Filed under: Robots, Transportation

What’s the best way to extend the range of a smallish 3-foot flying drone? Well, you probably don’t want to do any aerial refueling with a micro air tanker or anything like that — at least not according to the US Air Force Research Lab (AFRL), which wants to create electric drones that are able to land and attach themselves to ability lines and withdraw their wings so as to look like trash or debris.

Of course, the theory isn’t without problems, like what happens when there’s a potential surge, or how to prevent sparks when tapping into a 400 kilovolt ability line, or how to stop folks from freaking out when they find bat-like spy-planes hanging upside down from their clotheslines.

[Original photo by Bob Fornal]

 

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Orginal post by Ryan Block