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I imagine the slower speed is a closer fit to combat drones (which have a payload and sometimes a fiber optic cable)? Also watching MultiGP they sorta move/acce

I imagine the slower speed is a closer fit to combat drones (which have a payload and sometimes a fiber optic cable)? Also watching MultiGP they sorta move/accelerate too fast for me to fully appreciate the maneuvering. Feels kinda similar to the innovation around manned aircraft about 100 years ago when we went from toy/observation platform to killing machine in only a couple of decades. With the ardupilot news today, it was hard to not watch this and imagine the applications to a combat environment.

Aurornis 1y ago
> I imagine the slower speed is a closer fit to combat drones A lot of comments are trying to draw connections to combat drones, but drone racing like this has been a hobby thing for a long time. The capabilities of the drones are set to have an even playing field, not to match combat drones or anything. These aren't meant to have any parallels to combat drones, drones that fly long distances, or drones that carry payloads. It's really just a special-purpose hobby thing for flying through a series of gates very quickly. Flight time measured in a couple minutes, no provisions for carrying weight.
- david-gpu 1y ago
  We all understand that. People are simply observing that there an obvious path from this technology demonstrator to something similar in the battlefield.
  - tekla 1y ago
    You mean the stuff that anyone knew was possible 10 years ago, but was waiting for the tech to become much cheaper?
    - tough 1y ago
      Yeah, now its just cheaper enough so its happening
  - jack1243star 1y ago
    > We all understand that. I'm afraid not. RC/FPV is already a niche hobby, and media coverage is universally negative. No wonder laypeople mostly think of kamikaze drones when they see something like this.
close04 1y ago
> which have a payload and sometimes a fiber optic cable The optic cable is for the human pilot. An AI piloted drone doesn't need it.
- akie 1y ago
  If we are ok with AI drones autonomously choosing bombing targets, then you're right.
  - IshKebab 1y ago
    I think Ukraine would be ok with AI drones launched next to a Russian airfield autonomously choosing targets... I expect Russia will be ok with it in any situation.
    - jiggawatts 1y ago
      Obviously the Russians wouldn't be one hundred percent okay with drones autonomously choosing targets in or near Russian airfields...
      - genewitch 1y ago
        They'd be fine with the drones taking out all of their 3 and 5 engine bombers though.
  - athrowaway3z 1y ago
    I suspect the first big use case and subsequent rewrite of the battlefield will come from AI drones targeting enemy drones.
  - lupusreal 1y ago
    It's been done before, specifically in the naval context.
- closewith 1y ago
  Although even autonomous combat/ISTAR drones may require fibre spools for BDA, ISTAR, etc.

Aurornis 1y ago

> I imagine the slower speed is a closer fit to combat drones A lot of comments are trying to draw connections to combat drones, but drone racing like this has been a hobby thing for a long time. The capabilities of the drones are set to have an even playing field, not to match combat drones or anything. These aren't meant to have any parallels to combat drones, drones that fly long distances, or drones that carry payloads. It's really just a special-purpose hobby thing for flying through a series of gates very quickly. Flight time measured in a couple minutes, no provisions for carrying weight.

david-gpu 1y ago
We all understand that. People are simply observing that there an obvious path from this technology demonstrator to something similar in the battlefield.
- tekla 1y ago
  You mean the stuff that anyone knew was possible 10 years ago, but was waiting for the tech to become much cheaper?
  - tough 1y ago
    Yeah, now its just cheaper enough so its happening
- jack1243star 1y ago
  > We all understand that. I'm afraid not. RC/FPV is already a niche hobby, and media coverage is universally negative. No wonder laypeople mostly think of kamikaze drones when they see something like this.

close04 1y ago

> which have a payload and sometimes a fiber optic cable The optic cable is for the human pilot. An AI piloted drone doesn't need it.

akie 1y ago
If we are ok with AI drones autonomously choosing bombing targets, then you're right.
- IshKebab 1y ago
  I think Ukraine would be ok with AI drones launched next to a Russian airfield autonomously choosing targets... I expect Russia will be ok with it in any situation.
  - jiggawatts 1y ago
    Obviously the Russians wouldn't be one hundred percent okay with drones autonomously choosing targets in or near Russian airfields...
    - genewitch 1y ago
      They'd be fine with the drones taking out all of their 3 and 5 engine bombers though.
- athrowaway3z 1y ago
  I suspect the first big use case and subsequent rewrite of the battlefield will come from AI drones targeting enemy drones.
- lupusreal 1y ago
  It's been done before, specifically in the naval context.
closewith 1y ago
Although even autonomous combat/ISTAR drones may require fibre spools for BDA, ISTAR, etc.