The U.S. Navy recently updated its mini Cicada drone, a palm-sized, inexpensive drone that can capture intelligence on the ground without putting human life at risk. This, in combination with a fold-up origami drone indicate military surveillance may rely heavily on drones in future. (via Laurent Barthelemy/AFP)
The days of soldiers deploying into enemy territory for intelligence may be over, with the Navy’s new Close-in Covert Autonomous Disposable Aircraft – Cicada. The palm-sized glider will be deployed in swarms that can do anything from monitor the weather to eavesdrop on enemy defenses.
The Cicada glider is a mini drone that fits in the palm on your hands. It was inspired by the insect who shares its name, and the tactic is based on the idea that if a swarm of Cicada drones are deployed, it would be nearly impossible to capture them all. The small technology is compact, inexpensive at roughly $250 a pop and powerful, as it can be deployed to dangerous areas to gather information without risking human life.
The Navy conducted its first test flight in Yuma, Arizona in 2011, when it dropped the mini drones from a plane. The small structures have no propeller or engines, but they are equipped with GPS coordinates and can glide at 46 miles per hour. During the test flight, the drones were deployed on the wings of larger drones and balloons. At 57,000, they flew out on their own and landed within 15 feet of their targets.
The technology has been under development since 2006 and each advancement has resulted in even smaller and more inexpensive drones. In theory, these tiny drones can give the Navy a substantial amount of information about an enemy territory, including climate, military plans and enemy movement on the ground. There’s no word on when the Cicada will be ready for live battle, but it seems the future of military intelligence will rely heavily upon drones for surveillance.
Origami Quadcopter (via EPFL)
The Cicada isn’t the only miniature drone being built for surveillance purposes. Robotics researchers from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology recently developed a quadcopter that folds up like origami and fits in your pocket.
The tiny drone has 0.3mm rotor arms that snap into place with the help of magnets, enabling easy deconstruction. The quadcopter is theoretically strong enough to fly with a lightweight camera on its back and flexible enough to fold into an intricate piece of origami. The idea is that their versatility can come in handy when you need video surveillance on the fly (like, say, on the battlefield, or climbing Mt. Everest). This intelligence on-demand can be incredibly useful and may hint at a trend in the future of national defense technology.
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