Pilots have tiny brains
The Israeli military is experimenting with a futuristic Frisbee-size unmanned aerial vehicle called the Mosquito. It is designed to fly into buildings through doors and windows and hover in mid-air, taking pictures with its miniature video camera, then fly out again and show soldiers what it saw inside.
The brains of the Mosquito, as with all unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), is a tiny electronic circuit board called an autopilot that controls the flight and the camera.
UAVs, also called drones, have been around for years (don't I know it -- oops! wrong type of drone), but they're a hot commodity today thanks to technological advances -- and to conflicts in such places as Iraq and Afghanistan that have boosted military spending. Drones are used for aerial reconnaissance and even bombing missions.
The brains of the Mosquito, as with all unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), is a tiny electronic circuit board called an autopilot that controls the flight and the camera.
UAVs, also called drones, have been around for years (don't I know it -- oops! wrong type of drone), but they're a hot commodity today thanks to technological advances -- and to conflicts in such places as Iraq and Afghanistan that have boosted military spending. Drones are used for aerial reconnaissance and even bombing missions.
1 Comments:
An intriguing article. However, I submit that it isn't swelling military budgets that are causing interest in UAVs; it is shrinking budgets, improved technology, and an increasing intolerance of losing soldiers on the battlefield.
By Anonymous, At 2:10 PM
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