Demonstration of RAF jackal drone firing missiles.
This footage shows a demonstration where a new RAF ‘Jackal’ drone fires missile at a target. The missile can be seen launching out the new drone as it flies above the ground.
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Researchers from the Photonics Research Laboratory (PRL)-iTEAM at the Universitat Politècnica de València, in collaboration with iPRONICS, have developed a groundbreaking photonic chip. This chip is the world’s first to be universal, programmable, and multifunctional, making it a significant advancement for the telecommunications industry, data centers, and AI computing infrastructures. It is poised to enhance a variety of applications including 5G communications, quantum computing, data centers, artificial intelligence, satellites, drones, and autonomous vehicles.
The development of this revolutionary chip is the main result of the European project UMWP-Chip, led by researcher José Capmany and funded by an ERC Advanced Grant from the European Research Council. The work has been published in the Nature Communications journal.
2023.
Drones combining the bodies of taxidermy pheasants and pigeons, with flapping wing mechanisms closely mimic living birds.
Continue reading “Dead birds made into drones could spy on animals or humans” »
“Batteries are the crux of many of the most important emerging technologies in both the civilian world and, important to our profession, on the battlefield,” said United States Military Academy Cadet Michael Williams. “More energy dense batteries allow, for instance, greater range on electric vehicles, longer battery lives for radios, and longer flight times for drones. Our work helps make manufacturing these batteries easier.”
Cadets Michael Williams, Avery Patel, and Nancy Astable have been working on a long-term project with their faculty mentors Dr. Enoch Nagelli, Dr. Simuck Yuk, and Army Col. John Burpo to develop new ways to maximize energy storage and generation for the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command’s Armaments Center. In collaboration with Cornell University, the team at USMA’s Department of Chemistry and Life Sciences is pursuing innovative approaches to increasing the quality and use of batteries and fuel cells.
The value of conducting scientific research to solve real-world problems is clear to the cadets.
Summary: Researchers developed a drone that flies autonomously using neuromorphic image processing, mimicking animal brains. This method significantly improves data processing speed and energy efficiency compared to traditional GPUs.
The study highlights the potential for tiny, agile drones for various applications. The neuromorphic approach allows the drone to process data up to 64 times faster while consuming three times less energy.
Championing an aerospace renaissance — elizabeth reynolds, managing director, US, starburst aerospace.
Elizabeth Reynolds is Managing Director, US of Starburst Aerospace (https://starburst.aero/), a global Aerospace and Defense (A\&D) startup accelerator and strategic advisory practice championing today’s aerospace renaissance, aligning early-stage technology innovators with government and commercial stakeholders and investors to modernize infrastructure in space, transportation, communications, and intelligence.
NASA recently asked the scientific community to help come up with innovative ideas for ways to carry out its Mars Sample Return (MSR) mission. This was in response to a report by an independent board that deemed that its US$11 billion (£8.7 billion) price tag was too expensive and its 2040 timeline too far in the future.
In brief, the ambitious plan was to collect rock samples cached inside containers by NASA’s Perseverance rover and deliver them to laboratories on Earth. Perseverance has been exploring Mars’ Jezero Crater, thought to have once hosted an ancient lake, since 2021. The mission would deliver the samples by sending a lander that carries a rocket (NASA’s Sample Retrieval Lander) down to the surface of Mars.
Perseverance would then deliver the cached rock samples to the lander, with small drone helicopters delivered on the lander as a back up. Perseverance’s samples would then be launched into Mars’ orbit using the lander’s rocket. A spacecraft already in Martian orbit, the Earth Return Orbiter, would then intercept these samples and deliver them to Earth.
As autonomous drones soar toward the frontline, bigger countries like China and the U.S. are watching.
China has officially showcased its machine-gun armed robodog drones during a 15-day military exercise with Cambodian forces.
Underwater recon and attack drones are about to enter war zones.
Australia has unveiled ‘Ghost Shark’, an underwater drone that is capable of surveillance, intelligence collection and attacking enemy targets. The U.S. has a ‘Monster Manta’ that can carry a range of payloads, carry out long-range missions. Countries around the world are developing unmanned underwater vehicles for the next war at sea. What about India?
Continue reading “Gravitas: A new underwater warfare, is India prepared?” »
“Batteries are the crux of many of the most important emerging technologies in both the civilian world and, important to our profession, on the battlefield,” said United States Military Academy Cadet Michael Williams. “More energy dense batteries allow, for instance, greater range on electric vehicles, longer battery lives for radios, and longer flight times for drones. Our work helps make manufacturing these batteries easier.”
