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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.

20 of 44 comments (clear)

  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.

  2. 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 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.
    2. 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
    3. 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
    4. 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
    5. 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.

    6. 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.
  3. 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.

  4. 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.

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

    Where do they get those wonderful toys?

  6. 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!!

  7. 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.
  8. 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.

  9. 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'
  10. 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?

  11. 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.