4 ms·

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7jENWKgMPY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7jENWKgMPY This one might be even larger, it's kind of a hybrid configuration thou

• jsumrall 13y ago
  Wow, the heli-blimp looks like something I would have built in Kerbal Space Program (A game which lets you build spaceships and planes). Its a bad idea, and it looks like they thought adding a lot of cross-beams would make it stable. "Guess and Check" might have worked for HS Calculus, but it's not a good way to build a flying machine on a Navy contract.
  • dm2 13y ago
    Blimps are making a comeback apparently. I think the goal is to use them as a central relay for communications and to put a bunch of cameras and sensors on them. Possibly even release smaller drones and allow drones to refuel or recharge on them, kind of like a "mothership". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3n5cUaG5fg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3n5cUaG5fg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z72GPZ3MI2M https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z72GPZ3MI2M
    • jasonwatkinspdx 13y ago
      Tethered blimps are already in use by the US military and border patrol: http://www.lockheedmartin.com/us/products/lighter-than-air-vehicles/ptds.html http://www.lockheedmartin.com/us/products/lighter-than-air-v... I expect we'll see more and more of this. Military stuff aside, they could be useful for early fire detection in high risk areas of CA, etc.
      • dm2 13y ago
        Yeah, those are cool, and a really good idea. Some great outside-the-box thinking, "let's put blimps everywhere!" They're a lot larger than I thought after seeing that photo you linked to. I always assumed they were the size of a small car or even smaller. I think they're also combined with the boomerang shooter detection system, and probably other sensors to give troops as much data as possible (wind speeds for shooting would probably be helpful). Also, the chrome version (with solar panels on top!) http://www.lockheedmartin.com/us/products/lighter-than-air-vehicles/haa.html http://www.lockheedmartin.com/us/products/lighter-than-air-v...
• robotresearcher 13y ago
  The article mentions in passing the defining feature of multirotors: they are controlled by rotor speed only. No swash plate. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swashplate_(helicopter) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swashplate_(helicopter)
  • dm2 13y ago
    That might be the unofficial defining feature but a multirotor rotorcraft is simply one with multiple rotors. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multirotor http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multirotor
    • robotresearcher 13y ago
      OK, I guess so. But the surge in interest in multirotors is almost entirely in the simple no-swashplate designs with electronic attitude control. The Chinook is a crazy machine, but does not have much in common with a quadrotor except for the very minor feature of having more than 1 rotor.
      • dm2 13y ago
        Thanks for pointing that out though, I wasn't aware that most people considered that term to mean that. I have a huge interest in drones (as I'm sure many of us do) and think it would be really neat to have a personal drone that can follow us around, can do random tasks, and maybe even defend/guard us if necessary. I doubt someone would mug a person with a drone following them. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/airdroids/the-pocket-drone-your-personal-flying-robot https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/airdroids/the-pocket-dr... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=533a9_dfg4c https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=533a9_dfg4c