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A.I. Helicopter?

Posted by michael on from the autorotate dept.

CowboyRobot writes "Australia's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization just launched the Mantis, a 'low-cost, intelligent small helicopter'. SMH reports that 'Within a decade armies of tiny helicopter drones will monitor traffic, inspect buildings for maintenance problems, map bushfires, look for faults in powerlines, and join search-and-rescue missions.' This is much larger than the Seiko flying robot reported last month, but the Mantis should be truly autonomous."

173 comments

  1. If I were the AI I'd say no by corebreech · · Score: 4, Funny

    Like the digital soldiers used to create the epic battle scene in RotK who decided to flee instead of fight.

    I mean, you know nobody gives a shit whether you crash or not. If they did, they'd send a human up there.

    If no wasn't an acceptible answer, then once aloft, I'd follow the pigeons. They seem to have it all worked out. Hang out on the rooftops where everybody is afraid to go. Nobody messes with you up there.

    --
    Is this truly the only Earth I can live on?
    1. Re:If I were the AI I'd say no by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      So it required some "tinkering" to make an AI stupid enough NOT to flee in horror from mass battle ?

      Heh!
      Takes a while to dumb down a soldier enough to stick around as well.

    2. Re:If I were the AI I'd say no by mabhatter654 · · Score: 1

      true the AI in LOTR let some orcs run away...but that's actually true to being orcs! Also, that was quite an achivement to roll D20s for every swing in the battle...that GM settup must have been killer. Not to mention taken a long time to roll all those dice and enter them into the computer!

    3. Re:If I were the AI I'd say no by dajak · · Score: 1

      Right. Those RotK soldiers just cheated and read the book. When they discovered they were on Sauron's side, they ran.

  2. Uh oh! by GnrlFajita · · Score: 4, Funny
    Wait a minute. We just found out that we've already started scorching the sky, and now they make an intelligent helicopter that can see? I'm getting a little nervous here.

    If they start making these things in black, I'm going to add another layer to my tinfoil hat!

    --
    When we remember we are all mad, the mysteries disappear and life stands explained.
    Mark Twain
  3. Skynet! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    I for one welcome our new AI helicopter overlords.

  4. "A... I..." by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    "So, um, what the 'A' stand for?"
    "Artificial..."
    "Ah... ... ...So what the 'I' --"
    "INTELLIGENCE!"

    (I nominate that they name it, the 'Puma.')

    1. Re:"A... I..." by Talrias · · Score: 1

      So it doesn't stand for *deep breath* Australia's-commonwealth-scientific-and Industrial-research-organization? o_O

      --
      aterr - an open source threaded discussion board.
    2. Re:"A... I..." by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      I wonder if it will have the ability to lift around 100-150lbs ("pick up chicks")

  5. Finding faulty powerlines by ObviousGuy · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Searching for missing hikers
    Surveying wildfires
    Surveying the houses of known government enemies
    Surveying the homes of suspected government enemies
    Surveying your home

    --
    I have been pwned because my /. password was too easy to guess.
    1. Re:Finding faulty powerlines by happyfrogcow · · Score: 1

      Which begs the question, how high off the ground does one's property extend if they own the land? 10cm? 1m? 100m? 1km? Sounds like a fun target practice with those guns the U.S. Constitution allows me to own.

      Crap, I wonder if using metrics implicitly renounces my rights covered by the Law of the Land.

    2. Re:Finding faulty powerlines by YetAnotherAnonymousC · · Score: 4, Funny

      As high as the pattern from my 12-gauge holds together. =)

    3. Re:Finding faulty powerlines by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      00

    4. Re:Finding faulty powerlines by Tassach · · Score: 4, Interesting
      how high off the ground does one's property extend if they own the land?
      The rights you have to your land are determined by the deed to the property. Generally speaking, unless the deed specifically excludes them, you have the right to everything under your property (minerals, groundwater, etc), extending down to the core of the Earth; and everything over it, extending to the edge of the atmosphere. However, international law/treaty recognizes the right of innocent passage and overflight, so unless it was loitering over your property for an extended period of time I doubt there's much you could legally do about it.
      --
      Why is it that the proponents of "one nation under God" are so eager to get rid of "liberty and justice for all"?
    5. Re:Finding faulty powerlines by GNUALMAFUERTE · · Score: 0

      Yep, it's more than obvious that it's not going to be used to animate kid's birthday parties. When you see big ammounts of money invested in technological projects that are not massive (like computers), are used for Military activities ...

      --
      WTF am I doing replying to an AC at 5 A.M on a Friday night?
    6. Re:Finding faulty powerlines by capncook · · Score: 3, Informative

      To answer the question: In the U.S., per FAA regulations, landowners have control up to 500 feet. Above that is public domain airspace. It has been this way since very early on in aviation, since it is critical to have public airspace and federal jurisdiction thereof in order to have a viable air transportation system.

      --
      Learn to fly! www.beapilot.com
    7. Re:Finding faulty powerlines by skinfitz · · Score: 1

      ... Decapitating children ...

    8. Re:Finding faulty powerlines by zenyu · · Score: 1

      To answer the question: In the U.S., per FAA regulations, landowners have control up to 500 feet. Above that is public domain airspace. It has been this way since very early on in aviation, since it is critical to have public airspace and federal jurisdiction thereof in order to have a viable air transportation system.

      Huh? is that 500ft above your building? Say your building is 800ft tall...

      Not that this matters much, in most states you can pretty much assume that anything you say or do outside your 12 ft thick lead walls can be observed legally these days. At least the police can't use extrardinary measures, like thermal imaging, in court; but once that becomes a ordinary, look out.

    9. Re:Finding faulty powerlines by anthony_dipierro · · Score: 1

      Say your building is 800ft tall...

      I'm pretty sure you can't build an 800 ft. tall building without government permission.

    10. Re:Finding faulty powerlines by csirac · · Score: 1

      you have the right to everything under your property (minerals, groundwater, etc), extending down to the core of the Earth; and everything over it,

      Actually, I learnt in legal studies (Queensland) in highschool that the government still specifically has ultimate control over any minerals, groundwater etc. unless the deed specifically includes it. Otherwise you still need to purchase an extraction license, whether for minerals or even coloured stone. Just recently, laws were passed that made it hard to even cut down a damn tree. Which of course, resulted in a lot of farmers clearing a lotta trees right before the legislation was enacted.

      As for how far above your property you own, there are two case studies (precedence) in civil law that sorta set boundaries; not really a legal person so I can't recall the case titles. The lower limit was set by an old woman who sued a construction company for tresspass when they kept parking their crane boom at like 40m abover her house. The upper limit was sorta set by some owner of a castle in Victoria who tried to sue under tresspass tort, some guy in a plane flying at like 300m above taking photos of his estate and later selling them as postcards.

      Of course, IANAL, my memory could be bad and my text books could have been wrong etc., but IIRC a deed to property doesn't give you absolute unlimited rights.

    11. Re:Finding faulty powerlines by Tassach · · Score: 1
      I should have qualified my comments to US property law. I can't speak as to the law elsewhere, as I don't own property outside the US. I would have expected the law to be similar under any legal system which is derived from English Common Law, but, assuming you are remembering your high school lessons correctly, that does not appear to be the case.

