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Pentagon Seeks Laser-Powered Bat Drones (defenseone.com)

Posted by EditorDavid on from the flying-by-radar dept.

Zorro quotes DefenseOne: A new contest seeks flight systems inspired by Mother Nature and powered by directed-energy beams. Tired: multi-rotor copters and fixed-wing drones. Wired: flying robots that move like living animals, are crafted of next-generation materials, and draw their power not from batteries but energy beamed from nearby aircraft...

"The biological study of agile organisms such as bats and flying insects has yielded new insights into complex flight kinematics of systems with a large number of degrees of freedom, and the use of multi-functional flight surface materials," the announcement reads. The Air Force believes that more and more naturalistic design -- coupled with more powerful and smaller sensors to form a better picture of the outside world -- should yield "significant improvements in maneuverability, survivability and stealth over traditional quadcopter or fixed wing designs."
The article includes a link to a CalTech video showing footage of an advanced robotic bat.

44 comments

  1. Been Done by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    I've been using laser power on drones for ages. When someone with a white coat does it then they get praised. When I harness the power of the sun to fry ants I'm looked down upon. The world is a crazy place.

    1. Re: Been Done by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1

      Frying innocent animals for your amusement is cruel and indicates that you have severe mental health problems. You should be imprisoned because you could just as easily decide that humans should be treated like those ants you're frying, and you could go on a murderous rampage. You belong in a cage, so you can't harm anyone other than yourself.

    2. Re: Been Done by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'm going to fry you, as soon as I 'borrow' the primary mirror from an observatory or three. Meet me in Hawaii.

      Your going to have to sit still for it to work. Get to work on your willpower.

    3. Re: Been Done by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Wow. That devolved fast. Anyway, there was a group in Georgia (I think) that tried doing something in the manner of a dragonfly (https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/robot-dragonfly-micro-aerial-vehicle#/). They got pretty far, but they weren't able to engineer a solution to the wings breaking themselves apart on landing in a reasonable time.

    4. Re:Been Done by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1

      You're a dumb faggot like Shanghai Bill. You both need your faggot heads chopped.

    5. Re: Been Done by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "Attention all units: This is a 10-96. Reports are coming in of a crazy guy with giant magnifying class trying to roast shoppers at the mall. Proceed with caution. He may be dangerous."

    6. Re: Been Done by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You equate ants with humans? Then you're the one with severe mental health problems.

  2. Jesus does not approve of this site by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1

    All of the technology you surround yourselves with is an abomination in God's eyes. Creating artificial animal drones excuse to avoid accepting the natural beauty that the Lord created. It's easy to see how the users on this site are dripping with hatred for Jesus Christ. All of this defiance of God may seem cool to you now, and maybe you even feel like a rebel, but God is still Lord over everything. You will face the Lord, who does not approve of this site, and you will have to answer for your arrogance, smugness, and loathing of Jesus Christ.

    1. Re:Jesus does not approve of this site by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Did you know that Jesus does not approve of you spewing hate in his name?

      It's true, he told me so at our weekly poker game night.

    2. Re:Jesus does not approve of this site by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Don't let him write you any checks on 'Bank of Heaven'.

    3. Re:Jesus does not approve of this site by Hal_Porter · · Score: 0

      I'm not religious but I'd agree with Churchill that it is only because 'Christianity is sheltered in the strong arms of science' that Western Europe didn't go the way of Constantinople.

      And these drones are part of those 'strong arms of science'.

      "How dreadful are the curses which Mohammedanism lays on its votaries! Besides the fanatical frenzy, which is as dangerous in a man as hydrophobia in a dog, there is this fearful fatalistic apathy. The effects are apparent in many countries. Improvident habits, slovenly systems of agriculture, sluggish methods of commerce, and insecurity of property exist wherever the followers of the Prophet rule or live. A degraded sensualism deprives this life of its grace and refinement; the next of its dignity and sanctity. The fact that in Mohammedan law every woman must belong to some man as his absolute property - either as a child, a wife, or a concubine - must delay the final extinction of slavery until the faith of Islam has ceased to be a great power among men. Individual Moslems may show splendid qualities. Thousands become the brave and loyal soldiers of the Queen: all know how to die: but the influence of the religion paralyses the social development of those who follow it. No stronger retrograde force exists in the world. Far from being moribund, Mohammedanism is a militant and proselytizing faith. It has already spread throughout Central Africa, raising fearless warriors at every step; and were it not that Christianity is sheltered in the strong arms of science, the science against which it had vainly struggled, the civilisation of modern Europe might fall, as fell the civilisation of ancient Rome."

