Tag Archives: uas
FAA will require drones to display registration numbers externally
Proposed FAA rules loosen restrictions on drone flights at night
CNN’s news drones officially launch with their own acronym
Army seeking proposals for casualty-carrying UAVs
Combat is a grizzly business, and despite the best efforts of medical evacuation crews, it's not always feasible to send rescue teams into the fray. The US Army is seeking to address this with "autonomous vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) unmanned aircraft systems (UAS)" (read: drones) for dropping off medical supplies and picking up injured troops. In its latest request for research and development proposals, the Army calls not for new tools, but for the repurposing of current aircraft to do the job. Preferred candidates in the already unmanned class include the A160 Hummingbird and the K-MAX, while one of the suggestions for remote-control modification is the infamous Black Hawk. Makes the AR.Drone seem a little wimpy, doesn't it?
Filed under: Robots, Transportation
Army seeking proposals for casualty-carrying UAVs originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 05 Aug 2012 14:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | | Email this | CommentsLaCie reveals new Mac-friendly USB 3.0 external drives
Lacie's just announced its next generation USB 3.0 drives meant to take advantage of the new Ivy Bridge internals of the latest MacBooks. The fresh Rugged Triple, Porsche Design P'9223 and P'9233, and RuggedKey models all use USB Attached SCSI Protocol (UAS) for maximum data transfer speeds to and from machines running Lion or Mountain Lion. If you're looking to pick one of these slick storage devices, they'll be available in Apple stores and on LaCie's website this summer.
Continue reading LaCie reveals new Mac-friendly USB 3.0 external drives
Filed under: Storage
LaCie reveals new Mac-friendly USB 3.0 external drives originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 04 Aug 2012 22:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | | Email this | CommentsNorthrop Grumman Unveils US Navy’s MQ-4C BAMS Triton unmanned aircraft
If Broad Area Maritime Surveillance, or war gadgets are your bag, then things just got real. Northrop Grumman has just unveiled the MQ-4C BAMS Triton, the latest addition to the US Navy's Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance Force. The spy plane was more than four years in development, has a wingspan of 130.9 feet, and is able to cover more than 2.7 million square miles in a single mission. As you will have been unable to avoid noticing, the unmanned aircraft definitely inherited some of the RQ-4 Global Hawk's dome-like DNA, and will edge towards active service after completing functional requirement reviews and system development and demonstration flights. Want to bone-up on the full spec? Hit the more coverage link for the numbers. In the meantime, we're wondering if they might extend the research.
Northrop Grumman Unveils US Navy's MQ-4C BAMS Triton unmanned aircraft originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 16 Jun 2012 17:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | | Email this | CommentsBoeing Phantom Eye takes first flight towards unmanned marathon espionage (video)
Boeing could've aimed a little higher for the Phantom Eye's first successful test flight. And by that, we mean the addition of one Billy Zane in a form-fitting purple leotard fending off baddies as the plane taxied the runway. None of that happened because, well, the aerospace brainiacs behind this unmanned bulbous beauty tend to err on the side of sense, not showy drama. Tant pis. Missed opportunity for ostentatious absurdity aside, the engineering outfit did manage to log in a near-perfect round trip for the hydrogen-powered spycraft, reaching an altitude of 4,080-ft after its early morning take off from Edwards Air Force Base on the first of the month. The still in-development vessel's return to terra firma wasn't without hiccups, as it did sustain minor damage to its landing gear. With further refinements, though, engineers hope to push the autonomous plane even further, prolonging the duration of the flight to an eventual four days and doing so without the need for refueling (or tending to humans). It's an obvious leap forward for cloak-and-dagger government interests, but really, it's all about the recovery of magic skulls. Right? Right. Check out the video after the break.
Continue reading Boeing Phantom Eye takes first flight towards unmanned marathon espionage (video)
Boeing Phantom Eye takes first flight towards unmanned marathon espionage (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 05 Jun 2012 19:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | | Email this | CommentsThe E382 Aerial Mapping Airplane touts unmanned cartography, ready-to-fly drone kit starting at $600
Find yourself needing custom aerial maps on the regular? Is Google just not doing the trick when it comes to resolution? Well, the folks at Event 38 have got you covered. The outfit's model E382 photomapping UAV kit is now available for $600. Included in that price tag is a pre-assembled Skywalker airframe, 1250 kV brushless motor, motor speed controller, 4x servos, all the requisite cables and the ArduPilot Mega 2.0 autopilot system -- which handles GPS, flight data logs and pressure monitoring. In terms of performance, the drone cruises at a speed of 25MPH with a flight time of around an hour on a 5000mAh battery. The E382 makes use of a point and shoot camera to handle the cartography duties. You can use your own, or Canon A2200s are available for adding on to the kit at checkout. However, you will need to throw down some extra coin for the aforementioned flight battery and a controller. If you've got some extra cash burning a hole in your pocket, hit the source link below to snag one.
The E382 Aerial Mapping Airplane touts unmanned cartography, ready-to-fly drone kit starting at $600 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 03 May 2012 16:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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