Proving once and for all that virtually any 11-year-old kid can provide reconaissance superior to a $100 billion NRO machine, this UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehice) drone is a MAV a Micro Air Vehicle.
The Wasp, seen here, is currently being tested with the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group and weighs just seven ounces. It can be controlled from the ground or can wirelessly follow a pre-plotted path using GPS coordinates, snapping pictures from forward and aft cameras.
DefenseTech says, Darpa and Honeywell are teaming up for a second, slightly larger MAV program. Weighing in at about 12 pounds, it can fit inside a soldier’s backpack.
The idea is that the MAV will give a small infantry unit the ability to over the next hill, or around the next corner. That’s pretty much what the hand-launched Raven and Dragon Eye drones do today. But this MAV uses ducted fan propulsion, giving it a helicopter-like ability to hover over a valley or alleyway — or even land on a nearby rooftop, and watch a battle unfold.
Remington Arms, is launching a new technology division with a ruggedized surveillance camera that can be tossed into dangerous areas to give police real-time video and audio.
The Eye Ball looks much like Mattel s Magic 8 Ball, but instead of ambiguous answers such as outlook unclear, it streams full-motion video, audio and infrared images to a handheld display unit, letting officers look into areas where it might be dangerous to poke their heads
It can transmit outside up to 200 yards to the display unit, which has a 6.4-inch color TFT screen. The range inside a building is up to 40 yards, depending on the structure. Audio and video are transmitted at 2.4 GHz. Infrared and control signals are transmitted in the 902-MHz-to-928-MHz band.
Air and Space Magazine has a review. Other sites include the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Systems Association, The UAV Forum, UAV Center, Georgia Tech, Army’s Dragon Eye, AAI Corp, Jetcam, UV Online, UAV World and other sites around the world. DailyWireless has more on UAVs Expand Their Role.
[...] Related DailyWireless stories include, 24hr UAV Coverage, Wireless Recon Airplanes, HDTV from aircraft, UAVs Expand Roles and Micro Air Vehicles. [...]
Left by dailywireless.org » Mountain Rescue UAVs on December 13th, 2006