      * Winston Churchill, The River War

      --
      echo -e 'global _start\n _start:\n mov eax, 2\n int 80h\n jmp _start' > a.asm; nasm a.asm -f elf; ld a.o -o a;
    4. Re:Jesus does not approve of this site by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If the Lord truly did not approve of this site, he would have smitten it long ago.
      Beg for forgiveness heretic, before it is too late! For you speak only wretched lies in the name of the almighty!

      Captcha: cowslip

  3. Remote laser power for energy by Alain+Williams · · Score: 1

    What could go wrong ? Shall we start with rain & smoke ?

    1. Re:Remote laser power for energy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Rain & Smoke is a chinese hoax. And our laser are more powerfull than theirs.

    2. Re:Remote laser power for energy by ScentCone · · Score: 1

      Shall we start with rain & smoke ?

      Different tools for different circumstances and opportunities. There are all sorts of military tools that are more (or only) effective under certain conditions. They're also used regularly to great effect. Just because you can't use it all the time doesn't mean you wouldn't want the advantage of using it when conditions are good for it. That's the oldest story in military history.

      --
      Don't disappoint your bird dog. Go to the range.
    3. Re:Remote laser power for energy by vtcodger · · Score: 1

      The Donald. He got a bigger laser than anyone. He'll tweet about it in the morning.

      --
      You can't see ANYTHING from a car, You've got to get out of the goddamned contraption and walk...Edward Abbey
    4. Re:Remote laser power for energy by vtcodger · · Score: 2

      Just for the record, I'm against arming wildlife. If you think mosquitoes are a problem now, just imagine when they get RPGs.

      However, I think it should be pointed out that bats navigate by sonar and thus probably will not be greatly bothered by smoke or rain. Country and Western music played at high volume may be needed to defend against them.

      --
      You can't see ANYTHING from a car, You've got to get out of the goddamned contraption and walk...Edward Abbey
    5. Re:Remote laser power for energy by rtb61 · · Score: 1

      How about a missile strike at the source of high energy microwaves which are harmful to all living things, even in peace time, fully justifiable. Track the damaging radiation back to it's source and kill them before they harm your citizens. Why bother with the artificial bat, if your intent is to microwave people, just microwave them, give them cancer, why do it by accident, you will still be attacked any how. The stupid it burns, just like the higher levels of output required to power, rather than just control the device, real fucking bright.

      You had better be bloody careful about what is an attack and what is not. Would not want everyone purposefully firing damaging microwave energy across national borders, or from national territory to international territory. Want to take down a drone, simply power up radar, I mean really power up radar and you will transfer energy into all the drones systems, the more power you feed into the radar, the more readily it will bring down anything and of course deliver cancer across national boundaries.

      --
      Chaos - everything, everywhere, everywhen
    6. Re: Remote laser power for energy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Actually, the oldest story in military history is the guy who relied on his defenses but they came tumbling down.

    7. Re:Remote laser power for energy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If you think mosquitoes are a problem now, just imagine when they get RPGs.

      My reaction to a sting is already like the mosquitoes would have high explosives in a steel cup, covered with a copper parabolic plate, launching their salvo when I least expect it. It will be horrible.
      All they need now is to rapidly change the distance or reflectivity for the laser, and they've got a back channel.

      Country and Western music played at high volume may be needed to defend against them.

      I'm betting Country and Eastern music will have the opposite effect, as it if were a mating call for drones or something.

    8. Re:Remote laser power for energy by nasch · · Score: 1

      However, I think it should be pointed out that bats navigate by sonar and thus probably will not be greatly bothered by smoke or rain.

      First, the story is about drones, not bats. Second, the suggestion is they could be powered by lasers, which would be disrupted or attenuated by rain, fog, dust, or smoke.

