Drone with grabbing claw arms can lift 22 pounds
Prodrone's latest creation can also use its five-axis metal claws to perch on a fence like a bird.
This is definitely a good idea.
Claw arms hardly make a drone look less terrifying, but they could make it more useful. That's the promise of Prodrone's latest hoverbot, the snappily-named PD6B-AW-ARM.
This claw-handed drone can fly up to 6 km per hour and stay in the air for 30 minutes. Using its two five-axis robotic arms, it can lift a whopping 22 pounds, which is half the weight of the drone's airframe. The Japanese drone-maker says its eerie new toy will have a range of industrial uses, from lifting cargo to cutting cables -- but could also drop a lifesaving buoy.
Perhaps most striking is the drone's ability to perch, crow-like, on a railing -- using its claw arms to balance itself. Check that out in the promo video below, and excuse us while we install anti-claw metal sheeting on our windows and rucksacks.
Update 2:53 p.m. BST/6:53 a.m. PT September 14: This story incorrectly stated the amount of weight the drone can lift. Prodrone says the drone can lift 22 pounds.