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This Venus flytrap-like robot mouth could help the Army retrieve drones fast

It's designed to make collecting drones of all sizes much easier.

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abrar-al-heeti2
Abrar Al-Heeti Video producer / CNET
Abrar Al-Heeti is a video host and producer for CNET, with an interest in internet trends, entertainment, pop culture and digital accessibility. Before joining the video team, she was a writer for CNET's culture team. She graduated with bachelor's and master's degrees in journalism from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Though Illinois is home, she now loves San Francisco -- steep inclines and all.
Expertise Abrar has spent her career at CNET breaking down the latest trends on TikTok, Twitter and Instagram, while also reporting on diversity and inclusion initiatives in Hollywood and Silicon Valley. Credentials
  • Named a Tech Media Trailblazer by the Consumer Technology Association in 2019, a winner of SPJ NorCal's Excellence in Journalism Awards in 2022 and has twice been a finalist in the LA Press Club's National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Awards.
Abrar Al-Heeti
Talon
Screenshot by Abrar Al-Heeti/CNET

A new drone-retrieval system could make it easier for Army units to collect their drones after a mission.

The Talon, a device made by Target Arm, is designed to sit on the back of a moving vehicle and catch drones of all sizes. The prototype was presented at an industry day Thursday at the Maneuver Center of Excellence (MCoE) at Fort Benning, Georgia, according to ArmyTimes

Talon can launch and recover drones at air speeds of up to 60 miles an hour.

Army officials were reportedly impressed by the prototype. Don Sando, deputy to the MCoE commanding general, told ArmyTimes it was a "simple but elegant" way to bring back drones. It's critical that drones remain mobile so they won't be tracked by the enemy, Army officials reportedly said. The Talon makes that possible. 

The Army is looking to integrate more robot technologies, from 3-armed super-soldiers to tiny drones that support squad-level surveillance.

The Army didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.