quadrotor

LED quadrotors form 'Star Trek' logo over London

I can't say I'm a fan of the "Star Trek" reboot, preferring the days when the franchise was so bad it was good, but I have to admire this marketing stunt for "Into Darkness."

We've seen LED quadrotor displays before, and there's no denying that lighting up the night sky with small flying machines has enormous potential.

Ars Electronica Futurelab, the same outfit that illuminated the skies over Linz, Austria, last year, launched 30 quadrotors near London's Tower Bridge and flew in a formation that any Trekkie would salute.… Read more

Acrobatic quadrotors play catch with sticks

Can you toss a pole by its tip and catch it by the other end? These flying quadrotors can.

Researchers at ETH Zurich posted a video showing two quads tossing a pole in midair.

Dario Brescianini and colleagues at ETH Zurich's Flying Machine Arena developed algorithms for the game based on a 2D mathematical model of the ideal trajectory.

To test the model, the machines were fitted with 4.7-inch circular plates that they used to both throw and catch the pole, which was fitted with flour-filled balloons at the tips to act as shock absorbers. … Read more

This quadrotor flies -- and rolls -- over just about anything

We've seen how flying quadrotors can form spectacular displays in the sky, but what if they could roll along the ground too?

Engineers at the Illinois Institute of Technology's Robotics Lab have been developing a power-efficient machine that can move on land and air. It also happens to be extremely Crave-worthy. … Read more

Swarm of quadrotors lights up the Austrian sky

We've seen many uses of machines in visual art, but few seem as promising as this configuration of dancing lights.

Just check out the amazing vid below, shot in Linz, Austria, at the Cloud in the Net festival.

Ars Electronica Futurelab managed to fly 50 synchronized quadrotors, effectively forming luminous pixels in the night sky. … Read more

Hobbyist builds working S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier

At least one scientist has tried to prove that the S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier as depicted in "The Avengers" would fly about as well as an ostrich.

But that hasn't stopped an ambitious Russian modeler from creating a scaled-down version of the fictional aircraft carrier. And what do you know, it actually flies. … Read more

Quadrotor robots are a hit with James Bond theme song (video)

Now robots can perform live music.

The University of Pennsylvania General Robotics, Automation, Sensing and Perception (GRASP) Lab, which has attracted millions of viewers of its videos online, today released its latest demonstration of robot power.

The video shows a group of small quadcopter performing the theme song to James Bond movies. Introduced at the TED conference, the movie shows about ten of the flying robots emerge from boxes on the floor and start playing different instruments. … Read more