Nano quadrotors

[JRD]

 ???

Now that's high tech!

A Swarm of Nano Quadrotors

[Art Blade]

wow, that is impressive. I bet the military is already taking a closer look.

[JRD]

Dan Brown (Da Vinci Code) claims to only use science in his stories, not fiction! According to him, if it appears in one of his books, then this actually existis.

In one of his books the army uses what he describes as a bug-sized spy airplane. Something pretty much that size, powered by fuel cells that could be recharged by entering any electro-magnetic field, like the created by that common white light bulbs we use inside buildings!  ???

I don't know whether this is true or not, but sounds nasty!  ????

[PZ]

Sounds like the stuff for a new video game  :-()

[fragger]

I know that Dan Brown book - "Deception Point", right? He also claimed in that book that the military has a gun which can fashion ammunition out of anything that's stuffed into it - snow, dirt, mud - just push it in through the butt of the weapon and a projectile is created out of it. God knows weather it's true or not.

Another book that deals with the subject of nanotechnology is "Prey" by Michael Crichton, but IMO not one of his better efforts.

I also liked Dan Brown's "Digital Fortress", I think it's actually his best out of the five novels he's written to date. Not so far-fetched as his other stuff.

Nanotechnological machines have been postulated for years in books and this is yet another example of reality catching up with science fiction. Fascinating, if a tad unnerving.

[Binnatics]

Great video JRD :-X ^-^

I have no way to give you guys proof of the following, which I value as true, because I read it in the local newspaper, but it sounds reasonable:
Somewhere in the US they are developing cyborg insects. There's a guy who created an electrical circuit that can get charged by the stomach of a cockroach and can thereby fuel up a nano-size chip that's planted on its back. Other developers have been experimenting already with implants that can 'take control' over the actions of an insect like a night moth. They implant these mini control towers on the back of the cocoon before the moth gets out, and it seems to w@&k.
Now the plan is to combine those to devices to create cyborg insects, and word goes that indeed the army is interested.
The problem with nano-bots (especially flying ones) is that most batteries are far to heavy to make it effort-able. This way of extracting energy out of a, controllable, living body might be the solution, and very useful as well ;)

Here's some video material:
Cyborg insects

The guy who created the bio-fuel-adapters that might be able to fire up these control systems on its own is called Daniel Scherson from Case Western Reserve University. I could not find any related article on the net in English, but I'm sure there's something ;)

[PZ]

Now the plan is to combine those to devices to create cyborg insects...

Of course the military is interested in this weapon  :-()

[Art Blade]

Military counter-measure: A stainless-steel full metal jacket wire camouflaged fly swatter.

[Binnatics]

Ooh, I'd like to see that thing fly around ;)