aircrafts, but even with my “easy to fly” AR.Drone 2.0, I find myself crashing the thing into walls and the ceiling indoors. Thanks to some impressive work by MIT’s Robust Robotics Group, we might someday be able to fly autonomous planes that are so smart that they can avoid obstacles on their own.

autonomous robot plane

By using a special set of algorithms to calculate the plane’s trajectory, as well as its state (i.e. location, orientation, velocity and acceleration), the fixed-wing plane is able to fly quickly through cramped quarters, avoiding obstacles with ease. In fact, this plane can fly within centimeters of obstacles at a high rate of speed without crashing. The plane uses a laser rangefinder, accelerometers and gyroscopes to figure out its state, and a hugely complex series of computations to navigate through its environment.

While autonomous helicopters and quadrotors have been around for a while, a 2-meter-wide plane that can negotiate confined spaces with aplomb poses a much greater challenge, as it cannot hover, go sideways or make up arbitrary motions like those other aircraft. At this point, it appears that the system requires at least a rough, pre-existing 3-D map of its environment to work properly, but I’m sure with time they can figure out a way for the environment to be mapped in real-time as well. Kinect, anyone?

At this point, MIT isn’t specifying the exact applications for their design, but beyond military and rescue operations, I REALLY want to see a consumer version so I can stop crashing my AR.Drone.


This Helmet Cam Attached to a Falcon Shows You What It’s Like to Fly and Hunt Like a Bird [Video]

Helmet cams are amazing at getting a first person perspective on any situation, you’re literally able to see what they see. So how about attaching a little helmet camera to a falcon? Yep, you get to see what it’s like to fly (surprisingly not shaky!) and see what it’s like to hunt and kill (unsurprisingly messy). More »

You Can Register to Vote at 30,000 Feet Now [Flying]

Thanks to a collaboration with PromoJam and Rock the Vote, Virgin America passengers will be able to register to vote while flying. In theory, you just point your smartphone at the touchscreen and fill out a form. If that sounds too good to be true, well, it sort of is. More »

Floating Frisbee Could Fly 100 Feet or More

I’ve never been all that good at throwing a frisbee. On occasion, I’ll get off a good shot, but it usually goes like 15 or 20 feet then peters out or takes a violent turn off course. But if one inventor gets his way, we might soon be throwing around frisbees that could fly 100 feet on a single throw.

floating frisbee

Leonid Zaytsev’s Floating Frisbee concept would have a lightweight fan built into the middle of it, giving the fan extra loft when thrown, thus keeping it in the air longer. The design envisious a circular cutout in the middle, with a fan and a cage around it to protect your fingers when throwing and catching it. I imagine there would be some sort of circuit to kick the fan in when thrown, and it would probably need some sort of stabilization to ensure the fan doesn’t throw it way off course, and the battery would need to be very light in order to not weigh it down too much. Engineering challenges aside, it’s a cool concept, and hopefully one that will eventually make it to market. If you like the idea, head over to Quirky and comment on the Floating Frisbee.