Pentagon’s Robot Hummingbird Christened “Nano Air Vehicle”

Imagine this thing with a few grams of C4... find a target, get the go-ahead from a controller, kamikaze run, BOOM!

Oroka

@Unknown2U:

Are you Lyndon LaRouche?

@WarOperationPlanResponse_GitEmSteveDave: In a court of law you can cross examine a police officer, you cannot cross examine GPS. Basically we're saying technology is infallible. That's great for law enforcement, but horrible if you're an innocent person.

Just look back about 40 years ago at the effort of the U.S. government against Dr. Martin Luther King and even the Deep Throat porno. If the government puts you in its cross hairs you're going to have serious problems. Especially setting a precedent that technology is infallible. Welcome to Minority Report.

Unknown2U

@Unknown2U: That's the double edge sword effect of awesome technology. It can be used for good or bad.

And to the people that said Unknown2us is basically thinking to much into things.. well I don't think he is. Because anything really is possible. Its just a matter of when. (I say that meaning in general with everything in life)

--Core--

Ummm... thingfling sells these things a hell nof alot cheaper than DARPA makes 'em for...

YOUR TAX DOLLARS AT WORK!!!

Sicpup

Its cool to watch the progression of these prototypes. I would however not call them flying machines yet, but rather stylish falling robots.

@spannu: Wow, when you look at the video it is oddly similar.

@WarOperationPlanResponse_GitEmSteveDave:

I left my old company 2 years ago, about when the program started. So I don't think I can help there!

LittleJon

Something tells me there will be a smashed pile of these parts in the girls locker room before they gain any significant military intell.

â™  Final â™ 

Pretty cool. But I kept waiting to see Dexter.

nobodyzhome

@Counterglow: you mean of course the Hunter Seeker.

deliciousburglar

@LittleJon: Then can you have them use a better background?

@Unknown2U: So following someone is ok, but if I use something that duplicates that exact same job, it's wrong? Do you also believe police using cars w/o warrants to follow people is wrong?

@zeusalmighty: maybe it was the hover requirement - pigeons don't hover so well (/long)

I take this as a que to make a robo-cat that will be fast enough to attack the robo bird. Then the robo bird will probably call up robo acme, and get some sort of robo anvil, and robo drop it on my sorry ass robo cat.

IT'S A DISASTER!

@LittleJon: maybe it was a camouflage thing? (speculating) or do they sound like tiny gas powered lawn equipment. (obviously not a bird)

@cattrain:
The is going to be the coolest, gayest weapon ever. I can't wait for the cannons shaped like unicorns that shoot 155mm shells with blasts that sound like babys laughing with sparkle/rainbow trails and smoke that smells like strawberries!

TonyTriple

@Twenty5: Hahahah, true dat. I guess they're hoping on people being sceptic on shooting down a small, cute innocent-looking bird. Why not go with pidgeons? Pidgeons are THE most usual bird you could see in the city, could be built bigger (so more electronics can fit in there) and is inconspicuous as hell. Unless you hate pidgeons.

zeusalmighty

@Samson Li: +1 for you sir. It could just sneak up on you, go "Hey! listen!" to scare the shit out of you and then BLAM explode it tiny little explosive-filled body all over your face.

zeusalmighty

I have never seen hummingbirds in the desert.... I dont think this is going to work.

I want one. I shall call him squishy and he shall be mine and he shall be my squishy.

cattrain

Replace it's tail with an AA battery.

Kakkoister

i'll particularly enjoy it when they start trying to use this to covertly listen in in countries that don't HAVE hummingbirds.
as an aside, i'd be interested to know how loud it currently is.

ninjajazza

Gives a whole new meaning to Peeping Tom

Uncletwitch

@DangerousLiberal: Why are the nano hummingbirds unlikely? Did you also think that the government would not use GPS to track a persons whereabouts without a court order as well?

To all other responders there is something called "Due process" in this country. It has been in our constitution from the beginning. Not following the Constitution is un-amercian.

Unknown2U

@DangerousLiberal: Crystal-clear? Would you care to cite some of this "crystal clear" science? Because last time I checked, Al Gore was a little past that.

haha, the samsung led ad featuring a hummingbird showed up when i opened this...

I always thought it would be incredibly eerie to shoot down circling bird to find that it's not really a bird at all.