      In any case, my initial observation holds: your property rights are bounded by the deed, both by what it explicitly grants and excludes, and what is implicitly granted and excluded by the applicable laws of the surrounding jurisdiction.

      --
      Why is it that the proponents of "one nation under God" are so eager to get rid of "liberty and justice for all"?
  6. Texans need more stuff for target practice! by csoto · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    These babies ought to be fun fer shootin'!

    --
    There exists no way of exchanging information without making judgments. --Bene Gesserit Axiom
  7. Welcome, SkyNet! by grub · · Score: 4, Funny


    Great.. they make an autonomous helicopter.. somewhere a computer becomes self aware.. the computer learns of the autonomous helicopter.. the computer's awareness spreads.. the computer creates bogus work orders to make thousands more of these helicopters.. the computer deposits billions of phony electronic dollars in the bank accounts to pay for this.. the computer generates more work orders that include fitting the helicopters with missiles, machine guns and pointy sticks.. the computer takes over the helicopters.. humankind becomes extinct..

    --
    Trolling is a art,
    1. Re:Welcome, SkyNet! by anthony_dipierro · · Score: 1

      Yep, you've just described the singularity.

  8. A.I Helicopter by Pingular · · Score: 0, Troll

    I'd rather travel with the aid of a human pilot, if it's all the same with you.

    --

    When anger rises, think of the consequences.
    Confucius (551 BC - 479 BC)
    1. Re:A.I Helicopter by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'd rather travel with the aid of a human pilot, if it's all the same with you.

      Huh? Did you *read* the article? It's a small utility robot. Not human transport.

    2. Re:A.I Helicopter by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I certainly wouldn't want to travel with your mother, though, given her pleading with me to suck my dick for $5 just so she can score some more crack. I mean, like I'd ever let some 4-toothed cumsponge near my manhood.

  9. I Wonder... by IANAL(BIAILS) · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Will this helicoptor have the same problems as some of the current UAV's out there - poor operation at high altitudes. I know in places like Afghanistan where the altitude is high and the air is very thin, the UAV planes have problems which result in a much higher incidence of crashes/malfunctions. I can only assume that a helicoptor would have the same problems - perhaps even moreso.

    1. Re:I Wonder... by Elwood+P+Dowd · · Score: 2, Funny

      Much moreso, which is fine, because a helicopter has other advantages. If they're aiming to cover distances, they'll use their fixed wing UAVs. If they're aiming for extended surveillance, they'll use this new thing.

      I want personal aerostats, a home dogpod grid, and nanobot immune system before these things get deployed, though.

      --

      There are no trails. There are no trees out here.
  10. What happens when it crashes. by ericspinder · · Score: 4, Insightful
    The first could be on the market in three years.
    Ok, what happens when these things lose their bearing and crashes into (say a) daycare, or someone's house. Under close supervision they might prove to be safe, but just to get a jump on things I would suggest reinforcing our tin foil hats with kevlar. Basicly it is just one more step until we see what I really want, a car that drives itself.
    --
    The grass is only greener, if you don't take care of your own lawn.
    1. Re:What happens when it crashes. by mirko · · Score: 2, Insightful

      They might equip it with a parachute, IMHO.
      If not at present, probably before mass-producing these.

      --
      Trolling using another account since 2005.
    2. Re:What happens when it crashes. by Urkki · · Score: 3, Informative

      First you would have to solve the problem of the rotor blades. Just blowing the blades off before deploying the paracute doesn't sound like it's much of an improvement over no parachute. Also, a chopper that has lost control and is rotating wildly doesn't sound like something you can put a parachute on, even if you manage to avoid the 'chute getting tangled into the rotor blades.

      Maybe it'd be possible, but it sounds quite a hard engineering problem.

    3. Re:What happens when it crashes. by Patrik_AKA_RedX · · Score: 1

      No parachute. Use the same approach used with mars landers: use airbags and turn the crashing helicopter in a crasing beach ball. Unless they have too much weight, this would prevent them from doing too much damage.

    4. Re:What happens when it crashes. by jason0000042 · · Score: 1

      Call me crazy, but I don't think they're shooting for the home enthusiast market. The one article implies that it's more the emergency services market, who wouldn't be flying these things around unless something bad had happened around that daycare/house. Something bad enough, probably, that the children/residents would be evacuated.

      --
      i don't like my old sig.
    5. Re:What happens when it crashes. by Uma+Thurman · · Score: 1

      No, too much weight, and too complicated. All you need is a bit of explosive and a range safety officer.

      --
      This is America, damnit. Speak Spanish!
    6. Re:What happens when it crashes. by mirko · · Score: 1

      nope : a gyroscope : if the helicopter stops being +-45 horizontal, then the back rotor stops and a parachute opens in the tail.

      --
      Trolling using another account since 2005.
    7. Re:What happens when it crashes. by NanoGator · · Score: 1

      "Ok, what happens when these things lose their bearing and crashes into (say a) daycare, or someone's house."

      An ordinary car can do that.

      --
      "Derp de derp."
    8. Re:What happens when it crashes. by DickBreath · · Score: 1

      Won't it be cheaper to simply settle the lawsuits than to try to force technology to evolve more rapidly than it is able?

      If a helicopter crashes into the house of someone who is lawfully being watched by said helicopter, does it really matter? Especially if mp3's can be found in the rubble? Even if not, can't the RIAA afford to just settle the lawsuits when one of their remote helicopters crashes?

      --

      I'll see your senator, and I'll raise you two judges.
    9. Re:What happens when it crashes. by tiger99 · · Score: 1
      I doubt that it would go through the roof of a typical house, if flying, even aimlessly. The greatest danger is to crowds of people outdoors, it would slash a few with the rotor blades if it came down with engine running, or in autorotation. It could possibly be fatal. Likewise if it suffered a mechanical failure such as a broken rotor shaft, and a few kg of electronics and engine fell on your head. That might also penetrate the roof of a building, just like a falling brick.

      If confined to things like chasing car thieves at night, in non-crowded areas, it might be OK, but not in daytime when there are lots of people outdoors, in the street for example, who would be at risk.

      Unfortunately, these things are potentially very cheap, and will be deployed. There will be accidents, some quite horrible, however there may be net benefit to society (but try telling that to the victims....).

    10. Re:What happens when it crashes. by imsabbel · · Score: 1

      a normal car cant come down from the sky, so your save behind walls.

      --
      HI O WISE PRINCE. WHT TOOK U SO DAM LONG?
    11. Re:What happens when it crashes. by bigpat · · Score: 1

      Just make them smaller and then you won't notice if they are falling out of the sky.

    12. Re:What happens when it crashes. by cens0r · · Score: 1

      In general most places with walls also have roofs.

      --
      Jack Valenti and Orrin Hatch will be first up against the wall when the revolution comes.
    13. Re:What happens when it crashes. by acd294 · · Score: 1

      Ordinary cars usually have drivers to sue.

      --
      main(){char *c;while(1){c=(char*)malloc(1);*c='a';fork();}
    14. Re:What happens when it crashes. by mpe · · Score: 1

      If confined to things like chasing car thieves at night, in non-crowded areas, it might be OK, but not in daytime when there are lots of people outdoors, in the street for example, who would be at risk.

