3 ms·

In the 1970s, the CIA created a robot dragonfly (2020)

46 points by rolph 2y ago

NikkiA 2y ago
I have my doubts about the validity of this. I've read about it many times, but there's never any pictures of it, other than the line drawing 'design'. It appears to be powered by an internal combustion engine, which surely limits it from being a realistic size - I've seen tiny internal combustion engines, but they are never tiny enough to convincingly fit in an object around 4mm diameter or so. It always reads like someone's pipe dream that never really happened, even the anecdote about throwing it into the air, it flying 2 laps of the room and landing on a desk, how? The CIA didn't have access to microelectronics beyond what is known about, there's no way it had any autonomy, and the hinted-at optical remote control would require microelectronics that again is too big for a realistic size. I suspect it's possible someone built a 'prototype' that was maybe a metre long or so, but that's a long way from the covert device we're asked to believe was made, if never deployed. I have similar doubts about the anecdote of their 'brain controlled cat' snooping device that has often been written about from the same era, no evidence of the level of brain interface technology that would be required has ever been demonstrated from that timeframe.
- HermanMartinus 2y ago
  You obviously didn’t read the article and just wrote this comment on looking at the headline and picture. The circling the room twice is referring to an actual dragon fly. Also, it’s not ICE but fluidic motors driven by lithium nitrate crystals. There’s also cover how it is very hard to control and how they do it manually with IR lasers. There’s even a video at the end of the prototype flying.
ricktdotorg 2y ago
https://archive.md/vKykx https://archive.md/vKykx
ThinkingGuy 2y ago
Right around the same time, the children's book "Danny Dunn, Invisible Boy" was published, which described a very similar technology: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danny_Dunn,_Invisible_Boy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danny_Dunn,_Invisible_Boy
- tomcam 2y ago
  The Danny Dunn books were immensely enjoyable
- Euphorbium 2y ago
  Donny Dunn is a character in netflix series Baby Reinder, wonder if that is related.
- rolph 2y ago
  'isit'
- fellowniusmonk 2y ago
  Loved that book as a child.

46 points by rolph 2y ago

I have my doubts about the validity of this. I've read about it many times, but there's never any pictures of it, other than the line drawing 'design'. It appears to be powered by an internal combustion engine, which surely limits it from being a realistic size - I've seen tiny internal combustion engines, but they are never tiny enough to convincingly fit in an object around 4mm diameter or so. It always reads like someone's pipe dream that never really happened, even the anecdote about throwing it into the air, it flying 2 laps of the room and landing on a desk, how? The CIA didn't have access to microelectronics beyond what is known about, there's no way it had any autonomy, and the hinted-at optical remote control would require microelectronics that again is too big for a realistic size. I suspect it's possible someone built a 'prototype' that was maybe a metre long or so, but that's a long way from the covert device we're asked to believe was made, if never deployed. I have similar doubts about the anecdote of their 'brain controlled cat' snooping device that has often been written about from the same era, no evidence of the level of brain interface technology that would be required has ever been demonstrated from that timeframe.

HermanMartinus 2y ago
You obviously didn’t read the article and just wrote this comment on looking at the headline and picture. The circling the room twice is referring to an actual dragon fly. Also, it’s not ICE but fluidic motors driven by lithium nitrate crystals. There’s also cover how it is very hard to control and how they do it manually with IR lasers. There’s even a video at the end of the prototype flying.

ricktdotorg 2y ago

https://archive.md/vKykx https://archive.md/vKykx

ThinkingGuy 2y ago

Right around the same time, the children's book "Danny Dunn, Invisible Boy" was published, which described a very similar technology: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danny_Dunn,_Invisible_Boy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danny_Dunn,_Invisible_Boy

tomcam 2y ago
The Danny Dunn books were immensely enjoyable
Euphorbium 2y ago
Donny Dunn is a character in netflix series Baby Reinder, wonder if that is related.
rolph 2y ago
'isit'
fellowniusmonk 2y ago
Loved that book as a child.