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Japanese Military Invents Tumbling, Flying Sphere

Posted by Soulskill on from the didn't-darth-vader-have-one-of-these dept.

thebchuckster writes "A Japanese developer has released a cool, new sphere that is billed as being able to go where humans can't. The sphere is 17-inches, features eight movable rudders, and can hover in the air for at least eight minutes. While reaching speeds of up to 37 miles per hour, the sphere deftly moves through the air without much effort. It doesn't take much to get it up in the air and moving, and it will be adept at going into tight areas."

18 of 156 comments (clear)

  1. And for "Medical" Uses... by TheWanderingHermit · · Score: 4, Funny

    And if you stick a really nasty looking syringe on it, it makes a great Deathstar interrogation system.

    1. Re:And for "Medical" Uses... by Databass · · Score: 4, Funny

      Soon we will have nothing to fear but sphere itself.

  2. One man, consumer parts by mtrachtenberg · · Score: 4, Interesting

    TFA sounds like this is one guy working with consumer parts. I wonder what an American military subcontractor would want to develop this.

    1. Re:One man, consumer parts by mtrachtenberg · · Score: 2

      TFA sounds like this is one guy working with consumer parts. I wonder what an American military subcontractor would want to develop this.

      And the article cites a price for the prototype of $1,390.

    2. Re:One man, consumer parts by mtrachtenberg · · Score: 4, Insightful

      When one failed, you could roll out the next. Or you could triple the price to better the specs.

      $1,390 is less than the cost of taking a congresscrook to "dinner" to show them your proposal for a $100 million version of this.

    3. Re:One man, consumer parts by drinkypoo · · Score: 2

      And yet US Military troops used civilian GPS devices in the gulf, and those emergency devices are NOT mil-spec tested, or if they are, it's because they happen to also sell to the military.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    4. Re:One man, consumer parts by rubycodez · · Score: 2

      False, your home cell phone or home computer or hobbyist robot can not function in a high radiation environment. It's called "ionizing radiation" for a reason, the charges produced when striking electronics makes gates flip, makes memory cells change state. In short, your home PC would go apeshit in a rad environment. Many here in Slashdot were wondering why Japan, the land of robotic technology, did not have devices to send into the areas around the failed reactors and the spent fuel pool of Unit 2 with cameras, and had to import machines from Germany and the U.S. Now you know the answer.

  3. I saw this thing and immediately thought... by kylemonger · · Score: 3, Interesting

    ... of the copseyes from Niven's "Cloak of Anarchy". Add some of these to incapacitate and you've got a menacing little bot.

  4. Quiditch anyone? by kmdrtako · · Score: 5, Funny

    Now we just need flying broomsticks.

  5. Re:Trojan on linked site by Soulskill · · Score: 4, Informative

    Updated with a new link, just in case.

  6. As B as B gets by Dachannien · · Score: 2

    Wait a minute, I've seen these movies already!

  7. Re:Invention? by l0ungeb0y · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Oh FFS, so he's supposed to mine for rare earths and smelt his own exotic materials in order to say he INVENTED something?
    Look, he DESIGNED and ASSEMBLED something that did not exist before. If you don't consider that inventing, you're just a dumb-ass.

    BTW: what have you invented?
    I got good money that says fuck all.

  8. Re:Invention? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    If you want to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first create the universe. - Carl Sagan

  9. hmm by markhahn · · Score: 2, Insightful

    so there are lots of quad-copters around that have roughly similar specs. this one is a uni-copter with 8 thrust-vectoring flaps, which is, I guess somewhat novel. not sure why 8 is the right number, and seems like a fairly large number, given that each requires a servo and fairly big piece of material. but since the flaps are independent, they can provide both direction and rotational control (which is why a quad-copter needs 4 fans - and why a helicopter needs a tail fan.) the spherical cage (and uni-fan) makes it seem compact and tidy, but I'm not sure the layout is actually better than a quad-copter.

    1. Re:hmm by NoName+Studios · · Score: 2

      The sphere design is so that if it bumps into a wall it can keep going. If it falls to the ground it just rolls away.

    2. Re:hmm by countertrolling · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Well, let's see... A quadrotor requires four motors to fly.. The chances failure of any one of them is far higher, and will ruin your whole day. The props are exposed. That's obviously a problem. On the other hand, with this you can lose a few, or even most of the rudder servos and keep on going. All the works, especially the props are protectively caged from foreign objects. The center of gravity makes it more stable, A sphere is nice, but a cube would work well also. Either way, this design looks to be the simplest, most reliable you will find. Don't knock it.

      --
      For justice, we must go to Don Corleone
  10. Mars? by WindBourne · · Score: 2

    I wonder if this could work on mars? If so, then we could send a number of these on a mission (say via a falcon heavy), and then send these all over the planet. If built well enough, send several to venus, perhaps titan, etc.

    --
    I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
  11. This is great! by Jeremi · · Score: 2

    Now all I need is a light saber and a blindfold, and I can complete my Jedi training.

    --


    I don't care if it's 90,000 hectares. That lake was not my doing.