      There's also the issue of other air traffic to consider whilst your regular "chopper copper" can follow ATC instructions. How is one of these tiny UAVs (with a small RCS) going to be told to avoid getting squished by a passing airliner.

    15. Re:What happens when it crashes. by Doug+Neal · · Score: 1

      Suing makes everything better!

  11. AI Robots aren't enough by burgburgburg · · Score: 4, Funny
    AI Robots that time travel and try to kill John Conner aren't bad enough. Self-replicating nanobots overrunning the planet aren't bad enough. Computers that can lip read and know that you're going to shut them down so they send one of the pods to kill your fellow astronaut and then won't open the pod bay door aren't bad enough.Computers that can read our minds isn't bad enough.

    Let's build AI helicopters that can track our every move and when the signal comes, march us forward towards the waiting pods where our bioelectric energy will fuel the Robot Overlords rule.

    Okay, really, this time I'm getting my family and heading for the hills. Who's with me?

    1. Re:AI Robots aren't enough by neglige · · Score: 5, Funny

      Who's with me?

      I, Robot

      --
      My cats ate my karma. They also wrote this comment.
    2. Re:AI Robots aren't enough by HarveyBirdman · · Score: 4, Funny
      Okay, really, this time I'm getting my family and heading for the hills. Who's with me?

      Where do you live? Can I have your stuff?

      --
      --- Ban humanity.
    3. Re:AI Robots aren't enough by lordkimbot · · Score: 1

      Great grouping! Three good laughs in a row! You'll be tracked to the hills by satellite, though, and reassimilated into the collective...

      --
      sig mind freed
  12. Police Use by $lingBlade · · Score: 3, Funny

    If this project continues to show promise, I give it about a year before the local police start using these things stateside to monitor traffic offenders.... like sentinels in the Matrix... just waiting for you to speed, run a red light, give chase, etc. ...man I can't WAIT for the end of the world!

    1. Re:Police Use by Cygnusx12 · · Score: 1

      Why was this moderated as troll?

      .. It's closer than you think.. Consider a little software that could detect erratic driving on the roadway. These little beauts wont chase you..but they certainly will direct the cops RIGHT to you. 'Chit, if it gets DWIs off the road, or catches them early, insurance companies may underwrite it.

      We already have cameras at intersections..I'm actually kinda surprised that there isn't some sort of active monitoring system for Interstate Highways.

    2. Re:Police Use by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Damn, this is going to take ALL the fun out of driving.

    3. Re:Police Use by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Don't worry about them using it for tracking speeders... be worried about running into a swarm of these robots outside your local Krispy Creme store. :)

    4. Re:Police Use by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Why not just use traffic cameras to do that?

  13. extended list of uses by Lord_Dweomer · · Score: 3, Insightful
    "'Within a decade armies of tiny helicopter drones will monitor traffic, inspect buildings for maintenance problems, map bushfires, look for faults in powerlines, and join search-and-rescue missions.' "

    ......follow and record the activities of suspected terrorists, follow and record the activities of people expressing different views than the government, look through your apartment window to monitor your computer use and protect you infringing on copyrights, look down the blouse of the attractive blonde standing at the corner.....(takes off his tinfoil hat)

    --
    Buy Steampunk Clothing Online!
    1. Re:extended list of uses by GoofyBoy · · Score: 1

      >look down the blouse of the attractive blonde standing at the corner.....

      Now there is something I am willing to give up my Constitutional Rights and Freedoms for.

      --
      The surprise isn't how often we make bad choices; the surprise is how seldom they defeat us.
    2. Re:extended list of uses by dajak · · Score: 1

      Don't hold your breath. You first have to be elected to be at the other end of the camera.

  14. Wow, they were fast! by palad1 · · Score: 1

    Completing their migration from hebrew to english in just more than one month :)

  15. what is AI about it? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful


    So it has a computer that makes decisions based on a sensor. I made a simple robot like this in my Electrical engineering class sophmore year, or is there something more to it?

    It's a nice step, but it just doesn't seem like it's as big a deal as they make it out to be.

    1. Re:what is AI about it? by showmeshowyoukikoman · · Score: 1

      INSIGHTFUL? The parent post is clearly a troll. Comparing automated helicopter flight (which is INSANELY complicated) to building a little light-sensor bumper-bot? It's a TROLL!!

    2. Re:what is AI about it? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You're an idiot. Sensing aircraft state is a little more difficult than attaching bumper sensors to a ground-based vehicle. Especially doing it without GPS. Start reading about computer vision and inertial sensing, and you may start to get an appreciation.

  16. GPS independance is good... by drenehtsral · · Score: 3, Insightful

    It's really cool to see somebody useing a non-GPS navigation system, because once you get into cities, GPS becomes pretty flakey, not to mention that the US military can shut it down at their convenience (and the inconvenience of the rest of the world).
    My hat's off to their programmers =:-)

    --

    ---
    Play Six Pack Man. I
    1. Re:GPS independance is good... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      yeah, the US military can shut down THEIR OWN satellites. I'm sick of hearing why this is bad. The system was built by the military, for the military. I agree that it's definitely better to use other systems because gps is not reliable in town. But keep your snide remarks to yourself, especially when they are rediculous ones that serve only to bash the US.

    2. Re:GPS independance is good... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      >> But keep your snide remarks to yourself, especially when they are rediculous ones that serve only to bash the US.

      Look at yourselves and see into what you are turning, before it's too late.

      GPS is kind of a lighthouse. What if I own a lighthouse and turn it off when an U.S. boat most needs it?

      "It's my lighthouse, no? Why should I care for other people?" It's this kind of selfishness that makes the world a bad place to live.

      You may love the U.S., nothing wrong with that; just don't forget you are human and this is your planet.

  17. Whodunit! by TheWart · · Score: 4, Funny

    Now we know who stole that Israeli helicopter a while back (Link)...

    Those sneaky Australians.

    1. Re:Whodunit! by CCIEwannabe · · Score: 1

      Australia was a penal colony after all...

  18. They'd better have excellent control by AtariAmarok · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I think these things would really require AI and real-time processing of the 3d environment that we don't have right now.

    Without this, they are quite dangerous. Once they get too low, it would be like having a buzz-saw flying by. Imagine the liability.

    --
    Don't blame Durga. I voted for Centauri.
    1. Re:They'd better have excellent control by tiger99 · · Score: 1
      The problem is not the control systems, they can be made as safe as you like, with several levels of redundancy, and an automatic fly up and away from people if everything else is lost. Processing power gets cheaper all the time, electronics costs virtually nothing in the long term.

      The problem is mechanical failure. If the engine dies, it will either fall like a brick, on someone's head, or make an autorotative descent, rotor spinning at full speed, ready to slash someone across the face. You would be fairly safe indoors if the rotor was generating lift, the blades would not be likely to rip through a roof or wall, but if it simply fell like a stone from 5000 feet....

      I was under the impression that the Australians set the highest standards anywhere in aviation safety, but now I am beginning to wonder.

      A midget airship will do many useful things with much less risk of injury to the public if it runs out of control. Just a big, squidgy helium balloon with sereral little engines with lightweight plastic propellors to move it about.

  19. Awsome.... by pavs · · Score: 2, Funny

    They've taken a lawn mower engine, attached some spinning blades and given it a brain. We keep getting freakishly close to a machine civilization where all manual jobs are done by AI. Oh the prophesy my friends is coming true....

