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Pilot a Plane with a PDA?
An anonymous reader writes "This whitepaper describes how engineers at IBM's Pervasive Computing Advanced Technology Laboratory created a Linux-based, intelligent, remote control system for a model airplane as a way to showcase gateway server technology. The onboard computer controls various navigational equipment and interfaces to a wireless access point and PDA. The user can control the plane through handheld wireless technology. A 3-dimensional virtual flight environment tracks the plane's flight and provides a gps-based autopilot function. The environment is based on LandSAT maps and gives the user a virtual view of the flight from the cockpit of the plane, which can be augmented by real-time updates from an onboard camera. The article briefly introduces "gateway server" concepts, describes the embedded hardware and software architecture, explains how the IBM developers implemented the control systems, and includes lots of cool photos."
Whoa! Sorry about that, I wrote "PULL UP! PULLL UP!" but the PDA kept passing it to the plane as "Bull QD1" "Bull QD1"
"Can of worms? The can is open... the worms are everywhere."
They've always been called "Palm Pilots", haven't they? What else would you use one for?
...Nothing interesting here. Just move along...
Maybe they have been getting their ideas from The New Yorker Magazine
Now all we need is a "model" bomb to go with the model airplane and wire it through a cell phone instead of Wi-Fi for greater ranger.
Whats the address of RIAA headquarters again?
"Can you hear me NOW !?! HUH?! HUH?! HUH?!"
Oh yeah... "What's The Fucking Point?"
It's fun for the inventor. I could ask what the fucking point of TV, but the answer is its fun for the person watching it. At least with the PDA thing, the person is building and creating something.
but what does the pilot do during take-off when all electronic devices have to be shut off?