The world got a first glimpse of the “world’s first spherical flying machine” back in June 2011 but its maker, Japan’s Ministry of Defense, as a next step showcased it publicly a back in October in Tokyo. And as you can see in the videos released since, their ball drone is pretty awesome. ...
The world got a first glimpse of the “world’s first spherical flying machine” back in June 2011 but its maker, Japan’s Ministry of Defense, as a next step showcased it publicly a back in October in Tokyo. And as you can see in the videos released since, their ball drone is pretty awesome.
Weighing in at about 12 ounces (350 g), the 16-inch (42 mm) diameter flying ball can launch and return vertically, maintain a stationary hover and travel at up to 37 mph (60 km/h). Coupled with the ball camera reported on earlier in E-Weekly it could become a valuable reconnaissance platform. Thanks to three gyro sensors in its body, the machine can keep also flying even if it’s hit by an obstacle.
Remarkably, the drone is made of spare parts that are said cost just US$ 1,400 in total.