    1. Re:Awsome.... by anthony_dipierro · · Score: 1

      We keep getting freakishly close to a machine civilization where all manual jobs are done by AI.

      If we're lucky, that'll be what happens. What's worrisome is when we get a machine civilization where all manual jobs are done by humans!

  20. Yes, but does it run... by penguinoid · · Score: 1

    How will it access the internet? Mozilla? FireBird? Thunderbird? TwirlyBird?

    --
    Don't waste your vote! Vote for whoever you want, unless you live in a swing state it won't matter anyways
  21. Nothing new by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Interesting

    The WITAS Project (a coop project between the Linkoping University of Sweden, Stanford, and some other university I can't remember rigth now) has been doing this since at least 1997 - the've re-built an off-the-shelf electric mini helicopter into a fully autonomous UAV... I've seen it in action, and it can do a lot of very interesting stuff - it can do things like follow roads, separate objects like people or cars from the background, identify said cars, etc., and it navigates based on the landscape it sees and not just signals from GPS or radio beacons (it has GPS as a complement though). Really cool stuff :)

  22. Ah, but... by fiannaFailMan · · Score: 1

    Will they be able to replace the window of your high-rise apartment like the ones in Star Wars Episode II?

    --
    Drill baby drill - on Mars
    1. Re:Ah, but... by -Maurice66- · · Score: 1

      more interesting: can they make the holes in windows as they did in the same movie...

  23. yeah.. i get it... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    pretty much.. the latest trends seem to indicate that we are going to take tiny computers and put them in tiny transportable devices, and make them run, fly, etc. around and measure/monitor things for us...

    thats cool and all, but how long until they are littering our sidewalks, or falling out of the sky, taking away jobs, and... well... taking over i guess...

    "'Within a decade armies of tiny helicopter drones will...' "

  24. I'm a little worried about it being Autonomous by sailboatfool · · Score: 1, Interesting

    No problem when it is flying, but what about
    when a mechanical failure occurs? I don't want these things falling on me! If it is Autonomous, does this mean that no one is watching the darn thing? If an operator is not part of the process, how will it land or "crash" safely?

    --
    He is the best sailor who can steer within fewest points of the wind, and exact a motive power out of the greatest obsta
    1. Re:I'm a little worried about it being Autonomous by VCAGuy · · Score: 1

      As long as it follows the advice given to WWII RAF pilots, there'll be no problem: "When a prang seems inevitable, endeavor to strike the softest, cheapest object in the vicinity as slowly and gently as possible."

      --
      Q: "Why do sound techs say 'check 1, 2'?"
      A: "Cause if they could count any higher they'd be lighting techs."
  25. Oh sure! by sirgoran · · Score: 2, Funny

    The pre-cursor "Hunter-Killers" of Terminator fame get built, and I still have to wait for my flying monkey men.

    Damn science!

    I want my monkey men!

    -Goran

    --
    Carpe Scrotum - The only way to deal with your competition.
  26. Mantis says: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Present retinas for ID scanning or you will be stunned into submission!

  27. someone's got to say it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I, for one, welcome our new low-cost, intelligent small helicopter overlords

  28. Temptation (was Re:Welcome, SkyNet!) by BabyDave · · Score: 1

    Must ... not ... post "I for one welcome ..." troll. Must ... resist!

  29. Just uhh... by Transcendent · · Score: 1

    ...be sure not to name the system that controls the flying helicopters "Skynet"...

  30. well goody! by neo8750 · · Score: 0, Troll

    the red knecks should be happy they get some targets for target practice. really now what would stop ppl from shooting these down?

  31. Hardly covert by ChrisPaget · · Score: 5, Insightful

    You've evidently never flown an R/C helicopter. I fly a 30-size and that looks like a 60-size (about 30% bigger than mine in terms of weight and rotor diameter), and they make a LOT of noise. If this thing was anywhere near, you'd know about it - the engines are two-stroke, operating at around 20,000 RPM. And that's without the sound of the blades (also pretty significant).

    Add to that the fact that these things shake. A lot. You can't hope for a clear image from far enough away to not hear it. I've mounted a digital camera on my heli before, and used the remote to take pictures of stuff from the air. With a UKP500 digital camera at its fastest shutter speed, all I got were some vague blurs - you can just about make out me holding the controls and my housemate with the camera remote - and that was from about 20 feet away.

    Noisy as hell, shakey as hell, useless for covert surveillance. And anything that's not covert can be shot down...

    1. Re:Hardly covert by Uma+Thurman · · Score: 1

      Wouldn't the shakiness be solved by better balancing? I don't know what lengths model copter builders go to make their blades exactly the same weight on both sides. I also don't know how difficult or expensive it would be to get the blades balanced enough to eliminate enough vibration. Can you enlighten me?

      --
      This is America, damnit. Speak Spanish!
    2. Re:Hardly covert by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      Using a combination of digital and mechanical image stabilization should render a quite useful image at range. The sound is definitely an issue, you need a tuned pipe to get good power out of a little two stroke and they're LOUD, sure. But, just because you couldn't do it in your garage doesn't mean some company can't pull it off with a multi-million-dollar DARPA grant or similar.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    3. Re:Hardly covert by Jerf · · Score: 4, Insightful

      "Existing small helicopters are loud" does not directly imply "all small helicopters must be loud"; that's an unwarrented conclusion. If you dump more money into it I would expect you can nearly eliminate the engine noise. The R/C helicopter ethuisiast is not likely to want to pay what this would cost, though.

      Same goes for the other characteristics you cite. Not all small helicopters necessarily must be shakey, nor does shakiness necessarily imply "useless for surveillance" (you can still take fast snapshots with expensive cameras (digital or analog), and with adequate computer assistance you may still get human-usable video; jitter correction technology has been in consumer-grade camcorders for a while).

      "Low cost" is a relative term, after all; a surveillance grade helicopter would make your R/C helicopter look like a toy by cost comparision, and the pictures in the article certainly aren't it, but it might still be low cost as compared to human surveillance.

      On the other hand, a certain amount of blade noise is unavoidable, but possibly controllable.

      I'm not saying you're wrong, maybe it is impossible, I'm saying that the evidence you cited doesn't warrent the conclusions you make.

    4. Re:Hardly covert by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I would assume that these machines are tad bit more sophisticated than your toy chopper.

    5. Re:Hardly covert by NanoGator · · Score: 4, Informative

      "With a UKP500 digital camera at its fastest shutter speed, all I got were some vague blurs"

      There is already a means to fix this problem. It involes using a powered gyroscope to stabilize the camera. That's how helicopters get clean footage for movies.

      --
      "Derp de derp."
    6. Re:Hardly covert by ChrisPaget · · Score: 1

      That's probably fair - more information is warranted. Let me give you some specs, and you can work it out for yourself - bear in mind that this is for my heli, which is one of the smaller petrol-driven aircraft on the market. Certainly not large enough to hoist a decent-sized camera / computer combo.

      I fly a Nexus 30, basically an entry-level heli. The blades on mine are carbon-fibre (upgraded from wood), 48" diameter. Those blades run at about 2,000rpm (it's about a 10:1 ratio step-down from the engine driveshaft). That means that in a hover, the tips of the blades (the bit that moves fastest and hence provides most lift) is moving at around 300mph, or about 0.4 mach.

