It may not yet teach train young Jedis to use the Force, but you've got to admit that the spherical flying machine developed by Japan Ministry of Defense is pretty cool:
The drone can hover like a helicopter and take off and land vertically while maintaining an ability to propel itself forward with wings flying at speeds up to 40 mph. There are three gyro-sensors embedded into the drone to maintain altitude and autopilot even if it's flight path is disrupted. And probably most frightening, it can hit the ground and roll in any direction, then immediately pop back up into mid-air.
The cost of parts for the machine is approximately US$1400, and the lead engineer Fumiyuki Sato explained that the parts were purchased off the shelf.
Comments (5)
Guess he didn't want to admit that it's stolen from the beginning of the Val Kilmer movie "Real Genius" where Kilmer launches one in his dorm room....
/Was friends in high school with a guy who got shipped off to a Klan summer camp in the 80s. That was how he found out that being in the Klan was a family tradition he was expected to take part in, and his experience was... not pleasant at all.