Tag: patent

Mix and Matching Propellers Reduces Noise

It took some outside-the-box thinking by the folks at Aurora, a Boeing-owned company, to arrive at this invention. They asked the question “but Why are drones so loud?” The answer is not so simple: constructive interference. When a propeller spins, it has a noise profile. This noise profile is part spinning motor, part propeller’s interaction with air. This profile has peaks and valleys. Add 3 more propellers with identical noise profiles, and the peaks and […]

Spy, Dragonfly, Chop Chop

Straight out of science fiction and into British Secretary of State for Defence’s patent portfolio, this drone flies like a dragonfly, “a drone having an elongate fuselage and four wings arranged to provide lift by flapping.” It’s the size of a Corona cigar with a camera on each end, and two wings on each side, and it flies. The very brief patent text is focused mainly on the cameras, and very little is said about […]

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 […]

US Navy Drone Holds Shade, Lights

The first thing you need to keep in mind is that this invention was funded by, and can be used by the US Navy without paying a royalty. What does this invention do? Flying drones have panels or lights attached to them, and coordinate their positions with cameras stationed on the ground to add or subtract light for a specific photo or video shoot. Out of the 4000 words in the patent application, none of […]

Microsoft Drones Augment Virtual Reality

Let’s face it: virtual reality can only go so far. Your mind may be immersed in another universe, but your body hasn’t left the room. You might see a dragon, but if you reach out to pet its nose, all you will touch is air. How do you increase your suspension of belief? How about being able to interact with physical objects you see in your VR goggles? This is where Microsoft’s invention comes in: […]

Why Won’t Amazon’s Drone Tether Swing?

The video of Amazon landing a delivery drone on a happy father’s front lawn has made the rounds, but Amazon is hedging its technology footprint and pursuing tether delivery by drone as well. This patent application is about the flawless final step of delivery, dropping the item at its destination. Apparently, it’s not as easy as it sounds.

Ditch the Remote: LG’s Drone is Controlled with Glasses

Your DJI is up in the air, sending your iPad amazing shots, but what exactly are YOU doing? You’re likely staring down at your iPad, not taking in the whole picture. You probably have a friend watching your drone to make sure you don’t hit anything. What if you could just capture the photo by looking at it and framing it with your hands? The folks at LG believe this is the future: deep-6 the […]

Mars Rover Technology Adapted to Drones

It worked for the Mars Pathfinder Rover, and it saves uncounted lives in cars, so why not adapt an airbag for the drone? This is the solution proposed by the present Japanese patent application. Sure, you can fit a deployable parachute to your expensive quadcopter, but it’s not the perfect solution. As the application discloses, “the product of [http://www.dji.com/ja/product/dropsafe)] opens the parachute at 6 meters or more from the ground and therefore cannot produce an […]

Amazon Quells Drone Noise with Anti-Noise

Phase cancellation is an interesting acoustic phenomenon. If two identical signals are 180 degrees out of phase, they will completely cancel each other out. With the eventual proliferation of delivery drones, noise will be an issue. As Amazon puts it, “the net effect of the noises generated by the unmanned aerial vehicle may be annoying at best, or deafening at worst.”   Behold: the Silent Drone. Amazon has presented a patent application “directed to actively […]

Disney’s Drone Drops Fireworks, Confetti, Liquids

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 drones from their Flixels to the flying eyeball to this present patent application for precise firework placement. As the application […]