Category: Non-flying capabilities

Tiny Cars Can Inspect and Repair Pipes

We can all agree that plumbing is the cat’s meow. You get water on demand, and once you’re done with it, whoosh, it’s gone. This magic is made possible with plumbing. But plumbing is not forever. It needs to be cared for, maintained, loved. Bad things happen if plumbing fails. Expensive things. This invention will take care of plumbing. As the patent states, “The inspections of underground pipe systems are of utmost importance to preserve […]

Flying Generator Drone Breaks Two-Hour Barrier

A world of opportunity is awaiting the drone that can fly for over 45 minutes. Here is a version that can fly 100 miles on one gallon of fuel, carrying a gallon of payload. It can hopscotch anywhere in its range and become a small electric generator. This is good news. Flight time is one of the most annoying and brutal barriers, governed by energy-density versus weight, recharge speeds, and availability of peak power for […]

Micro-Drone Rolls, Flies, Gathers Intel

Although this looks like a toy called the “Sky Walker”, this drone is far from it. The Applicant, l’INSTITUT SUPERIEUR DE L’AERONAUTIQUE ET DE L’ESPACE, funded by the French Ministry of Defense, has invented a little drone to gather recon inside buildings. It was built as a “multi-mission microscale aerial vehicle. It comprises elements allowing a microscale aerial vehicle to move or roll across a surface, in particular on the ground, and making it capable […]