Posts Tagged ‘autonomous’
Technology: South Korea Is Almost Ready For Autonomous Robots Called ‘Pibots’ To Fly Their Planes (Video)
October 30, 2014
“Pibots” have been designed to fly every kind of plane that a human was meant to fly, and they have been tested for most every simulation and situation… except actual cockpit flight in a full-sized aircraft. But South Korean researchers say that is coming soon (in the video report above).
Researchers in South Korea are developing a robotic pilot that could potentially replace humans in the cockpit. Unlike drones and autopilot programs which are configured for specific aircraft, the robots’ humanoid design will allow it to fly any type of plane with no additional sensors.
Just saying. Why does that first Pibot look like a skeleton after the crash? And “because it’s Halloween” is NOT an acceptable answer!
Posted in Technology, Videos | 
Tags: autonomous, drones, humanless flight, humanoid robot, Pibot, Pilot, pilot robot, Robot, robot-controlled flight, robotic pilot | 
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Technology: RoboCopters Poised To Deliver Supplies To Military Troops In Combat (Video)
September 21, 2012
Okay, so the U.S. military has already got unmanned attack drones, like Predator and Reaper, for combat. But what about support for the troops in harm’s way? Truly, battles are won or lost because of logistics – food, firearms, and other field supplies being critical to soldiers… even in this modern age of warfare. Well, the techies have been right on top of this.
Enter the K-MAX “synchropter.†Boasting a payload capacity upwards of 2,900 kg – and the ability to be flown by remote control or by pre-mapped course program – this weird-looking bird is a battlefield dream come true. Weird-looking or not; this tough war-bird is an engineering marvel, too; with two sets of inter-meshing blades, synchronized so as not to hit each other. Per its futuristic design, the rotors turn in opposite directions to cancel out torque, so the copter does not require a tail rotor — which is a hazard that manned copters still have. K-MAX in its final form was borne of a joint venture with Lockheed Martin. By August 2012, the two K-MAXs in test operation had flown 485 autonomous sorties carrying over 900 tons of cargo in places like Afghanistan.
So, how soon will this prototype be available for regular dependable use? How about now’ish? Pretty much proven as a battlefield asset, the above video from The Economist declares K-MAX may have some peacetime applications – from delivering traffic information to delivering your pizza – in the near future. Nice!
(Video after the jump.)
Posted in Technology, Videos | Tags: autonomous, Combat, Deliver, helicopter, K-MAX, Robocopter, Supplies, Troops | 1 Comment »
