Robot flies will be watching you
If any of you suffered Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen you might have noticed among the cleavage and explosions little robotic flies that zip around spying on people.
Now science is catching up with our friends from Cybertron.
The Register reports that Aerovironment has won a $2.1m contract to further develop its robotic 'Nano Air Vehicle' (NAV), which flies and hovers using flapping wings like a hummingbird.
According to the company, the fluttering NAV achievement is the first ever "controlled hovering flight of an air vehicle system with two flapping wings that carries its own energy source and uses only the flapping wings for propulsion and control".
The American military is very interested in the machine, which Aerovironment say they will shrink down to below 7.5cm in size while still being able to fly at speeds over 20mph.
The insect-sized craft would be used for clandestine "urban mission operations" in "indoor and outdoor environments".
Future versions of the bugthopter are expected to be able to "perch" in suitable locations, relaying sound and video back to their controllers up to a kilometre away.
They might also drop off very small payloads such as listening devices.
No matter where you are, they'll be watching.
Weird Science Factoid: You are more likely to get attacked by a cow than a shark. Is that on land or in the sea?
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Daniel Smith - a long time ago, in a galaxy far away just north of Watford, Daniel fancied himself as a scientist but turned out to be the worst scientist since that bloke who mapped out all those canals on Mars that turned out to be scratches on his telescope's lens. Luckily, he is now not working on the Large Hadron Collider inadvertently creating a black hole that would swallow the world but is safely behind a desk writing this blog, bringing you the fantastical underbelly of nature... weird science.
My family has mocked me for citing your factoid concering cow vs. shark attacks. :)
Can you provide a source for that? Thanks.
Mocked? I know that feeling well!
Cow attacks have been in the news recently with UK politician David Blunkett having his rib broken by an angry bovine, quickly followed by the death of a vet after being trampled by a herd.
In the UK, 19 people have been killed and 481 injured by cows over the past eight years.
Worldwide, there are less than 100 shark attacks a year, with around 10 fatalities.
And according to Animal Planet, cows kill about 1,000 people every year (mainly by trampling).
This is not to say cows are MORE dangerous than sharks, they obviously aren't. But the chances you will be attacked by a cow going about your daily business is a lot higher than being mugged by a shark hiding round the corner.
There are 1.3 billion cattle on the planet, it's just a matter of probability.
But cows can kill in other ways, too - the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, which claimed 300 lives, was started by a cow kicking over a lantern. Evil!