Japan Builds Tiny Spy Drone

[Logan Westbrook]

Japan Builds Tiny Spy Drone

Researchers at a Japanese university have built a tiny robot hummingbird, with plans to turn it into a mobile eye.

As if robot gymnasts [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/97115-Japanese-Gymnast-Robot-Will-Doom-Us-All] weren't bad enough, researchers at Japan's Chiba University has built a small hummingbird-esque robot, or 'hummingbot', capable of being remote controlled.

The tiny machine weighs less than three grams, is around ten centimeters long and, powered by a small motor and four wings, is more stable than a helicopter. Its creator, Hiroshi Liu, claims that building such a tiny robot is actual much harder than building a large one, and that it takes specialist knowledge that not all robot makers have.

The project has cost two million dollars so far, and is likely to cost even more before it's finished. By 2011, Liu plans to equip the hummingbot with a tiny camera, ostensibly to search collapsed buildings for survivors or to hunt down criminals.

Personally, I think he's in league with the robots, but that's just me.

Source: Crunchgear [http://www.crunchgear.com/2009/12/29/japans-2-million-rescue-robot-is-a-hummingbird/]


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[The_root_of_all_evil]

Did anyone happen to kill a red hummingbird on their way in?

 

[Distorted Stu]

Japan are forming a mass army of robot s right uner our noses and noone seems to care. ARE YOU ALL MAD?!

.. but that is cool!

 

[Tekyro]

Did anyone happen to kill a red hummingbird on their way in?

No? Then we still have a problem.

OT: I think we're getting closer and closer to developing Skynet...

 

[Nincompoop]

Researchers at a Japanese university has built a tiny robot hummingbird, with plans to turn it into a mobile eye.

That 'Reaserchers' guy has some talent... Seriously though, isn't it supposed to be 'have built' since it's plural?

OT: This is cool. I always get excited when breakthroughs (be them minor or major) happen. This contraption of theirs is especially interesting due to its small size.

I can't wait to be stuck in a horrible disaster beneath 10 feet of concrete, seeing these little fellers flying around!

 

[AkJay]

Tiny spy robots always have good endings... right?

 

[zauxz]

That looks... fragile.

 

[Lazy Kitty]

Tiny spy robots always have good endings... right?

Not when they have the ability to gradually improve themselves to become huge behemoths of doom.

 

[tmujir955]

Watch someone step on it.

 

[Simalacrum]

it seems as those every day the robots gain another step towards domination of human kind...

Looks like we have our victor of Genre Wars!

 

[Amnestic]

It's only a matter of time. [http://cnc.wikia.com/wiki/RA2:Burst_Drone]

 

[Jared]

Tiny spy robots always have good endings... right?

Depends if you are one doing the spying =P

 

[chickenlord]

now what they need to do is make little remote-control bees that can extract and distribute pollen cause...well thats what the worlds needs if we can't give up cell phone towers.

 

[AngloDoom]

Considering how much research went into that little device, I'd have thought it would be a little more, well, durable.

 

[Gladion]

One step closer to world domination, Japan. You're doing good, but you're still not allowed to send any military troops to foreign countries
Gotta do something about that article 9.

 

[TheYellowCellPhone]

Oh look, there's a small fragile-looking humming bird missing its feathers, skin, muscles, and organs. Nothing wrong with that, it can't possibly have a camera attached to it.

 

[Et3rnalLegend64]

Japan, you are so obviously building a robot army to take over the world. This little spy robot only exists to facilitate that goal. If your little basement geeks can build robots with human skills, then who knows what you guys can do with the power of government funding.

[small][sub]We're screwed.....[/sub][/small]

 

[SextusMaximus]

This will help towards searching for survivors in As the article says... Devastated buildings.

And of course, world domination. Will it come down to China Vs. Japan?

 

[AlexWinter]

Asia is planning to dominate the world. China is overpopulating itself to breaking point like a 5-year old trying to stuff too much sweetcorn into a tin, so Japan can equip them all with GoW suits and heat-guided laser penises, ship them over to Korea where they're all pretending to be batshit insane. Korea declares super war, noone takes any notice. The future has a whole new scenario for it's war films.

But seriously, everyday I read about new robots they have been built for positive causes that can seriously mess our shit up when the overlord commands it to.

I myself plan to bake nano cupcakes continuously for the 1:1 scale Gundam model when it arrives to vaporize my family and enslave the British community.