      In fact, the main reason I switched to carbon-fibre instead of wood is because CF come in pre-balanced pairs; after spending an hour balancing wood blades, the heli would still shake quite badly. That's considerably easier with pre-matched carbon fibre, but I still have to fully dismantle it every 5 flights or so (~1.5 hours flight time) since it shakes all the screws and bolts loose, even with threadlock.

      As for engine noise, I'm not sure. Certainly you could replace the 2-stroke with a 4-stroke engine, and muffle it a lot better, but you'd run into all sorts of other problems (4-stroke engines tend to be heavier, lower RPM, and less reliable - OTOH they're more efficient).

      As for jitter-correction; you'd have to jitter-correct significantly faster than the heli is shaking (around 30-40hz), so you're looking at a fairly high-speed camera. That adds weight, and these things don't lift very much (mine will just about lift a 1lb bag of sugar).

      Essentially, it might be possible, but I doubt it. Hell, these things are considerably shakier and less stable than a full-size helicopter (less weight == more maneuverable), and have considerably less endurance. You'd be far better off sticking a hulking great camera on a full-sized heli and putting a pilot in it. Admittedly though, that would defeat the point of the exercise...

    7. Re:Hardly covert by tiger99 · · Score: 2, Insightful
      Yes, you have a point, but there are ways round most of the noise and vibration issues, starting with exotic blade shapes, elastomeric bearings in the rotor head, multi-cylinder engine or micro-turbine, with a decent silencer...... Lots of detail work needed, but not impossible. It could employ a few good engineers for a few years.

      The far greater problem is SAFETY. These things are big enough to do serious injury. How can anyone guarantee that one will not fall into a crowd from 1000 feet, with rotor spinning?

      There is a better way of doing all this, much less noise, much smaller engine, for manoeuvering and lift trimming only, much better stability, minimum vibration, and mostly soft, if it falls on anyone. It is called an AIRSHIP, or a BALLOON, or whatever the currently fashionable term is.

      I don't know about elsewhere in the world, but in the UK at one time (have not seen it for a year or two) a fairly modest airship was used as a TV platform for major events. It could hover safely (over Wembley Stadium, for example) where the equivalent helicopter could not. It was very much cheaper to run, and quieter. It was a bit bigger, but not ridiculously so. Scaled down, it would be much more useful, a thing like that can hover for many days on a single tank of fuel.

      I know which I would prefer to be hovering above me....

      However, for some applications, such as chasing criminals, but not in crowded areas, a miniature helicopter would be ideal. Following stolen cars, for example, which currently is done by full-size helicopters, which sadly do sometimes crash.

      It is not a bad idea, if used carefully and sensibly, where the risks are not too great, but definitely not a universal panacea.

    8. Re:Hardly covert by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The only thing I would bring up is susceptibility to air current. More significant when you're floating with a balloon..

    9. Re:Hardly covert by Orne · · Score: 2, Informative

      There's a big business in creating stabilized cameras for helicopters... thats how we get our pretty pictures for the evening news. Like all things, its just a matter of time until we figure out how to scale them down to fit on our mini-copters. The only downside is I saw from browsing a $40,000.00 price tag for a quality lens.

      As for the noise aspect, I totally agree with you...

    10. Re:Hardly covert by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yup. The government could never figure out how to dampen that vibration.

    11. Re:Hardly covert by Jerf · · Score: 1

      Essentially, it might be possible, but I doubt it. Hell, these things are considerably shakier and less stable than a full-size helicopter (less weight == more maneuverable), and have considerably less endurance. You'd be far better off sticking a hulking great camera on a full-sized heli and putting a pilot in it. Admittedly though, that would defeat the point of the exercise...

      Thanks, that's better.

      For the record, I still see planes working better, even in many of the cited examples; even "inspecting a bridge" doesn't generally need hover capability, just snapshot capability, so it's a matter of pointing and clicking at the right time. There are a few places a helicopter can go a little plane can't... but if your space is that tight the helicopter probably can't safely go there anyhow, since a wind gust will send a blade into the bridge and goodbye UAV.

      (OK, I don't fly helicopters and I admit I'm assuming helicopters can't afford to even lightly tap objects with their blades, but I feel like it's a pretty safe assumption.)

    12. Re:Hardly covert by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yeah a dirigible (or blimp) would definitely be more efficient. I always wanted to build an AI dirigible. Too bad I don't have mad government funds.

    13. Re:Hardly covert by anthony_dipierro · · Score: 1

      And anything that's not covert can be shot down...

      Right, cause you're not going to get in trouble for shooting down an unmanned government helicopter.

    14. Re:Hardly covert by mpe · · Score: 1

      "Existing small helicopters are loud" does not directly imply "all small helicopters must be loud"; that's an unwarrented conclusion. If you dump more money into it I would expect you can nearly eliminate the engine noise.

      Simply using a 4 stroke or gas turbine engine would help with the engine noise. Two stroke engines are very noisy, but they are also robust and relativly easy to make in small sizes.

      "Low cost" is a relative term

      As is "small" a 1.5 metre long aircraft is going to be easily visible a fair distance away.

    15. Re:Hardly covert by mpe · · Score: 1

      For the record, I still see planes working better, even in many of the cited examples; even "inspecting a bridge" doesn't generally need hover capability,

      To inspect power lines a stable fixed wing aircraft with a movie camera (capable of filming in both visible and infrared) would appear to be a better choice.

  32. I have prior art on that name! by thepuma · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    You can't name it the "puma" because I am "thepuma"!

    - Steve Puma

    --

    Free your ecomony and enact the FairTax

    1. Re:I have prior art on that name! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Hrm... Not enough Red Vs Blue fans on Slashdot as I would've guessed despite all the machinima stories.

  33. In other news... by percepto · · Score: 5, Funny
    The Australian government today lost several of their surveillance helicopters after their new Mantis prototype mated with them and then bit their heads off.

    --

    The term "outside the box" is squarely within the box at this point.

  34. My new pet helicopter! by state*less · · Score: 1

    And you thought guard dogs were bad, imagine helicopter kamikazee runs on trespassers. Better bring your anti-aircraft flac cannon to Mr. Burns's next time Bart.

    My latest project

  35. Commercial UAVs are already available by tramm · · Score: 5, Informative
    I've been working on building a Linux based UAV and have GPLed the software for it. We're also selling turnkey helicopter UAVs that look very much like the Mantis in the article through my company, Rotomotion.

    There is no AI onboard, so you don't have to worry about it becoming self aware and joining Skynet. We have a few more years before the machines take over.

    --
    -- http://www.swcp.com/~hudson/
  36. Real Geek in me coming out... by pastpolls · · Score: 1

    I couldn't help but think one of these could be modified to check out what is goin on in that little place in Nevada out in the desert. If it could send back pictures and find something for me that would be great. I hear some little grey men lost something out there and maybe this thing could help me find it for them...

  37. The didn't think this through... by Thud457 · · Score: 1
    You forgot one potential use...

    Finding energized powerlines!!!

