Flying is a recurring theme in the Bionic Learning Network. The developers channelled their knowledge gained from the projects on the BionicOpter and the eMotionSpheres into the bionic butterflies. They combine the ultralight construction of artificial insects with coordinated flying behaviour in a collective. Continue reading
Category Archives: Research
DARPA’s System of Systems Integrates UAS
DARPA’s System of Systems (SoS) Integration Technology and Experimentation (SoSITE) program aims to develop and demonstrate concepts for maintaining air superiority through novel SoS architectures—combinations of aircraft, weapons, sensors and mission systems—that distribute air warfare capabilities across a large number of interoperable manned and unmanned platforms. The vision is to integrate new technologies and airborne systems with existing systems faster and at lower cost than near-peer adversaries can counter them. Continue reading
Balloon-Assisted UAV Brings Back Stratospheric Aerosol Samples from Altitude of 22 km in Antarctica
A balloon-assisted UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) named “Phoenix-S1,” developed by Kyushu University and Fukuoka University, Japan, has successfully brought back stratospheric aerosol samples from the altitude of 22 km and observed aerosol density at the altitude of 23 km in Antarctica on January 24, 2015.
Beetle Cyborgs Could Outperform UAS
Researchers have turned beetles into cyborgs, saying that controlling real animals equipped with high-tech backpacks could offer a better alternative to remotely controlled drones.
Multimillion-Dollar Project Using UAS to Detect Emerging Pest Insects, Diseases in Food Crops
Kansas State University is leading an international, multimillion-dollar project that is looking at unmanned aerial systems as a quick and efficient method to detect pest insects and diseases in food crops before outbreaks happen.
Smart Parking Lot Using Quadcopter Network
Trying to find a parking spot in packed cities can be frustrating. But it inspired one UMass Dartmouth PhD senior with an idea that won him an international contest. Faced with the difficulty of parking his car in packed lots at Logan Airport and the Providence Place mall, Amir Ehsani Zonouz, 31, has come up with an award-winning solution — a Smart Parking Lot Using Quadcopter Network. Continue reading
NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Laboratory
This video uncovers the workings, tools, and rationale of the scaled aircraft lab at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center on Edwards Air Force Base. Continue reading
Sikorsky Gets $8M DARPA ALIAS Programme Contract
Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. has announced that the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has awarded the company an $8 million contract for Phase 1 of the Aircrew Labor In-Cockpit Automation System (ALIAS) programme. Continue reading