The idea behind Lockheed's new Samurai drone is to mimic the motion of the helicopterish maple seeds we amused ourselves with as kids to create a simple flying mechanism. The stripped down design lets the drone operate with just two moving parts, and come in at about a foot long. It's a prototype for now, but when it makes it to the field it'll be operated by remote control, and will be carried into the field in a lightweight backpack.
(From )
Science fiction fans may be reminded of devices like
SHEPHERD-MIL, A Birdlike Soaring UAV
'When he had first built them, they had been crude indeed, flying mechanisms with little more than a reflex-response unit.'- Philip E. High, 1968.
AXON Flex And Stross' Cop Specs
'Arriving on SOC... Start evidence log." [E]verything you see on duty goes into the black box.'- Charles Stross, 2007.
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Sky City's 220 Stories Are Go
'It rested among green parklands and... stood in total isolation, a glittering block of whites and flashing windows dotted with colors.'
Robo-Raven Flapping Wing Robot Bird
'When he had first built them, they had been crude indeed, flying mechanisms with little more than a reflex-response unit.'