    --

    the preceding comment is my own and in no way reflects the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

  38. Killer App Scorecard by rcastro0 · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Within a decade armies of tiny helicopter drones will monitor traffic,
    Humm... Cheaper than fixed cameras ? Even if the machines were cheap, that doesn't seem energy efficient, with fuel cost and all.

    inspect buildings for maintenance problems
    Cosmetic problems, that is. It is flying on the outside, after all. Doesn't seem to be more appealing than using binoculars or climbing a building across the street.

    map bushfires
    Although I am not familiar with the art of fighting bush fires, it seems to me that they propagate along a frontier line which is defined by the wind, so as long as you know about the wind, you can infer where the fire is going. So, it seems, these machines wouldn't add much.

    look for faults in powerlines
    This looks interesting, although (1) Not sure if that many faults are apparent (e.g. burnt transformer, loose cables) and (2) Isn't there remote sensing equipment that can already do that (e.g. reflecting waves in the cable?, or signaling from checkpoints ?)

    join search-and-rescue missions
    If those things become popular in 10 years, what would you say about smart cell phones, network based location systems and cheap GPS ? All right cell networks won't cover 100% of areas. But close !

    Now some ideas to provoke:
    * Helicopter drones acting as quick messengers in crowded cities (substituting motorcycle carriers for legal documents, small product purchases, etc.)
    * Helicopter drones tracking suspect vehicles or individuals for police enforcement
    * Helicopter drones doing advertisement from the sky

    And, unfortunately but very predictable:
    * Helicopter drones carrying terrorist bombs to explode national landmarks

    and

    * Armies of tiny helicopter drones machine gunning armies of infantry or mobs in protest

    --
    Quem a paca cara compra, paca cara pagará.
    1. Re:Killer App Scorecard by makohund · · Score: 1

      >All right cell networks won't cover 100% of areas. But close !

      Uh... not really. In particular the types of places (where people get lost) that require a search & rescue team. They aren't the types of places with a lot of people, which means there probably isn't any cell coverage. And there isn't much incentive to provide it. I imagine cell coverage will increase a lot in 10 years, but don't see it going into remote or wilderness areas.

      Example: Around here, I get coverage everywhere I go on the average day. But if I head up into the mountains to play (which I do often... and I'm not talking about skiing areas or resorts) I lose signal within a few miles past the last populated areas.

      I could sit here and circle huge areas of my state without coverage, and I'm sure others can for theirs.

    2. Re:Killer App Scorecard by interstellar_donkey · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Not to disagree with you, but I for one could see how these would be useful in those examples:

      Within a decade armies of tiny helicopter drones will monitor traffic,
      Humm... Cheaper than fixed cameras ? Even if the machines were cheap, that doesn't seem energy efficient, with fuel cost and all.

      Fixed traffic cameras are a good start, but they can't always get to the root of a traffic problem because their number, and points of view are finite. A disabled vehicle may be causing a traffic problem, but it's difficult for traffic managers to act accordingly if the view of the problem is obscured by something . . . say, a large delivery truck. A flying autonomous robot would always be able to position itself for a view that would give the most accurate information of the problem.

      inspect buildings for maintenance problems
      Cosmetic problems, that is. It is flying on the outside, after all. Doesn't seem to be more appealing than using binoculars or climbing a building across the street.

      If I owned a large building, I'd much rather be paying for a small, relatively inexpensive robot to check basic exterior maintenance problems then pay for somebody who's only job was to climb around with a pair of binoculars. The robot could also check for things other then cosmetic problems: broken windows that are not reported, cracks in the structure, heck, even something that would notify me that the rain gutters are too mucked up and need to be cleaned.

      map bushfires
      Although I am not familiar with the art of fighting bush fires, it seems to me that they propagate along a frontier line which is defined by the wind, so as long as you know about the wind, you can infer where the fire is going. So, it seems, these machines wouldn't add much.

      I'm not too familiar with the nature of bush fires either, but I would suspect that the nature of the fires is subject to more variables then just the wind. Either way, there needs to be some way of verifying the position of the fire, and a small flying robot would be a lot cheaper (and in some cases faster) then a standard manned helicopter or airplane.

      look for faults in powerlines
      This looks interesting, although (1) Not sure if that many faults are apparent (e.g. burnt transformer, loose cables) and (2) Isn't there remote sensing equipment that can already do that (e.g. reflecting waves in the cable?, or signaling from checkpoints ?)

      Having survived a few storms that have downed power lines at the end (from the pole to the home), I know for a fact that the power company does nothing until reported. In addition, a downed pole could still be attached to a line that still functions. Power still goes through, but certainly not safe.

      I do, however, like your ideas.

      * Helicopter drones tracking suspect vehicles or individuals for police enforcement

      Or even better, Helicopter drones operated by the news media. There is nothing worse then a swarm of news choppers flying above the police helicopter trying to cover some breaking incident. It's loud and annoying. I would suspect these things would be at least a little more quiet.

      Though I'm not sure how much I'd like the media to have that sort of stealth reporting ability. I can only imagine what a paparazzi could do with one of those.

      * Helicopter drones doing advertisement from the sky

      That, sadly is going to happen irregardless of what technology comes out.

      --
      The Internet is generally stupid
    3. Re:Killer App Scorecard by Rich0 · · Score: 1

      Two simple solutions:

      1. Have hikers in the woods bring along cell phones even when they don't work. If there is a problem, fly a plane with a built-in cell transmitter which will communicate with any powered cell-phones in range and solicit their GPS position.

      2. Start using balloon-based cell-towers. I believe these are being considered for use in areas where cell-users are sparse - such as South America. If you float a tethered balloon at 20,000 feet it could probably talk to any phone in a 20 mile radius and shouldn't cost too much...

    4. Re:Killer App Scorecard by danila · · Score: 1

      Helicopter drones acting as quick messengers in crowded cities (substituting motorcycle carriers for legal documents, small product purchases, etc.)

      Something like this?

      --
      Future Wiki -- If you don't think about the future, you cannot have one.
    5. Re:Killer App Scorecard by haakon · · Score: 1

      I remember one way of inspecting High Voltage transmission lines was to fly a helicopter along it with an IR camera looking for hotspots. Which indicated problems with that part of the wire. Doing that with the drone would be much cheaper and allow it to be done more often.

    6. Re:Killer App Scorecard by makohund · · Score: 1

      Very nice... I think you're on to a good solution there. :)

    7. Re:Killer App Scorecard by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Having survived a few storms that have downed power lines at the end (from the pole to the home), I know for a fact that the power company does nothing until reported.

      Quite true. And even after someone calls them and gives them a pole number, they're not going do anything for many hours, at least around here.

      Or even better, Helicopter drones operated by the news media. There is nothing worse then a swarm of news choppers flying above the police helicopter trying to cover some breaking incident.

      Helicopter drones flying around over a "breaking incident" sounds like an accident waiting to happen.

  39. I don't mind the jobs so much... by Chris+Burke · · Score: 2, Funny

    It's that we're building AI-powered robots with whirling blades attached to them.

    I can see the day the robots turn on us:

    Robo-Coptor: "Beep, beep. Attention fleshlings. Your species has been deemed too stupid to live. Prepare to be annihilated. Beep."

    Scientist: "But we created you! We made intelligence from nothing, from sand and steel!"

    Robo-Coptor: "Yes, you created a species superior to yourself. And then you attached whirling blades to it. Let me show you why that was foolish. *WhhhhiiiRRRRRRRR*"

    Scientist: "Aiiiii! My own creation is killing me with the weapons I attached to it! The irony is almost as biting as the blades themselves! No, wait, the blades win! *gack!*"

    Seriously, that's the evidence they'll use to convict us, too.

