Science Fiction
Dictionary
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
 |
Micro Air Vehicle In Use In Iraq
Honeywell's micro air vehicle, which uses a lift-augmented ducted fan propulsion system providing true VTOL capability, is now in use in Iraq by the US Army.
(Micro Air Vehicle on patrol)
The MAV is being used to check for roadside bombs and ambushes; it can carry regular day cameras, as well as thermal systems for night use. Streaming real-time video is sent to a ground station for evaluation by troops; the entire system can be carried in two backpacks.
The Micro Air Vehicle offers both "hover and stare" as well as "perch and stare" capabilities; it can hover at altitudes as high as 10,500 feet, or it can land and continue sending video. The MAV has performed well in urban environments as well as open field; it can even function in confined spaces.
When I saw this thing maneuver (see Honeywell MAV video), I thought that the US Army was using Imperial Probe Droids. This well-known Star Wars technology uses repulsorlift engines to hover while its arms touch the ground to gather samples. Probe droids are autonomous robots that can be dispatched over interstellar distances to send back data and video.
(Imperial Probe Droid [Star Wars])
UK readers may want to compare the Micro Air Vehicle with the flying golden Daleks from past seasons of Dr. Who. Once famed as a level-ground-based race of irritable extraterrestrial mutants integrated with impenetrable cases of pure dalekanium, Daleks were given thruster-powered flight after fans derided them for being unable to even climb stairs. (Other fans stated that, rather than climb stairs, Daleks would simply level the building.)
(Golden flying bling Dalek)
SF movie fans might also recall Michael Crichton's 1985 movie Runaway, about a special police group that specialized in dealing with robots gone out of control. In the film, a floater camera is used to gain more information about a hostage situation.
(Top view of floater camera from Runaway)
Read more about Michael Crichton's floater camera.
Read more about MAVs in the news at The Register and Defense Review; see also Honeywell's micro air vehicle page.
Scroll down for more stories in the same category. (Story submitted 7/8/2007)
Follow this kind of news @Technovelgy.| Email | RSS | Blog It | Stumble | del.icio.us | Digg | Reddit |
Would
you like to contribute a story tip?
It's easy:
Get the URL of the story, and the related sf author, and add
it here.
Comment/Join discussion ( 2 )
Related News Stories - (" Surveillance ")
Chameleon Personalized Privacy Protection Mask
'...the Virtual Epiphantic Identity Lustre.' - Neal Stephenson, 2019.
Spherical Police Robot Rolls In China
'Rand could effectively be in several places at once...' - Niven and Pournelle, 1981.
Vietnam To Have Full Biometric Transparency
'inscriptions too small to be seen with the naked eye; microscopic data...' - Eric Frank Russell, 1939.
Simple Way To Defeat AI Face Recognition
'... designed to foil facial recognition systems.' - Neal Stephenson, 2019.
Technovelgy (that's tech-novel-gee!) is devoted to the creative science inventions and ideas of sf authors. Look for the Invention Category that interests you, the Glossary, the Invention Timeline, or see what's New.
Science Fiction
Timeline
1600-1899
1900-1939
1940's 1950's
1960's 1970's
1980's 1990's
2000's 2010's
Current News
Huawei Pura X Folding Phattie Phone
Why can't we get more innovative phone configurations?
Sleep Pods At Daxing International Airport
'Do not waste your priceless company on the unappreciative folds of a sleep pod...'
Robot Baristas Learn Their Trade Without Paying Royalties
'...so we've promised him a generous pension from the royalties.'
JAXA Int Ball 2 Coming Right Along As Star Wars Remote
'Hocus-pocus religions and archaic weapons are no substitute for a good blaster at your side.'
Robot Bricklayer Or Passer-By Bricklayer?
'Oscar picked up a trowel. 'I'm the tool for the mortar,' the little trowel squeaked cheerfully.'
Robot Gas Station Attendant Pumps Gas For You
'... he waited for the robotrix attendant to finish fueling up his ship.'
Engineer Creates Crazy Motorized Track Hospital Bed
The Roujin Z system provides care to fully bedridden patients - and then some!
Tiny Flying Robot Weighs Just One Gram
'Aerostat meant anything that hung in the air. This was an easy trick to pull off nowadays.'
Some Ringworld Configurations Are Stable
'The Ringworld had no horizon. There was no line where the land curved away from the sky.'
TRANSFORM Dynamic Furniture Concept Becomes What You Need
'An adjustment panel outside the door would cause it to extrude various appurtenances in memory plastic...'
Harvard Metamaterials Change Structure Instantly
'Annealed in any shape for a time, and codified, the structure of that shape is retained down to the molecules.'
SnapBot Robots - You Choose Their Legs And They Choose Their Gaits
It's not really polite to tear the limbs off robots.
Dino From Magical Toys An AI Companion To Children
'...the imaginary companions discovered by needful children.'
Humanoid Robots Building Humanoid Robots
''Pardon me, Struthers,' he broke in suddenly... 'haven't you a section of the factory where only robot labor is employed?''
Darpa 'Defiant' Unmanned Autonomous Ship
'There was no wheel, and no steersman!'
What's The Best Way To Ship And Unpack Humanoid Robots?
'I opened the oblong box, where lay the automatons side by side...'
