Cool Flying Machine

Ever wanted to fly? Sure, we all have. Here is a machine that will let you soar in the sky. The pilot can control it manually, or it can fly on auto-pilot, presumably taking a wounded person out of a dangerous zone. The fans can run on batteries or a gas engine. To control the rotorcraft, the fans can be tilted for forward flight, and their speed varied for yaw because they counter-rotate. Claim 1 […]

Microsoft Drones Augment Virtual Reality

Let’s face it: virtual reality can only go so far. Your mind may be immersed in another universe, but your body hasn’t left the room. You might see a dragon, but if you reach out to pet its nose, all you will touch is air. How do you increase your suspension of belief? How about being able to interact with physical objects you see in your VR goggles? This is where Microsoft’s invention comes in: […]

Why Won’t Amazon’s Drone Tether Swing?

The video of Amazon landing a delivery drone on a happy father’s front lawn has made the rounds, but Amazon is hedging its technology footprint and pursuing tether delivery by drone as well. This patent application is about the flawless final step of delivery, dropping the item at its destination. Apparently, it’s not as easy as it sounds.

Ditch the Remote: LG’s Drone is Controlled with Glasses

Your DJI is up in the air, sending your iPad amazing shots, but what exactly are YOU doing? You’re likely staring down at your iPad, not taking in the whole picture. You probably have a friend watching your drone to make sure you don’t hit anything. What if you could just capture the photo by looking at it and framing it with your hands? The folks at LG believe this is the future: deep-6 the […]

Mars Rover Technology Adapted to Drones

It worked for the Mars Pathfinder Rover, and it saves uncounted lives in cars, so why not adapt an airbag for the drone? This is the solution proposed by the present Japanese patent application. Sure, you can fit a deployable parachute to your expensive quadcopter, but it’s not the perfect solution. As the application discloses, “the product of [http://www.dji.com/ja/product/dropsafe)] opens the parachute at 6 meters or more from the ground and therefore cannot produce an […]

Amazon Quells Drone Noise with Anti-Noise

Phase cancellation is an interesting acoustic phenomenon. If two identical signals are 180 degrees out of phase, they will completely cancel each other out. With the eventual proliferation of delivery drones, noise will be an issue. As Amazon puts it, “the net effect of the noises generated by the unmanned aerial vehicle may be annoying at best, or deafening at worst.”   Behold: the Silent Drone. Amazon has presented a patent application “directed to actively […]

Drone Helps Truck Drivers Reverse, Inspect Rigs

Truck drivers have a tough job. Slow traffic, looming deadlines, mechanical failures and backing up to the loading dock. Drones to the rescue, at least for the last two tasks. This patent application discloses a method to assist truck drivers in backing up and inspecting the truck components prior to departure. It gives a driver an ‘eye in the sky’ view of the surroundings, elements the driver cannot normally see. As the application puts it, […]

Disney’s Drone Drops Fireworks, Confetti, Liquids

An important benefit of the evolving botosphere is increased safety for our humankind. Robots are slowly replacing us for tedious and dangerous activities, and drones are a great tool for anything airborne. Take fireworks: pyrotechnics are not an exact art, and can be extremely dangerous if mishandled. Disney has been busy finding ways to use drones from their Flixels to the flying eyeball to this present patent application for precise firework placement. As the application […]

UAV Provides Inexpensive Broadband Internet

Last week, the UN declared that Internet access is a basic human right. That is fine and well in an industrialized, densely-populated area, but what about the developing world and sparsely-populated regions?  How do you deliver blazing speed at a reasonable cost? The answer, as usual, is “drones”. This patent application describes an apparatus carried by a UAV that focuses a radio beam on a specific area, connecting anyone in that area to the internet. […]

Flying Generator Drone Breaks Two-Hour Barrier

A world of opportunity is awaiting the drone that can fly for over 45 minutes. Here is a version that can fly 100 miles on one gallon of fuel, carrying a gallon of payload. It can hopscotch anywhere in its range and become a small electric generator. This is good news. Flight time is one of the most annoying and brutal barriers, governed by energy-density versus weight, recharge speeds, and availability of peak power for […]