Read " PREY " for the NEGATIVE possibilities of swarm biotechnology mimicry.
This fairly good read involves mixing this technology with AI and is something to consider if people want to take that step.
We already have the problem with these flyers violating trespassing laws ( and the resultant attempts to recover these " spies " on private property ).
I know that if something shows up on my property, I have a HERF cannon that can take it down. Good luck on getting it back. Finders keepers still apply.
There's a lot more info in here--finally!--from the head of the GRASP Lab Vijay Kumar. Before this was posted last week, there was almost no info on how these little guys work, or even what their capabilities are.
As far as the information goes, the robotic devices communicate with each other. I can't recall whether they use GPS, but suspect at least the base station would use it.
Chuck, I agree, the apparently instantaneous communication is awesome. Jon, thanks for digging up that info from GRASP, which comes from a TED talk given after I filed this story:
http://www.ted.com/talks/vijay_kumar_robots_that_fly_and_cooperate.html There's quite a lot of detail in the TED talk. The swarming technology, such as the protocol created by one of their grad students, is especially interesting, as well as the control algorithms that help the quadrotors create maps and figure out how to navigate obstacles. So is the fact that GRASP is working on different sizes of drones, not just the little quadrotors. I think the transportation, building and post-disaster apps are the most interesting.
Heh heh -- I do love the term "robotic Shriners." Sounds like something from a Futurama episode. It does seem appropriate for that figure-8 demo.
This is very cool stuff. I wonder what technology is used to have each 'copter locate itself in space, with respect to its neighbors. At their size, an inch or two of mislocation could be disastrous.
Though no claim was made for swarm behavior, I saw the video below a couple days before reading this piece, and think the two groups should get together. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_sUeGC-8dyk
I've proposed to friends that these would be great for seeking out and eradicating the Python problem in Florida. Equiped with sensors to search out the Python's and a poison dart they could do quickly what would take us years, if not decades, of dedicated hard work.
I've also considered these for garden patrol, not to kill the offending insects, just to annoy them so they go somewhere else.
If these quadrotors can all lift on the same light-weight carbon fiber beam, they should be able to generate enough net lift to carry objects. I wonder how many it would take to rescue a human from a mid-stream car top. Lithium polymer batteries give amazing power to weight capability.
Using almost 200 light-emitting diodes in the front and back of the new 2014 CTS, Cadillac designers are showing how LEDs can change the character of a vehicle.
We looked at a number of sources to determine this year's greenest cars, from KBB to automotive trade magazines to environmental organizations. These 14 cars emerged as being great at either stretching fuel or reducing carbon footprint.
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A quick look into the merger of two powerhouse 3D printing OEMs and the new leader in rapid prototyping solutions, Stratasys. The industrial revolution is now led by 3D printing and engineers are given the opportunity to fully maximize their design capabilities, reduce their time-to-market and functionally test prototypes cheaper, faster and easier. Bruce Bradshaw, Director of Marketing in North America, will explore the large product offering and variety of materials that will help CAD designers articulate their product design with actual, physical prototypes. This broadcast will dive deep into technical information including application specific stories from real world customers and their experiences with 3D printing. 3D Printing is
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