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New Draganflyer Predator Unmanned Aerial Vehicle
John Jorsett writes "I've long lusted for the Draganflyer indoor-outdoor radio-controlled helicopter, but now I've got a new object of desire. Since seeing it flown on The History Channel's 'Tactical to Practical' show last September, I've been waiting for the Draganflyer Predator, modeled on the military aircraft of the same name. Electrically powered, the $750 Draganflyer Predator can be equipped with video cameras and a GPS receiver to carry out radio-controlled or pre-programmed self-guided surveillance missions of up to 20 miles range, the company claims. Time to buy my own UAV and find out what's really going on over there in Area 51."
As if they won't shoot THAT down, too. :)
You are not the customer.
It would be pretty cool to chase my brother around the house with that three-pronged flying silver ball from phantasm. Someone ought to start making those (without the drill of course). Every kid will want one.
All they're doing there is building spy planes, UFOs and talking to aliens and shit. Boring stuff.
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On the other hand there's this sunbathing little cutie next door. .
KFG
Heck with area 51. I want to find out what's going on over at the Playboy mansion. :)
Oh please, like they don't already have a backdoor in the thing to watch you.
The closest distance between two points is a tunnel.
- Lyndon Johnson
Slashdot "libertarians": Small government for me, big government for those I disagree with. -1, I disagree with you
Time to buy my own UAV and find out what's really going on over there in Area 51
Hello John, I was glad to read your Slashdot article. Now, can you hear the knock on your door? Can you see the black vans with the engine running in the street? well, rejoice: you'll get to see a classified site very soon, and even visit it with a couple of muscular new friends, without even having to buy a UAV. I hope you'll enjoy your trip!
Regards,
-- J. Ashcroft (johnny_the_poo@dhs.gov)
"A door is what a dog is perpetually on the wrong side of" - Ogden Nash
If you were to place a windows based OS on it, could you get away with flying it over a classified area? You could always claim there was a programming glitch, and since it was a classified area, you didn't have a phone number to call them, so you decided to just watch the video instead.
I mean, we all know how error prone programs are when they are still in alpha stage anyway, right? It's not like you can be faulted for testing your prototype to find all the bugs in it and having it "accidently" go where it's not supposed to, right?
>:)
Now, if that makes sense to anyone, could you please explain it to me? I think I've confused myself.
I can feel myself wasting money just reading that site.
I should step outside before I find my wallet.
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At $21,000 - $27,000, it'd better do my laundry, housework, and taxes too.
It is only rated as being able to lift 16 ounces. Not nearly enough for a bomb.
You're right; it's a virtually insurmountable engineering problem. The resources required to overcome it could easily reach into the tens of dollars.
The typical shotgun shell has about 2 ounces of shot in it. A cheap but functional barrel and firing pin could be constructed in well under 8 ounces. The flyer itself could aim. Looks like an autonomous flying shotgun to me.