    9. Re: Remote laser power for energy by ScentCone · · Score: 1

      Actually, the oldest story in military history is the guy who relied on his defenses but they came tumbling down.

      What makes you think these are necessarily defensive tools?

      --
      Don't disappoint your bird dog. Go to the range.
  4. LOL by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1

    The post about Jesus got censored to -1. It shows that the post was correct and the people here really do loathe Jesus Christ. It's so incredibly obvious that it's hilarious, in an awkwardly obvious way that the people here are too dense to comprehend. Jesus created them and continually pours out endless blessings upon these people. In response, these people turn around and direct hatred toward Jesus Christ. It truly is a shameful and pathetic sight to see.

    1. Re:LOL by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1

      "Jesus created them"? You're fucking insane. Their parents created them, idiot. Learn about sex sometime, nutbag.

    2. Re:LOL by ArtemaOne · · Score: 1

      I know Jesus. He's one of my homies. Might not be him though, different last name, but he did create a lot of people with a lot of different women.

    3. Re:LOL by HornWumpus · · Score: 1

      I had Jesus fixed. They spray if you don't.

      --
      John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
    4. Re:LOL by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I have no idea who this Jesus character you talk of is but I can tell you now that when the nerds that visit this website face Crom, they'd better know the riddle of steel or he'll laugh at them and cast them out of Valhalla.

    5. Re:LOL by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I have no idea who this Jesus character you talk of is but I can tell you now that when the nerds that visit this website face Crom, they'd better know the riddle of steel or he'll laugh at them and cast them out of Valhalla.

      Crom Cruach is Celtic, not Nordic.

  5. Freakin Laser Beams by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    I think we can do one better: bat drones powered by sharks with freakin laser beams attached to their heads.

  6. Don't forget reflections! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Just because you can't see it doesn't mean it won't make you blind!

    That is what christian parents say to every kid who thinks turning off the lights while masturbating will keep them safe.

  7. Bat drones? by Chris+Mattern · · Score: 2

    Where do they get those wonderful toys?

    1. Re: Bat drones? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      They are produced by a subsidiary of Wayne Enterprises. It's out of Gotham City. Probably the reason for all these unconfirmed rumors of a mysterious Man-Bat that plague the city.

    2. Re:Bat drones? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      They've made a secret deal with the sharks, obviously.

  8. Wayne Industries by Templer421 · · Score: 1

    Laser Powered Bat Drones.

    How can you get more nerdy than that?

    1. Re:Wayne Industries by PolygamousRanchKid+ · · Score: 1

      How can you get more nerdy than that?

      Simple: Mount the laser on a shark.

      So the shark powers and controls the bat drone . . . but who or what is powering and controlling the shark . . . ?

      --
      Schroedinger's Brexit: The UK is both in and out of the EU at the same time!
    2. Re:Wayne Industries by iggymanz · · Score: 1

      fembots with freaking machine guns in their b00b135!!

  9. Bringing a whole new ... by CaptainDork · · Score: 1

    ... meaning to "batshit crazy."

    --
    It little behooves the best of us to comment on the rest of us.
  10. Tired? Wired? by Brockmire · · Score: 1

    What the fuck? And why the fuck do so many submissions have improper use of "..."? For fuck sakes.

    1. Re:Tired? Wired? by nasch · · Score: 1

      Yeah that took me a minute too. Sounds like a failed attempt at being cute.

  11. haven't seen the obligatory .. by RabidStoat · · Score: 1

    I, for one, would like to welcome our new laser powered bat drone overlords ..

    or don't we do that anymore?

  12. It just falls by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    All I see in the video is a very complex contraption that kind of flaps its wings and falls slowly, but I can't really confirm that it could gain altitude on its own. What a joke.

  13. Predator's by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    If it looks like an animal won't it be more likely to be attacked by predators?

  14. Bat Drone. Kewl. Like this? by mnemotronic · · Score: 1

    Like this? (raw image)

    --
    The Russians have won. They have made the world a cesspool of distrust, greed, fear and hate.
  15. I Give You One Small Job by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Number 2 you disappoint me. I gave you one tiny job. Laser powered bat drones.

    Is that too much to ask? Did your Mommy call you home? Throw me a frikken' bone here!