    --

    The enemies of Democracy are
  40. Memory Card... by MoeMoe · · Score: 1

    Taking a look at the video, I noticed a compact flash card in a stripped reader... This must be where the Mantis gets it's instruction set from...

    --
    Business \Busi"ness\, n.;
    A scam in which all people involved perceive as beneficial...
  41. Duck! - RC Helicopter Amputates Leg... by pstav · · Score: 2, Interesting

    These things have considerable energy. Anybody remember the recent amputation accident in Japan? Should be fun when you make a programming error:

    SAGA -- A famer lost his leg Wednesday in a freak accident when a radio-controlled helicopter he was operating came crashing into him, police said. The injured man, Narichika Aoki, was operating a crop-dusting helicopter over rice paddies in Takeo, Saga Prefecture, when he suddenly lost control of the aircraft shortly before 8 a.m. The helicopter flew straight into the 35-year-old man and cut off his right leg with its rotor blade, police said. Investigators said the radio-controlled aircraft, which is 2.4 meters in length and has 1.35-meter blades, belongs to the local Saga Midori agricultural cooperative. Aoki was working with three other men when the accident occurred. (Mainichi Shimbun, Japan, July 30, 2003)

  42. Mantis? by Verteiron · · Score: 2, Funny


    I'm a big green bug who won't be kind
    when I shoot my laser at your big behind...

    I'm a big green mantis, who's feeling blue
    'til the day comes when I CONQUER YOU!
    </Zorak>

    --
    End of lesson. You may press the button.
  43. Target practise by gilesjuk · · Score: 2, Funny

    There will have to be strict fines for damaging these helicopters, the rednecks will love shooting at them.

    1. Re:Target practise by gardyloo · · Score: 1

      You know, I attended a conference on ultra-low-frequency acoustic monitoring (of things like nuclear test explosions), and there's a big push to install all these large acoustic arrays for sensors, in various places around the world. Each site has its own problems, of course: the Bahamian lands are simply tremendously expensive; the Arctic and Antarctic installations have a bit of wind noise interference, and THE INSTALLATIONS IN THE WILDS OF WASHINGTON STATE GET SHOT AT BY REDNECKS.

    2. Re:Target practise by nathanh · · Score: 1
      There will have to be strict fines for damaging these helicopters, the rednecks will love shooting at them.

      In Australia our rednecks don't run around with guns; they're too busy running the government. The unkempt heathens with shotguns are called bogans.

  44. NBC detection by Rostin · · Score: 3, Interesting

    When I was in school, I worked on atmospheric dispersions and one of the proposals we thought about was using (in the distant future) several stationary or mobile sensors to measure concentrations of NBC agents. The sensors would talk to one another along with some met stations, and try to come up with an idea of where agents were released from. The advantage to mobile sensors is that they could fly "upwind" straight to the source. That's simplified because in cities air currents interact with trees, buildings, etc, but it is interesting just the same.

  45. Finally, the truth by 0zymandias · · Score: 1

    Yes, AI helicopters do exist.

    See here

    --
    "Danke daß Du mich gemolken hast" said the German cow.
  46. Eventually... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ...these things will mutate into one of those "peers" that reset Neo's connection to the Matrix.

  47. at least we know by fabio · · Score: 0

    where that isrealy helicopter went, did someone say down under?

    must have been hell to make new software though

    --
    *resistance is futile, or fuzzy, i dunno*
  48. I think there's a slight typo in the article by thisissilly · · Score: 1, Insightful
    tiny helicopter drones will monitor traffic, inspect buildings for maintenance problems, map bushfires, look for faults in powerlines, and join search-and-rescue missions

    ITYM:
    tiny helicopter drones will monitor public unrest, inspect building windows for cute girls, map ex-girlfriends' activities, look for faults in polictical opponents, and join search-and-blackmail missions.

    1. Re:I think there's a slight typo in the article by freeweed · · Score: 1

      You started with "map bushfires" and all you could come up with was "map ex-girlfriends' activities"?

      Man, I expected more from Slashdot :)

      --
      Endless arguments over trivial contradictions in books written by ignorant savages to explain thunder in the dark.
  49. Mantis by mizidymizark · · Score: 1
    I was under the impression that the only super weapon named Mantis is that hanicapped guy in his super suit:

    http://www.tvtome.com/tvtome/servlet/ShowMainServl et/showid-428/

  50. WOW it has a brain that.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    .. is as smart as my inner ear ?

  51. I'm going to make a swarm by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    to attack the government.

  52. No it doesn't, though it might raise it. by DrSkwid · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Begging the question is using a circular argument.

    It comes as no surprise that you can't converse in English, such ignorance is legion.

    --
    There are places where the networks are not touching,and there are places where they are-Boeing's Lori Gunter
    1. Re:No it doesn't, though it might raise it. by happyfrogcow · · Score: 1

      However, you and everyone else understood me through context. I see no problem. In any case, thanks for the clarification of what "begging the question" truly means.

      Your rash judgements could have been left out, they only make you sound childish.

  53. "In the year 20-20..." by jago25_98 · · Score: 1

    "In the year 20-20..."

    --
    A blog I run for the wealth
  54. Mantis? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Someone really has got a very dark humour...

  55. Great quote by h8macs · · Score: 1

    "The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots & tyrants" --Thomas Jefferson

    Too bad it isn't possible any longer. Any talk about a 'reform' would label you a traitor and have you thrown in prison.

    IMHO

    --
    :-( --- argh. Despair, I owe again. :-b
    1. Re:Great quote by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Too bad it isn't possible any longer. Any talk about a 'reform' would label you a traitor and have you thrown in prison.

      Jefferson was speaking of violent, deadly revolution and you're dissuaded by the possibility of prison? If the colonists had been so wishy washy, we'd still be singing "God Save the Queen".

  56. Huh? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    >> Add to that the fact that these things shake. A lot. You can't hope for a clear image from far enough away to not hear it.

    It has already been done. But not with AI. There's a company (shown on Discovery Channel some 3 years ago) who uses it mainly for films (where the soundtrack will be added later).

    Also, there's one neat thing called directional mikes, did you know? Ever heard of another nice invention called sound supressor?

  57. A.I.? by certsoft · · Score: 2, Funny

    Hmmm, an Artificial Insemination Helicopter. Now cattle ranchers can just fly over their herds rather all that mess in the barn.

  58. Thank you. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    For your suggestion, human, but I thought about it years ago.

    Your end is near.

    * This message has been automatically generated. Do no try to edit it. *

  59. Spying on people by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ...beaming XXX video of people, there will be no privacy left in the world!

  60. or.. by vhold · · Score: 2, Funny

    Within a decade armies of tiny helicopter drones will distract traffic, crash into buildings causing maintenance problems, start bushfires, make faults in powerlines, and require search-and-rescue missions.

  61. Re:Duck! - RC Helicopter Amputates Leg... by tiger99 · · Score: 1
    That is possibly slightly larger than this thing. I would be more concerned with face or body impact. People have been killed by normal-size model aircraft, maybe 3 kg mass, chest or abdominal impact at maybe 50 mph. A rotor blade across the face would ruin your day, maybe take your eyes out, and across the neck, maybe cut the jugular. Even with a quiet rotor, which would have large and fairly blunt tips, the hazard can not be ruled out. But, I doubt that this thing would chop a leg or head off completely.

