Robot Living

An initial five A160T Hummingbirds are being produced now, with another 16 slated for the next 18 months in hopes to win a military contract.

The robotic helicopters would be used to re supply troops in dangerous areas like Afghanistan.

The Hummingbird was at the Dugway Proving Ground, Utah last week doing test for the Marines.  This included hauling 2,500 pounds up to 75 nautical miles away  withing 6 hours.  The Hummingbird completed the tests within 5 hours.

The Hummingbird can reach a top speed of 140 knots, which is about 161 miles per hour and can adjust its rotor speed in mid flight to save on fuel. Most helicopters tend to have a fixed rotor speed.

See our previous Boeing Hummingbird post or click through for a video.

Link via (The Register)

(more…)

Boston Dynamics, makers of the BigDog robot have won another contract worth $32 million from DARPA to make an LS3 or Legged Squad Support System.

Each LS3 will carry up to 400 pounds and run for 20 miles or 24 hours.  The press release states:

The program goal is to develop a walking quadruped platform that will augment squads by carrying traditional and new equipment autonomously. These platforms will be capable of managing complex terrain where tactical vehicles are not able to go—lightening the load of Marines and Soldiers and increasing their combat capability.

The first prototype is expected in 2012 and is shown here in a mock up from Boston Dynamics.

Here is the PDF DARPA press release.

Link via (IEEE Spectrum)

Tags: boston dynamics, quadraped, robot

A RQ-4 Global Hawk UAV (Unmanned Ariel Vehicle) was on the way to Afghanistan and has been re-routed to Haiti.  The Global Hawk is a surveillance aircraft capable of covering up to 40,000 miles a day.

This drone will provide overhead views of the situation in Haiti and the photos will be freely available online. To actually see some these photos you can sign up here.

Colonel Bradley G. Butz who is in charge of the operation told reporters on 1/15:

Yesterday, the Global Hawk shot between 400 and 700 images, and today we’re going after another 1,000 images, which will all be unclassified. SOUTHCOM will provide it to whoever needs it.

If you feel like donating to this terrible tragedy, we are partial to Oxfam and you can donate here.

We hope the photos from  Global Hawk will help with the relief efforts.

Link via (Wired’s Danger Room)

Tags: drone, Haiti, UAV

The most recent UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) from Theiss Aviation is the TIC or Tactical Information Craft.

This company has been awarded several contracts already, including a contract from NASA and one from the Air Force Research Laboratories.

The new model TIC costs around $6,000 and can potentially be launched from the trunk of a car.  It contains chemical as well as biological sensors and could also be outfitted with a small color camera.  These vehicles are designed to fly in ventilation shafts,  tunnels, small quarters and even dense woods. Using a 72 MHz radio, the TIC has a range of 1.5 miles and  can be run in basic radio controlled mode, auto assist mode or completely autonomously.

Theiss Aviation is now seeking to sell these aircraft to police departments, search and rescue crews or other emergency personnel.

Unfortunately the FAA seeks to treat these tiny craft just like regular planes.

The owners of a TIC must  register the aircraft with the FAA  and give 60 days notice of flight plans to the FAA.

Link via (Fortune Small Business)

Tags: drone, UAV

Supposedly the border between the US and Mexico will soon be patrolled by the UAV  known as Predator B.

The UAV(Unmanned Airial Vehicle) is made by a company called General Atomics and the Predator B will be based in Florida to patrol the Gulf Of Mexico.  The Predator B has special sensors for detecting things in or around water and the main goal is to detect drug smuggling. A secondary goal is to catch human traffickers.

Customs and Border Protection will use a two person team to operate the UAV.  One will fly the plane and one will operate the sensors.

Check out the Predator B specs in this PDF file.

Click through for a video of the Predator B at an Air Force base in Grand Forks.

Link via (Boing Boing)
(more…)

Tags: UAV