Bug Spy: U.S. Develops Tiny Flying Robots

www.cbsnews.com...

He said engineers want to build a vehicle with a 1-inch wingspan, possibly made of an elastic material. The vehicle would have sensors to help avoid slamming into buildings or other objects.

Existing airborne robots are flown by a ground-based pilot, but the smaller versions would fly independently, relying on preprogrammed instructions.

Parker said the tiny vehicles should also be able to withstand bumps.

"If you look at insects, they can bounce off of walls and keep flying," he said. "You can't do that with a big airplane, but I don't see any reason we can't do that with a small one."

An Air Force video describing the vehicles said they could possibly carry chemicals or explosives for use in attacks.

Once prototypes are developed, they will be flight-tested in a new building at Wright-Patterson dubbed the "micro aviary" for Micro Air Vehicle Integration Application Research Institute.

"This type of technology is really the wave of the future," Thompson said. "More and more military research is going into things that are small, that are precise and that are extremely focused on particular types of missions or activities."

So now we can be observed or attacked by swarms of fake insects. Thank you big brother


[edit: fixed EX tags]

[edit on 25-11-2008 by 12m8keall2c]

Here's some more on subject

www.abovetopsecret.com...

[edit on 25-11-2008 by dashen]

[edit on 25-11-2008 by dashen]

Please direct your comments to this ongoing thread. (posted on 22/11/08)

Is that a locust or a MAV(micro aerial vehicle)?


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