An important benefit of the evolving botosphere is increased safety for our humankind. Robots are slowly replacing us for tedious and dangerous activities, and drones are a great tool for anything airborne. Take fireworks: pyrotechnics are not an exact art, and can be extremely dangerous if mishandled. Disney has been busy finding ways to use […]
Last week, the UN declared that Internet access is a basic human right. That is fine and well in an industrialized, densely-populated area, but what about the developing world and sparsely-populated regions? How do you deliver blazing speed at a reasonable cost? The answer, as usual, is “drones”. This patent application describes an apparatus carried […]
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 […]
On a quest to find drone geofencing, this interesting invention appeared. Essentially, the application describes a database of property lines. The database would make it possible to assign certain permissions to users for various uses (mineral rights, etc.) of real estate. The virtual fencing would come with the real estate’s title, and would give the […]
Simultaneously competing in the category of Most Versatile and Narrowest Patent, this latest patent application throws the proverbial Kitchen Sink into the drone world. Basing its priority on a 2002 Provisional patent application, having gone through not one, not two, but seventeen Continuation patent applications, this application is a testament to how not to use […]
There is a WW2 story about a boy who guided a munitions truck up a treacherous road to get to the front lines in the middle of a rainy night. The driver, unable to use headlights for fear of a sniper, followed the only thing visible to him: the boy’s white towel. This patent application […]
The scenario is nothing new: a drone to follows its dongle or transmitter, capturing video or photos of its user. Lily, or most higher-end quads offer this feature. However, as the present patent application illustrates, drones do not anticipate their target’s movement. For example, suppose you want a video of you surfing. Here is the […]
In the surveying world, seismic data can reveal a plethora of valuable information. For example, the oil and gas industry heavily relies on seismic data to determine where the good stuff is buried. Seismic data in remote areas is sometimes difficult to collect. As this patent application observes, “if seismic equipment has to be deployed […]
In the drilling world, sometimes you don’t drill straight down. If you need to create an underground passage for utilities under a road, river or obstacle, or to drink someone else’s milkshake, you can drill horizontally. How do you know if your cutting tool is at the right depth or on the right path? You […]
How can drones help society? Let me count the ways. For the linesmen who have to climb power-transmitting pylons in remote areas, this invention will be a lifesaver. Why climb when you can send a drone? This patent application relegates the most dangerous tasks to machines. Sharper Shape Ltd. of Helsinki proposes to mate ground […]