38 ms·

Is it just me or is the next robot already a drone? Why walk when you can fly?

accurrent 6y ago
Drones run out of battery and have huge spinning blades that can take out somebody's eye. They might on occasion also fall out of the sky.
taneq 6y ago
Maybe because you want a robot with more than 30 minutes' autonomy? Wheels (if practical) are best. Then legs (or wheel/leg hybrids). Then fixed wing (if you have somewhere you can take off and land). Multirotors are easy and fun but only practical for short missions.
- baddox 6y ago
  Regular old small RC planes can do a heck of a lot more than 30 minutes. Also, the Spot only has 90 minutes of battery life.
- echelon 6y ago
  There aren't fixed wing drones with VTOL? I'd imagine something like an Osprey would do well.
  - hengheng 6y ago
    As well as an Osprey, or as well as a motorcycle with a sidecar. They are practical, but far from elegant or efficient.
  - taneq 6y ago
    There are, but I was trying to keep it short. Alphabet's "Project Wing" drones work like this, for example. They seem a bit inelegant though.
onion2k 6y ago
Why walk when you can fly? Gravity. Overcoming gravity takes a lot of energy, and if you're only moving a relatively short distance it's a huge waste getting a payload in to the air if there's an acceptable alternative. For long distances fixed wing drones will definitely be better though.
mattigames 6y ago
Backwards compatibility is one of the reasons, meaning an humanoid form can interact with all the interfaces that humans already use in day to day basis, think push/pull doors, grabbing two-handed objects or pushing a car; as well as the ability to be aid by other machines without wasting their own energy: think using electric stairs, elevators, boarding a car/bus/train, sitting down at a computer desk (so hands stay on while legs are off). Plus doing all that without the risks that spinning blades bring.
de_watcher 6y ago
I don't think that flying like a bird is simpler than walking like a human. Flying like a quadcopter is more like walking like a cart.
dragonelite 6y ago
Can't do regime change with only air power, you need ground troops.

Drones run out of battery and have huge spinning blades that can take out somebody's eye. They might on occasion also fall out of the sky.

taneq 6y ago

Maybe because you want a robot with more than 30 minutes' autonomy? Wheels (if practical) are best. Then legs (or wheel/leg hybrids). Then fixed wing (if you have somewhere you can take off and land). Multirotors are easy and fun but only practical for short missions.

baddox 6y ago
Regular old small RC planes can do a heck of a lot more than 30 minutes. Also, the Spot only has 90 minutes of battery life.
echelon 6y ago
There aren't fixed wing drones with VTOL? I'd imagine something like an Osprey would do well.
- hengheng 6y ago
  As well as an Osprey, or as well as a motorcycle with a sidecar. They are practical, but far from elegant or efficient.
- taneq 6y ago
  There are, but I was trying to keep it short. Alphabet's "Project Wing" drones work like this, for example. They seem a bit inelegant though.

onion2k 6y ago

Why walk when you can fly? Gravity. Overcoming gravity takes a lot of energy, and if you're only moving a relatively short distance it's a huge waste getting a payload in to the air if there's an acceptable alternative. For long distances fixed wing drones will definitely be better though.

mattigames 6y ago

Backwards compatibility is one of the reasons, meaning an humanoid form can interact with all the interfaces that humans already use in day to day basis, think push/pull doors, grabbing two-handed objects or pushing a car; as well as the ability to be aid by other machines without wasting their own energy: think using electric stairs, elevators, boarding a car/bus/train, sitting down at a computer desk (so hands stay on while legs are off). Plus doing all that without the risks that spinning blades bring.

de_watcher 6y ago

I don't think that flying like a bird is simpler than walking like a human. Flying like a quadcopter is more like walking like a cart.

dragonelite 6y ago

Can't do regime change with only air power, you need ground troops.