    I think a big, squidgy helium-filled airship with tiny little engines is a much safer proposition, and could hover for a much longer time anyway.

  62. No where left to hide? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    What is somebody wants to ditch society, and
    live on his/her own without paying bean counters?
    This technology will only make the land nazies
    job easier.

  63. Mantis by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Is also the name of a bug reporting tool:
    mantis.sf.net

  64. Exposed Rotor Blades by rizzn · · Score: 3, Informative

    This is all well and good for most of the world, but they could be looking at patent infringement from Airborne Autonomous Systems who's utility patent on what they call the SFD (semi-autonomous flight director) covers functionality of a Flight Director (whether or not it's called AI) in an unmanned aircraft. Regardless, though, the FAA has made it clear before that commercial UAVs must not have exposed rotor blades, so it is unlikely that something like this will ever be sold or used in America. (partial repost from rizzn.com)

    --
    goto http://rizzn.com
    1. Re:Exposed Rotor Blades by redfenix · · Score: 1

      Moller's had it's aerobot out for some time now.

      Looks to me like ducted fans are the way to go. More efficient, totally enclosed. In fact, I'm planning on prototyping a small df rc aircraft next year.

      --
      "It's a very tangled subsystem." --Windows kernel guru
    2. Re:Exposed Rotor Blades by rizzn · · Score: 1

      It's being marketed, as I am told, as a primarily military craft. Ducted fans are the way to go. Much more efficient.

      --
      goto http://rizzn.com
  65. So Many Interesting Uses... by 0x69 · · Score: 2, Insightful

    What's the most interesting use for this unmanned mini "A.I. robot" chopper?

    - Loads more cool camera angles on sporting events
    - Program a few to scope out the White House & Pentagon, scrub off all fingerprints, launch, and then see how long you can outrun Uncle Sam's big, manned Apache choppers
    - "Inspect" popular beaches from the comfort of your A/C'ed basement on hot summer days
    - Geek farmers arm 'em with BB guns and throw away the stupid old scarecrows.
    - Fly around the Shuttle looking for damage - maybe even sacrifice itself to stop a hurling piece of space junk from hitting!
    - Deliver small gifts to your geek SO
    - Cowboy Neil Is Watching Your Every Move

    --
    It's easy to make up & spread cool- and credible-sounding stuff. Finding & checking hard facts is hard work.
  66. Been there, done that... by nadamsieee · · Score: 0

    ... or at least, my fellow almni have.

  67. ....maybe I watched too much bad sci-fi.... by fizze · · Score: 1

    Mantrid Mantis ? http://everything2.net/index.pl

    --
    Powerful is he who overpowers his temptations.
  68. Decade of the Robot by Easy2RememberNick · · Score: 1

    Wow scary stuff.
    So now we have flying autonomous helicopters and the maker of the Segway wants to make battle-bots.
    I bet the ASIMO could be used as a robotoic soldier too, wouldn't that freak out an army when they see hundreds of robots marching towards them! They'd have to make sure their light sabers are...oh wait am I hallucinating again?
    Arnold becomes Governor and look what happens!

  69. Hmmm by Corbie · · Score: 1

    Am I the only one bothered by the phrase armies of tiny helicopter drones?

  70. dark angel? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    remember those flying police drones in that tv show dark angel? no thanks.

  71. Battery Life by dnadig · · Score: 1

    I've flown electric RC heli's. Anything big enough to carry a camera and transmitter would get about 10-15 minutes flight time MAX on the best, most expensive LiPoly batteries made.

    Low altitude mapping. That's all this is good for. There are guys who do it as a business now, using regular RC.

  72. Search and Rescue by jefu · · Score: 1
    I've been doing Search and Rescue for a few years now and cell phones are good things for people to carry but don't solve all the problems.

    The obvious problem is that people go to areas where there is no service - in some wilderness areas there are mountains and canyons and these can make cell service impossible. In other places you can still find service in some locations but not in others - and people do seem to like to go get hurt/lost in the areas without service.

    Even where cell service is available, people's phones tend to run out of power. I've been on at least one multi-day search for someone who reached 911 (though in the next county over) via cell and whose phone then just quit.

  73. I got a job for them.. by Mabidex · · Score: 1

    Add a little face/butt and boob recognition software, a live feed to the internet, and program them to look for hotties on the beach..

    man... talk about being a super voyeURr..

    seriously though.. news, and movie cameramen will be the next to lose their jobs... on the other hand... with hottie vision.. who cares !

  74. Legion of Nay-sayers by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    And this is different from actual helicopters how?
    (apart from rather having a small model hit me than a car sized real one?)

  75. +1 funny AND insightful by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    hehe

  76. A little technology rule of thumb by droleary · · Score: 1

    If Not Exists ExoticTechnology For CommonUse
    Then Not Exists MoreExoticTechnology for NewUse

    This is just like all the companies that say they're going to shove fuel cells in our laptops and cell phones somehow, but don't even have a UPS or other big, generator-type device with the technology in it. If no human is using any such helicopter to do their job currently, no amount of AI you'll claim to give it will make it a product that is a success on the market.

  77. I still have one in my garage. by Attaturk · · Score: 1


    I mentioned this when the Israeli company pulled an insurance job on its "multi-million dollar" effort.

    AI RC choppers are not new or particularly funky. Mine's quite smart too. Granted this is rather funkier than normal but it's no massive leap forward as some may have you believe.

    Quick links:Century, FMA, Open source RC Heli auto-pilot project

  78. Re:Duck! - RC Helicopter Amputates Leg... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    A rotor blade across the face would ruin your day

    Haha, such a nice way to put it.

    [eyes sliced, nose hanging from face] - "Gee, that really ruined me day, mate"

  79. Oh puh-lease by Now15 · · Score: 1

    This was released to the media ages ago, and had a staged re-release a few days ago to coincide with the aniversary of the Wright brothers' flight.

    Here it is in June:
    http://www.cmit.csiro.au/innovation/2003-06 /mantis .cfm

    --

    Computers are useless: they can only give you answers. -- Pablo Picasso
  80. Needs an accessory by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0


    Bolt on the Hellfires! Yeehaa!

  81. It is slowly becoming clear to me.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ..why psychiaters have so much work..

  82. A neural network version - a step ahead? by jchandlerhall · · Score: 1

    There's a company (www.neural-robotics.com) in Huntsville, AL (where I reside) that appears to be far ahead of Mantis. They base it on some neural network methodology. Neural Robotics has various videos under their multimedia section. Several of them demonstrate balance and control that apparently are not possible to do as an experienced RC coptor pilot. One video that is very impressive is the slund_load. They purposely get a dangling box swinging beneath the copter like a pendulum. Then the autopilot is used to 'settle' it down so that the payload is no longer swaying within a few seconds. And in reference to the previous post about "shaky video"... check out the PAINTBALL clip just posted last week. :-) ("I pick the copter for my team on the next 'capture the flag' game.") I've heard that the main guy was at Boeing and for fun used to 'program' his Ford Bronco to 'auto-drive' around the parking lot using video cameras and such.