Popsci: Swarm of Tiny Quadcopters Do a Delicate Dance - Polidicks

[B]Time for your daily dose of Science News![/B] [QUOTE][IMG]http://www.popsci.com/files/imagecache/article_image_large/articles/Screen%20Shot%202012-01-31%20at%2011.52.05%20PM.png[/IMG] [B]GRASP Lab's New Nano Quadrotors[/B] The GRASP Lab at the University of Pennsylvania is a perennial PopSci favorite. Yeah, yeah, we’ve all seen robotic quadcopter drones before. But these tiny, so-called “nano quadrotors” are kind of blowing my mind right now. Dial the video below up to about 0:40 and you’ll see why. We’ve written extensively about “swarming” robots before, but this is a serious swarm if we’ve ever seen one--right down to the high-pitched cacophony of rotors that sounds eerily like a hive of bees moving en masse. But it’s the way these nano quadrotors swarm--seemingly aware of each other and of each individual’s place in space--that’s truly fascinating. Perhaps it’s somewhat hyperbolic, but seeing the ease and grace with which these things move in and out of formation, negotiating obstacles and ducking seamlessly between each other as they execute a figure eight really tickles the fanciful, sci-fi-friendly part of the brain. GRASP Lab creations have already shown us how quadcopters can work together to manipulate objects and even build structures together. The idea of looping more than a dozen of these things together--as we see in the video below--and putting them to work on complex projects makes this kind of precision performance feel very much like the future. [MEDIA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQIMGV5vtd4[/MEDIA][/QUOTE] Source: [url]http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2012-01/video-grasp-labs-new-swarming-nano-quadcopters-do-delicate-dance[/url] [B][h2]SCIENCE![/h2][/B] Also if someone could teach me how the fuck to format that would be dandy.

Now make them huge and stick guided missiles on them.

now connect it to skynet

[QUOTE=Motherfuckers;34507595]Now make them huge and stick guided missiles on them.[/QUOTE] Just what we need

Did anyone else suddenly think of Space Invaders while watching that video?

That's incredible.

Now put spinning blades on them and make them do really sharp noises. The haaacks!

I already own a Quadrocopter, ARDrone for iPhone [video=youtube;CuYXKmMQBJw]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CuYXKmMQBJw[/video] :dance:

Jesus that's amazing, especially when they split into 4 groups of 4 and navigate that wooden obstacle.

I'd like a dozen or two of those. [I]"Go forth my minions, and take over the living room"[/I]

[QUOTE=Van-man;34508620]I'd like a dozen or two of those. [I]"Go forth my minions, and take over the living room"[/I][/QUOTE] they have those nets in that room for a reason, so they don't try and take over that world.

Forget making them big, or even sticking anything guided on them. Those look cheap enough to stick a tiny bit of plastic explosive on and simply use as bomblets, now imagine how fucked anyone would be against that.

[QUOTE=darth-veger;34508021]I already own a Quadrocopter, ARDrone for iPhone [video=youtube;CuYXKmMQBJw]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CuYXKmMQBJw[/video] :dance:[/QUOTE]I have been trying to get my hands on one of those for an eternity. [editline]2nd February 2012[/editline] Also, this was on one of the early episodes of Penn & Teller: Tell a Lie.

Attach minature bombs underneath and a wireless camera, then use them in conflicts n stuff to destroy enemy combatants that are in buildings or in cover. Then they will be in the next COD game as a killstreak!

We got a thread here where some people are showing of their multcopters. [url]http://www.facepunch.com/threads/1130550[/url] Not as cool as in the article, but definitely equally interesting.

gah, where can I buy 8 of these things, I WANT TO GIVE THEM MY MONEY