The illest wind

@Samson Li: :)

nice one

zelda reference approved!

notsosecretlandfill

@Jim-Bob: Which freedom would that be? The freedom to pollute at will? Or the freedom to ignore crystal clear science? Just curious.

DangerousLiberal

@GC: Using nano hummingbirds on citizens. Unlikely. Executive orders on detainment. Real world. Check recent articles in the NY Times. I know from Tin Foil Hattery--"Obamer's takin' all the power and the guns and the womenz and is turning us into A-rab commies." Nutty. "Obama's not making good on his Gitmo and invasion of personal privacy promises." That's the real deal. While I trust Obama more than the day care center for neo-cons and failed oil wildcatters that "ran" the country into the shithole for the last eight years, I do know that Obama's record on privacy has not yet been promising--something "liberals" and "libertarians" and even true "conservatives" (not the ones who want to see into your bedroom) can agree on.

DangerousLiberal

Nano Air Vehicle? NAV? NAVI?!?!

as long as it doesnt shout "HEY! LISTEN" over and over

Samson Li

@spannu: wheres my crowbar?

Nick Livingston

@spannu: Oh, the fun times we have had.

@mikeness: While I agree that releasing many of the Guantanamo Bay detainees would be a wonderfully bad idea, I am afraid of the far reaching implications of such legislation. I have even less trust in the Obama administration than I did in Bush, and can see him abusing such authority beyond just "enemy combatants". The government is getting way too powerful way too fast right now with all the new powers and legislation that has been shoved through under our noses. The "Cap and Trade" bill that was shoved though with huge revisions that no one had read is a great case in point. While the lemmings were focused on MJ's death, Congress passed laws that will deeply affect every American's quality of life and freedom. I especially do not like that the government can forbid you to sell your home unless they deem it "green" enough, and can force you to spend tens of thousands of dollars to come into compliance before you can transfer ownership. There are plenty more bad ideas in that bill, but unfortunately, no one read it before it was passed.

Jim-Bob

@greasypigarvin: An R/C helicopter looks like an R/C helicopter. A robot hummingbird looks like a hummingbird. Which would draw more attention?

@Unknown2U: Un-american would literally describe the combatants that are being detained indefinately. Don't you think Obama, after being so adamant about releasing or giving trials to the folks in Gitmo, might have gotten into the President chair and noticed "oh shit, these guys really are being held indefinately for good reason."

@Unknown2U: That's some impressive tin foil hattery you got goin on there.

@The Donut Pirate: How about dropping small "bombs??"

@greasypigarvin: It doesn't have any! As I said in my post above, DARPA wanted us to change to a flapping wing vehicle because a helicopter was too easy!

LittleJon

What advantages does this have over an RC helicopter? we seem to have those advanced pretty well.

This thing will give Samsung's new ads a nice little hint of bad assery.

I co-wrote the proposal for that project with Aerovironment (I was working with Matt Keenon who's the pilot in the video). My company was responsible for miniaturization of the electronics.

The funny thing is, we wanted to do a miniature helicopter as even a hummingbird couldn't meet all the mission requirements that DARPA wanted. But DARPA in its infinite wisdom (and with tax-payers' money) thought that that was too easy and told us to switch to an ornithopter (flapping wing aircraft)!

LittleJon

I don't think that this idea is really being used to its full potential. The day that this thing can take a laser bird shit, I'll be afraid.

UFO technology not being used? I say sir you are wrong!

Azteck

Simply amazing at what people can accomplish. Although I can see this being used as a big brother type of thing against US citizens.

According to an article in the Washington Post last week, a strategy is taking shape in the White House that would authorize indefinite detention -- not through legislation, but with a presidentially signed executive order. And just hours ago, the president's press secretary said they would now go through Congress. One thing is clear: the Obama administration is seeking the power to indefinitely detain individuals without charge or trial.

What is also clear is that whether through executive order or legislation, indefinite detention is un-American.

You and I have to respectfully urge the President to make sure that idea never sees the light of day.

Unknown2U

@Counterglow: Or if you make it pointy enough:

spannu

Fear would be exactly the right word if you loaded it up with poison and and a nasty attitude. I think they had something like it in Dune, as a matter of fact.

Counterglow