As if there were any doubts that the future of aviation doesn’t involve humans at the controls, Boeing’s Unmanned Little Bird is the first helicopter to take off and land autonomously, choosing a safe landing site using an on-board laser LIDAR—a combination of light and radar—scanner.
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If there’s one thing kids like more than toys, it’s toys small enough to sneak and bring wherever they go. And while RC cars and choppers have gotten remarkably small over the years, this particularly tiny helicopter from Docooler one-ups them all with a clever folding design that lets you store and transport it in its own wireless controller.
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They’re undeniably fun, but all remote control toys—particularly those that fly—have one very unfortunate downside in common: they all run out of power too quickly. Whether it’s gas or batteries, they’ll all be grounded before you’re done having fun. But not this tiny flying propeller.
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Russia has been working tirelessly to modernize its military might and has already revealed some seriously intimidating firepower
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Even with the VH-71 helicopter project
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Getting anywhere in Washington DC traffic can be a nightmare, even if you’re the leader of the free world and have a motorcade at your disposal. But at least the president can hop aboard Marine One (the fleet of presidential helicopters) and rotor to his next appointment instead. The VH-3D Sea Kings that currently shuttle the POTUS around have been ready for retirement since 2003. So why has it taken so long to find a suitable replacement?
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A 41-year-old man flying a Gaui X7 model helicopter in Lucerne, Switzerland suffered head and arm injuries and died after he was presumably struck by the helicopter. The model weighs 5 pounds, is about 4 feet 5 inches long, and has a rotor diameter of about 5 feet 4 inches.
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Most helicopters are built for hovering, not for speed. But the Eurocopter X3 is built for both. The demonstrator tilt-rotor aircraft proved as much when it set a pair of air speed records earlier this month.
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OK, so none of us probably have any use for a flying bike, but it’s alright to want one. It’s perfectly natural. So just let the wild envy wash over you as this Frankenstein machine takes flight.
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The US Navy has officially introduced unmanned aircraft along with eight newly manned helicopters into its squadron, making it the latest military branch after the Army and the Air Force to embrace the drone. Indeed, ten of the 18 aircraft to be deployed are Fire Scout MQ-8Bs, an unmanned chopper the Navy wishes to operate from combat ships set in the Pacific in about a year. Built to track targets, the Fire Scout lets troops see what’s happening over potentially dangerous areas, allowing them to regroup and rearm if necessary. The drone isn’t without its fair share of detractors of course, especially after the occasional communication failure, but here’s hoping that these Linux-operated copters will remain well within human control.
Filed under: Transportation
Source: Associated Press
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