No surprise that Japan has a limited amount of space and loves high tech gadgetry. That combination has spawned a robotic underground bike storage system. This ECO Cycle system is a fully automated underground bike storage system that can hold 204 bikes. This amazing technology can store and retrieve your bike in about 13 seconds. Video of the underground ECO Cycle system after the break.
This has to be one of the best autonomous drones I have seen in a while. Not only is it available for purchase today… it is incredibly well thought out. The senseFly eBee UAV can fly pre-programmed flight path or can be flown by remote control. The main purpose of the eBee is to create 2D/3D aerial maps. Perfect for managing crops, wildlife, development, etc…
The senseFly eBee is made of a foam body, has detachable wings, a 16-megapixel camera, is hand launch-able, and comes with software (eMotion 2) that allows you to set the flight route or take over control. Once the eBee has done its UAV flight it can return to home base and land all by itself.
The eBee and its gear fit in a hard case that is meets the International Air Transport Associate guidelines for carry on. See, they thought of everything. The only bummer is the price tag at around $12,000. Feel free to send donations my way 
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Video and more details after the break.
The video (after the break) shows a mind-controlled quadcopter being flown through an obstacle course of balloon rings. This impressive feet was created at the University of Minnesota by engineering professor Bin He. The intent isn’t to launch a mind-controlled drone attack… but instead to help disabled people to control things like wheelchairs and/or mechanical limbs.
It is hard to believe that a guy, Brad Edelman, with a funny helmet on can fly a RC Quadcopter with just his thoughts. Cool and scary at the same time.
Another new day, another new way to used drones. Seems like all of those sci-fi movies of the past are coming true. Soon your every move will be recorded from drones that you can’t see or hear flying above.
In this case, a German railway network, Deutsche Bahn, is deploying drones to catch people trying to graffiti on their trains. In 2012 alone their trains were defaced about 14,000 times, costing a whopping $9.8 million dollars to repair. The company will start using the graffiti hunting drones in their larger depots. Since most graffiti takes place at nights when it is darker and quieter… the drones are nearly silent and have infrared cameras. No surprise that Deutsche Bahn will be seeking criminal prosecution. These drones can fly at altitudes of 492 feet for 80-minutes at a time with a top speed of 33-mph.
Ahhh, our future is going to be a bit scarier with tiny drones like these quickly becoming a reality. A group of researchers at Harvard have created the RoboBee which just might be the world’s smallest aerial drone. So small in fact that it doesn’t appear to have its own power source and no cameras… yet.
The RoboBee Aerial Drone has two membrane style wings that flap at 120 times per second. This lightweight aerial drone can hover an fly at low speeds. While tiny drones like this can be used for good things like rescue operations, building/bridge inspections, etc… it is hard not to imagine a world with spy drones everywhere. Bummer. Video of the RoboBee after the break.
DJI Innovations is no stranger to high end remote controlled helicopters and drones. Their S800 (Spreading Wings) Hexacopter has been a favorite choice among serious hobbyists. I happen to own the S800 with the Wookong-M autopilot system and while I love it… it is incredibly difficult for a new user to setup. You practically need a PhD to figure out the ESL manual, assemble the beast, and then tune it for flight. Things just got a bit simpler for new users who want to enter the multi-rotor GPS enabled space thanks to the Phantom. Read on for the DJI Phantom Review…
The quadcopter craze continues. This time with a very small, very cool, open source kit. The Crazyflie Nano Quadcopter sells in two versions (both under $180) and will continue to develop and improve as more smart kids tinker with the open source code.
One of the cool bits, especially for the gamer types, is the fact that you fly this tiny remote control quadcopter with a PS3 controller. Simply amazing. See the Crazyflie Nano in action after the break.
While the full details of the RoboMe Robot Toy are not out, we do know that it will use an iOS device (iPhone) as the robots face. The RoboMe is made by WowWee, a company known for making robotic toys.
RoboMe will use speech recognition for learning names, can be programmed with responses to your prompts, and users will be able to customize the robots face to their liking. Expect to see RoboMe hitting the stores later this summer.
Video of RoboMe after the break.
The Secom autonomous quadcopter is a high tech flying surveillance robot. You no longer need to go outside to protect your domicile… just launch the Secom Helicopter and watch the live video feed from the safety of your living room.
Seecom’s autonomous flying surveillance robot works by detecting and following intruders. The unit uses a laser-guided camera system, LED lights for night vision, and wireless video link.
Yep… it was only a matter of time before the local food delivery guy on the scooter was replaced by a UAV remote control airplane?? The Burrito Bomber is just that, an unmanned autopiloted remote control airplane that can carry a 3-inch diameter 500 gram burrito. The burrito is then dropped on the exact location and delivered by parachute. More information and video of the Burrito Bomber after the break.
