Comments on: A nanocopter camera that follows you around, streaming video to your smartphone

By: Cybernettr

Cybernettr — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 03:39:06 +0000

You forgot picking the picking the locks step.

By: Cybernettr

Cybernettr — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 03:38:19 +0000

Let’s not forget Obama’s use of these things to kill suspected terrorists without a trial.

By: chris

chris — Sat, 16 Feb 2013 07:02:26 +0000

has any one mentioned the possibility of using this for police counter-surveillance use for recording evidence of abuse of authority?

By: Tommo

Tommo — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 13:34:21 +0000

For point 6. I guess you meant theft!!

By: Mats Svensson

Mats Svensson — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 08:54:33 +0000

Hello, good evening, and welcome to “BLACKMAIL”!
And to start tonight’s programme, we go to ….

By: sweetmuseek

sweetmuseek — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 02:56:37 +0000

And you thought mosquitos were bad?

By: melajara

melajara — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 22:13:15 +0000

I meant this http://www.sensorscope.ch/solutions/precision-agriculture

By: melajara

melajara — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 22:11:36 +0000

This is the most poetic and refreshing(!) comment I read here.
Waiting for the perfect artificial bee, maybe this could help you in the mean time
http://www.sensorscope.ch/

By: Gorden Russell

Gorden Russell — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 21:48:07 +0000

Also, melajara, a flyer could recharge by induction if it sits up on a power line.

By: Gorden Russell

Gorden Russell — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 21:45:23 +0000

Which birds do you want to watch, John Fields? I admire the crows in my neighborhood, but I can tell you, that if I send a cam up to watch their fledglings, they will mob the cam like they do a hawk or an owl. (There’s a researcher in nearby Ithaca who now has to wear a mask to escape mobbing after he banded the feet of the crows he was studying.) (There’s even evidence that the adults teach their offspring to dive and peck at researchers.) (Y’,know, even when it is possible to build a robot crow that can fool people and spy on them, the crows will know what it is and they will go after it.)

The last time I could watch such a nest was when it was built in a tree beneath a fifth floor window where I worked.

By: Gorden Russell

Gorden Russell — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 21:37:29 +0000

You got right there, Bob L. The paparazzi will surround Kate Middleton with a cloud of these cams.

By: Bri

Bri — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 20:51:09 +0000

I would love to use this for a more mundane task. I’ve wanted to do this for awhile. I’d love for it to monitor my orchids. Whether the pot holding them sent a signal or the copter had a sensor, it would then fetch water and give them the appropriate amount at that time. That simple task I would utilize in a variety of ways. It’s docking station could have a solar charger, so it could be totally autonomous and tend them when I can’t be there.

By: Richard Sittel

Richard Sittel — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 16:54:20 +0000

I can see this causing a surge in pellet gun sales, buying stock now….

By: Rosanne Cleveland-king

Rosanne Cleveland-king — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 15:36:28 +0000

As a photographer, I can see a myriad of uses, if the resolution is decent.

By: Marcos Marin

Marcos Marin — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 15:32:30 +0000

You guys are creeps! Here is a PERFECTLY legitimate use:

If it is fast enough, I’ll set it to fly 300+m ahead of my bike so I can drive at full speed on the road and know the exact timing to go AGAINST traffic around those sluggish trucks!

add radars or lasers, and cameras might not even be necessary.

By: Bob L.

Bob L. — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 15:02:06 +0000

A cute name, but I suspect that the real target audience is for its use as a ‘YouCam’ or spycam. A bit cynical but realistic, I think! What is the resolution?

By: John Fields

John Fields — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 14:37:43 +0000

This would be nice to inspect my roof. This could even be cool to bird watch in the tops of the trees where I can not safely go.

By: tim the realist

tim the realist — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 14:35:23 +0000

This would makr for some great videos of your kids soccer games, or flying indoors at a wedding or other events.

By: Khannea Suntzu

Khannea Suntzu — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 14:16:05 +0000

1. enter someone else’s home
2. unfold stealthy walking legs
3. crawl to any nearby PC
4. insert spyware/bank hacker USB stick
5. leave and wait
6. profit!

By: Khannea Suntzu

Khannea Suntzu — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 14:14:18 +0000

Wow the possibilities for blackmailing vids are endless.

By: Tom

Tom — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 14:13:13 +0000

It only flies for a few minutes before needing to be recharged. No big deal.

By: melajara

melajara — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 13:51:08 +0000

Would be nice to link this with the EPFL news to have this device powered by an encasing carapace fully coated with a film of solar cells to provide better if not real autonomy.

By: melajara

melajara — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 13:36:29 +0000

Sure, and even more if it is (hacked?) working in stealth mode, i.e. you fly the device in a room, chose a convenient observation spot, land, orient the camera and then switch off the rotors and possibly video transmission keeping just snapshots waiting for the action to start and full video to be resumed ;-)

By: cameronarndt

cameronarndt — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 12:26:29 +0000

The military / rescue applications for this are endless

By: Ian Clarke

Ian Clarke — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 10:29:23 +0000

The ‘must-have’ gadget for 21st century Peeping Tom’s – no need for ladders & less risk of getting caught!

Although I’m sure there are also some legit uses for it. :-)

By: Editor

Editor — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 10:14:00 +0000

Range would be defined by the Bluetooth or WiFi transmitters used and presence of obstacles.

By: Vin

Vin — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 09:53:33 +0000

Not sure they targeted the right demographic (sad old geezer?), otherwise quite neat. I wonder what the range is? I could do with one to keep an eye on my guttering.